Desperate debtors are ripe targets

MATTOON, Ill. — After Darren Robertson got laid off from his factory job, he and Julie Fitzpatrick, his girlfriend, ran up nearly $10,000 in credit card balances on food, gas, medical and heating bills. That's when Fitzpatrick discovered a company on the Internet that promised to make them debt free.

Digging out from debt

Hotel worker Hans Maldonado dreamed of one day starting a family and giving his children a better life than he had in Guatemala City, but his financial affairs were a mess.

TRIBUNE UPDATE

Limits on title loans called a 'good start'

State officials moved Wednesday to close a loophole that has allowed title loan companies to dodge consumer protection rules the state implemented seven years ago.

Advice for consumers with mounting debt

Consumers who are struggling with debt need to receive meaningful counseling services and not be sold other services that will not help them. For consumers who are seeking credit counseling or are considering signing up for a debt management plan, the following tips are offered:

Gift carries stiff price

For most people, inheriting a house would be a big economic leap forward.

Non-profit helps rescue the home of her dreams

Decades ago, Bettye Sherrod fell in love with her dream house while riding a bus. It was an abandoned greystone with a bay window in the 3200 block of West Washington Boulevard in the run-down neighborhood of East Garfield Park.

Money available for fixing homes

Should you inherit a house that needs more work than you can afford, here are some money-saving tips:

Interest still high in payday battle

KANKAKEE, Ill.—From its 8:30 a.m. opening to its 5:30 p.m. closing one day last week, people steadily trooped into the modest offices here of the Sun Loan Co.

Car title loans snare victims at 300% rates

Rosa Mobley never imagined her debts would swell so large.

Loan basics: Questions and answers

What is an auto title loan?

CASHED OUT

Trapped by Web loan with the 842% interest rate

Payday loan law loophole swallows borrowers whole

Paper led long-ago hunt of loan sharks

They found him dead in a dive hotel on North Clark Street with nothing but loan sharks' receipts in his pocket.

Tribune update

Payday loan industry increases political contributions in Illinois, other states to make its case

With its foothold threatened in Arizona and across the U.S., the $42 billion payday loan industry has pumped up spending in its defense.

Debt collectors pushing to get their day in court

Cook County Circuit Court has been turned into a frenetic debt collections machine, a reflection of easy credit gone sour and a collections industry determined to get paid.

Are you trapped? Tell us your story

We want to hear your experiences dealing with high interest loans or other debts, so pease share your story on the comment board below. We are interested in the kinds of situations consumers face, not the specifics, so please do not name individuals or the companies involved.

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