Crescent City Real Estate News

Experienced a "Reprice Rate" on your Credit Card? You may be entitled to a Refund!

credit cardsHave you experienced a "Reprice Rate" on your credit card?  If so, you may be entitled to a refund from your credit card issuer.

I wrote a post almost a year ago about my personal experience with one of my credit card issuers.  Here is the link if you would like to read it.

The short version is my credit card issuer more than tripled my interest rate (Rate Repricing).  I had never made a late payment and always paid AT LEAST the minimum amount due and my reward for being an excellent customer, they raised my interest rate to 33%.  I closed my account and paid it off saying good riddance and watch out for that karma thing, BTW. 

Well, today I received a letter from the credit card company, Advanta regarding credit card Rate Repricing:

Dear Sir/Madame,

The enclosed check in the amount of $134.15 is a reimbursement relating to certain changes(s) in terms that resulted in an increased interest rate ("Reprice Rate") on your Advanta Business Card account between June 1, 2007 and December 31, 2008 ("Reprice Event(s)").  Please cash this check as soon as possible.  It will be void after 180 days from the date of the check.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is the primary federal regulator of Advanta Bank Corp.  The FDIC has determined that the Repricing Events may have constituted an unfair practice under Section 5 of the Federal Trace Commission Act.  Advanta disputes this, but it has entered into a Consent Agreement with the FDIC as part of a settlement with the FDIC in connection with their determination regarding the Repricing Events.  As a part of the settlement, Advanta agreed to reimburse certain credit card customers impacted by a Repricing Event.  Under the terms of the Agreement and Order issued pursuant to the Agreement, you were identified as one of the customers the Bank is required to reimburse.

The amount of your reimbursement check equals the difference between (a) the full amount of interest that accrued on your account from the effective date of the Repricing Event(or, if you received a downward interest rate adjustment after the Reprice Event, then instead, the lower interest rate) and (b) the amount of interest that would have accrued using the APR that would have applied had there been no Reprice Event, for the two billing cycles immediately following the Reprice Event.  If you have any questions, please feel free to call us toll free at (800) 503-7510 Monday - Friday 8:00 am to 8:00 pm Eastern Time.

Upon accepting and cashing the enclosed check, you agree to release Advanta Bank Corp. and its parent and subsidiaries from any and all claims or actions that might exist, or might have existed, on the date of this letter that involve any Reprice Event.

Sincerely,

John F. Moore
President
Advanta Bank Copr.

Has anyone else received a Repricing Rate reimbursement from  Advanta Bank Corp. or any other bank and if so are you going to cash the check?  I'm thinking I should receive ALL the interest back, not just 2 months worth.  Your opinion is welcome.

Here are some links with more information on this issue:

Advanta customers next option: Small Claims Court

Advanta settlement checks arrive...with a thud

Advanta lawsuit pending; average settlement: $131

 DelNorteCountyREOForSale.com  &  REOAgent95531.com

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Thank you for stopping by. Your comments on this post are welcomed and appreciated.
No one sold more homes in Del Norte County in 2009 and 2010--*both in number and volume--than Fran Gatti. Put Fran to work for you!

 

 Fran Gatti

Brought to you by Fran Gatti at  REMAX
No one works harder for you! 
Bus: 707-464-5400, Cell: 707-218-8162
Email: frangatti@remax.net
Website: FranGatti.com
My Blog: Fran's Blog
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CA lic 01723796

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Crescent City Real Estate - Financing Your Home Purchase

Crescent City real estate - financing your home purchase - Financing your home purchase

Real estate financing has changed in my market quite a bit from the liars stated income loans and easily obtainable 100% financing of the early part of this decade.

Gone are the days of having a real estate agent show you several homes and your lender being able to find you a loan for whatever you wanted to purchase.

The subprime meltdown has changed the face of lending and only the real estate agents who get on board with this new reality are going to meet their clients needs and excel in this market.

The best advice I can give a prospective buyer is, "Go see a good lender first."  This should be the first step.  A good agent will work closely with your lender and tailor the home you will purchase to meet the qualifications of your loan.

For instance, one of the most popular forms of financing a home in Crescent City right now is the GRH program.  The GRH program (USDA) is alive and well in our county as all of Del Norte County qualifies for this program, which is not the case in most California counties.  Usually it is only certain areas that meet the "rural" requirement for this program, but yippee, all of Del Norte County is considered rural for GRH.  That is good news indeed as the GRH program has 100% financing.

