National Consumer Protection Week

Servicemembers Civil Relief Act
(formerly known as The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Civil Relief Act of 1940)

Continuing with our spotlight on National Consumer Protection Week, here are some great Q&A’s about the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Who Is Eligible?

The provisions of the Act apply to active duty military personnel who had a mortgage obligation prior to enlistment or prior to being ordered to active duty. This includes members of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard; commissioned officers of the Public Health Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who are engaged in active service; reservists ordered to report for military service; persons ordered to report for induction under the Military Selective Service Act; and guardsmen called to active service for more than 30 consecutive days. In limited situations, dependents of servicemembers are also entitled to protections.

National Consumer Protection Week

I’ve focused in on two main areas today relating to the home foreclosure crisis: Identifying and Avoiding Home Foreclosure Scams.  This information, provided by the Federal Trade Commission, is the 3rd installment this week highlighting topics relating to National Consumer Protection Week. I hope you’ll find this information helpful and please share this with your family members or friends. I’ll post two additional topics before the week ends so please check back.

National Consumer Protection Week

I have selected three topics today highlighting National Consumer Protection Week.  This information, provided by the FTC, gives practical and timely advice for protecting the personal information of customers, employees, contractors, and others in the business environment.  The topics are:

• Take Stock: Conducting a Data Security Audit in Your Office
• The “Red Flags” Rule: Are You Complying with New Requirements for Fighting Identity Theft?
• Protecting Personal Information: Five Steps for Business

National Consumer Protection Week

In recognition of National Consumer Protection Week, I will provide a variety of consumer information to you this week that highlights efforts designed to help you make informed decisions about your money. These topics will include information related to credit, banking, mortgages, investments as well as protecting your identity.

Many thanks to the Federal Trade Commission and its steering committee partners listed below:

* AARP
* Better Business Bureau
* Consumer Federation of America (CFA)
* Federal Citizen Information Center (FCIC)
* Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
* Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
* Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
* National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators (NACAA)
* National Consumers League (NCL)
* Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC)
* United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS)
* United States Postal Service (USPS)

To kick off this event, I have listed these topics for you today: Credit Repair: How To Help Yourself, Ten Ways to Protect Yourself from Scams and Rip-Off’s, and Obtaining a Free Credit Report.