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Contributors
Marce Edwards is the business editor. She has been at The News Tribune for seven years and has written about technology and big businesses in the South Sound including Weyerhaeuser and Russell. Before moving to Tacoma, she worked at The Idaho Statesman in Boise. She is a Northwest native who likes to garden and refuses to use an umbrella. She lives in Tacoma with her husband and two kids.
C.R. Roberts is a Tacoma native. Before joining The News Tribune, he worked as a freelance writer and part-time cowhand on a cattle ranch in Northern Idaho. He writes about small business, personal finance and other business issues.
John Gillie writes about the aerospace and airline industries, commercial development and consumer issues. During his 30-year-tenure at The News Tribune he has covered issues as diverse as the Native American fishing rights disputes, crime and the courts, the wood products industry and energy. He lived in Tacoma with his family for 25 years, but now lives in Kent because his wife heads a five-state non-profit foundation headquartered in Ballard, and it only seemed a sensible compromise to make considering their workplaces are 40 miles apart.
Kelly Kearsley has been a business reporter at The News Tribune since 2005. She covers the Port of Tacoma and international trade. Being born and raised in Spokane she’s used to living in cities with inferiority complexes and, in fact, prefers it. Prior to working at The News Tribune, she spent three years as a reporter for The Bulletin in Bend, Oregon and another year working stints for The Associated Press and Seattle Times. She graduated from Pacific Lutheran University. She lives in Tacoma with her husband and miniature schnauzer.
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State Attorney General Rob McKenna praised the Federal Trade Commission for tackling a Tacoma company "that preyed on financially strapped consumers."
The FTC sued Mutual Consolidated Savings last week for allegedly using robo-calls to aggressively target consumers then charging fees of $690 to $899 while providing little help.
On Monday, the FTC froze the company's assets and a court-appointed receiver took control of the business.
“Mutual Consolidated Savings has been the source of numerous consumer complaints,” McKenna said. “The Federal Trade Commission’s move to shut down its Tacoma call center means that fewer consumers will be misled by the company’s promises to bail them out of debt.”
McKenna urged consumers to use a legitimate credit counselor and his office offered tips on how to sort out the bad actors from the good ones.
“When you’re drowning in debt, you’re desperate,” McKenna said. “But if you’re not careful, your chosen rescuer may toss you an anvil instead of a life preserver.”
Here's how to spot a debt repair scam:
- The company promises to repair a bad credit report.
- The organization wants you to pay before any services are provided.
- You aren’t informed of the legal rights and actions you can take yourself for free.
- The repairer suggests you shouldn’t contact a credit bureau directly.
- The company suggests that you try to invent a "new" credit report by applying for an Employer Identification Number to use instead of your Social Security Number.
- The company quickly recommends bankruptcy.
Here's how to find legitimate help:
- The U.S. Department of Justice’s U.S. Trustee Program provides a list of government-approved credit counseling agencies online at http://www.usdoj.gov/ust/eo/bapcpa/ccde/index.htm
- The National Foundation for Consumer Counseling provides a list of member agencies at www.nfcc.org or call 1-800-388-2227 for 24-hour automated office listings.
- Be aware that just because an organization says it is “nonprofit” doesn’t guarantee that its services are free or affordable.
- Think carefully before sending money to a credit counseling organization that doesn’t have an office in your community.
- Shop around. Compare a couple of services and get a feel for how they operate. The credit counselor should spend at least 20 to 30 minutes with you in order to get a complete picture of your finances.
- Ask a lot of questions and get the answers in writing.