However, and you knew that was coming, the GRH program will not cover a manufactured home on land UNLESS it is brand new.  That leaves out every manufactured home currently listed in my market and means you would want to be looking at site-built or stick-built homes only.  What would be the point of looking at manufactured homes if your financing will not allow them?  None, however if you work with an agent who isn't paying attention to this point, you may end up wasting quite a bit of time.

FHA will finance manufactured homes as well as stick-built AND if you are Native American and belong to a tribe who has money available (we have at least one such local tribe) then you may be able to have your down payment covered.  There are so many variables to each buyers situation that the only way to find out what programs you qualify for and which would be best for you is to see a reputable lender and have an evaluation of all your data.

If you need the name of a lender who is aware of GRH, FHA and Native American money programs as well as conventional forms of financing, give me a call.  There are several local lenders I work with who do a fabulous job and give my clients the excellent customer service they deserve.

As always, I am here to assit you with all your real estate needs.  I am here to answer all your Crescent City / Del Norte County real estate questions.  Thank you for stopping by.

 DelNorteCountyREOForSale.com  &  REOAgent95531.com

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Crescent City Custom Home Listings  Crescent City Luxury Home listings  Crescent City listings under $300k  Crescent City foreclosure listings  Search the Crescent City MLS

Thank you for stopping by. Your comments on this post are welcomed and appreciated.
No one sold more homes in Del Norte County in 2009 and 2010--*both in number and volume--than Fran Gatti. Put Fran to work for you!

 

 Fran Gatti

Brought to you by Fran Gatti at  REMAX
No one works harder for you! 
Bus: 707-464-5400, Cell: 707-218-8162
Email: frangatti@remax.net
Website: FranGatti.com
My Blog: Fran's Blog
RDCPro®, CDPE®
CA lic 01723796

*PER CCMLS

Buyers Beware of Predatory Lenders

Predatory lendingPredatory lending is still out there and buyers need to be aware. 

One of my clients decided to go with the services of a nice young man who contacted her by phone.  He promised her a low interest rate along with many other enticements.  She contacted me long after she had begun the loan process with Justin, her trusted lender.

It turns out that the interest rate promised is not even in the ball park of what is in the loan docs, the down payment has since increased from $30,000, to $50,000 and the loan fees for a $152,000 loan are in excess of $7500.  Also, my client had no idea she was buying down her interest rate, which isn't cheap.

California is one of the 25 states that has adopted anti-predatory lending laws. These laws usually describe one or more classes of "high-cost" or "covered" loans, which are defined by the fees charged to the borrower at origination or the APR. While lenders are not prohibited from making "high-cost" or "covered" loans, a number of additional restrictions are placed on these loans, and the penalties for noncompliance can be substantial.  However, this did not stop Justin from lying and in my opinion, overcharging.  When I asked the owner of his company if they could lower some of their fees, he said, "Hey, everybody has to make a buck."  Gee, how professional.

Buyers, there are so many wonderful mortgage brokers and lenders out there right now who actually have your best interest at heart.  When choosing a lender, work with someone that has been referred by a trusted source.  Make sure they've had a personal experience with that lender.  Make sure you get all the promises made on a good faith estimate

I've blogged about it before, and I'll continue to do so...a good lender is worth their weight in gold, now more than ever.  If you need a referral to an honest, hardworking mortgage professional in my market, do not hesitate to call me... there are several.

Del Norte County foreclosure listings  Del Norte County custom home listings  Del Norte County luxury home listings  Del Norte County commercial listings  Del Norte County MLS

I am here to assist you with your real estate needs!

 
Fran GattiBrought to you by Fran Gatti at  REMAX
THE REDWOOD COAST REAL ESTATE CONNECTION 
Bus: 707-464-5400, Cell: 707-218-8162
Email: fgatti@charter.net
Website: FranGattiHomes.com
My Blog: Fran's Blog
Fran is the #1 buyer's agent for 2007per CCMLS

 DelNorteCountyREOForSale.com  &  REOAgent95531.com

GOOGLE ME

Crescent City Custom Home Listings  Crescent City Luxury Home listings  Crescent City listings under $300k  Crescent City foreclosure listings  Search the Crescent City MLS

Thank you for stopping by. Your comments on this post are welcomed and appreciated.
No one sold more homes in Del Norte County in 2009 and 2010--*both in number and volume--than Fran Gatti. Put Fran to work for you!

 

 Fran Gatti

Brought to you by Fran Gatti at  REMAX
No one works harder for you! 
Bus: 707-464-5400, Cell: 707-218-8162
Email: frangatti@remax.net
Website: FranGatti.com
My Blog: Fran's Blog
RDCPro®, CDPE®
CA lic 01723796

*PER CCMLS