I had a citibank mastercard for about 3 years. In March 2008, I accidentally lost it and I was issued a new card. I think it gets a little more confusing because the card expired during this time or shortly later. Anyway, I had already gotten used to a different card (with better benefits) and I was using that instead. I decided to drop the citibank card, so I stuck it in my closet. Unfotuntely, I apparently made a single $37 charge on the card.

None of this would be too terribly bad, except I never heard a word from the credit agency. I discovered that all of this had happened recently when one of my credit cards was cancelled. I called and after talking with various people learned that they had "tried to contact me" by phone and letters. Except I never got a single phone call or letter. I could have easily paid the card off, I during this time I had a steady job and everything was fine, I paid off my other card monthly like clockwork. Now I feel like my credit report has a large glaring problem, before this it was fantastic.

Is there anything I can do? Should I ask the credit agency for forgiveness?

uutxs said:The credit agency/bureau cannot "forgive" it. You can ask Citi for forgiveness so that they report accordingly to the bureau. The fact that you did charge $37 and not pay it is not helpful to you; see why you did not receive a statement from Citi (where you moving your residence then)?

Thanks for the response. After sorting through a little more stuff I realized that I had had online banking and statements going to my email address. These statements weren't really statements, they just said "you're statement is ready, log in to online banking" and are sent out regardless of whether there was a balance. They don't even tell you if you do. Anyway, when I got my new card they wanted me to sign up for a new online banking account, which I remember trying to do but being so frustrated that I either never did or did but never wrote down the password they gave me because I had decided to dump the card anyway. All in all, it's pretty much my fault. I'm just wondering what the best course of action I should take is. I've tried extensively talking to Citi and all they tell me is that I should talk to the credit agency.

I searched for a thread on this but couldn't find it. What would be the best place to buy about 1000 euros? My local Bank of America offered me a rate of $1.56/euro which seemed a bit high looking online. Also, someone suggested that I should just use my US debit cards in Europe instead of cash. Does this make sense from a conversion point of view (leaving security concerns aside)?

chris58950 said:Get it at the ATMs in Europe. You will pay possibly 1-2% and get the exact exchange rate for that day. This is generally much better than getting the money ahead of time. You should also call you credit cards and ask if they charge a foreign exchange rate and use your credit cards as much as possible. There is no need to carry so much cash.

Thanks for the quick reply. So, you're suggesting to use my Bank of America debit card for withdrawing money from the ATMs there? I am just a bit apprehensive of BofA fees and opaque exchange rate, I guess I'll inquire at the bank about it.

qcumber98 said:Is this a scam? I got a strange letter today regarding payment reduction notification on my mortgage. It reads,

"JP Morgan Chase realizes that sometimes things happen that are out of your control which can keep you from meeting your most important financial obligations.

Your loan was originated by Washington Mutual, JP Morgan Chase has purchased Washington Mutual. Along with the buyout came $327.9 billion dollar loan portfolio (more than likely your mortgage is in this pool) this will produce $60 billion dollars in losses over the next three years and about 60% of that will come from adjustable rate mortgages.

Homeowners who have been facing a hardship may now find that they will have the opportunity to obtain a loan workout to avoid foreclosure in their home.

Based on public records and information obtained you are in a severely declining market in terms of your home's value. We have reviewed your property information and have determined that you may be eligible to modify the current terms of your mortgage.

This offer is good for 20 days from the above date and is subject to certain conditions. No other notices will be issued and no phone calls will be made to you.

Call Toll-Free at (888) 445-9969

(in tiny print) This information was obtained thru public records. Priority Financial Group license #01789005 is not an affiliate, nor endorsed by, nor associated with Washington Mutual or any government agency."

Priority Financial Group has a D rating from The BBB.

chris58950 said:Self Directed IRA - Does anyone have any experience with these with purchasing property?

I am thinking of rolling over my 401K to a self directed IRA. I've read and heard you can purchase all sorts of securities including property. Has anyone had any experiences or recommend any companies who manage it? Any experiences would be greatly appreciated. Pitfalls, etc.Hope this article helps: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/17/realestate/17assets.html?_r=1&...

There is also a wikipedia entry for self directed IRA.

My take is since most investment properties aren't cashflow positive from the start, the tax sheltering isn't that important. And if you can live in it for 2 years you get a big chunk of the cap gains tax free. And you can invest in REITs to get the risk exposure to real estates in the IRA.

anyone have a mortgage with "Macquarie Bank"?

Soft Pull Vs Hard Pull. Can someone explain these. do Soft pulls affect your credit score at all?? thanks

uutxs said:Zan86 said:Soft Pull Vs Hard Pull. Can someone explain these. do Soft pulls affect your credit score at all?? thanks
Soft pull or a soft credit inquiry is something that does not show up when anyone other than you looks at your credit report. E.g., periodic inquiries by your current CC issuer. As such, it does not affect your credit score since the scoring algorithm doesn't know about this.

Hard pull or hard credit inquiry shows up in a credit report when someone (including yourself) looks at it. They usually show hard inquiries within the last two years. This does affect your credit score. How much, depends on many factors. E.g., if you apply for a loan or a CC, the inquiry usually is a hard inquiry.Clarification -- you will see the hard pull, but you will not cause one. When you look at / pull your credit report, it is a soft pull.

You will often get a hard pull when you apply for membership in a credit union, whether or not you are accepted.

I can tell you we have seen some evidence of monitoring. Where the line is is difficult to determine. Some information is communicated with private messages. On the other hand, the persistence of some deals would suggest there is no monitoring or that the exploitation of the deal is either desirable or at least tolerated.