Merchant Funding

About one in four traders take a loan from their 401 (k), but while these financial lending products have certain benefits over other resources of credit worthiness, they can also hit your pension benefits in surprising techniques. Somewhere around 22% of approach individuals who are granted to gain access to from their 401 (k) have [...]

Trying to rebuild a business after a natural disaster can be overwhelming. Just ask René Garcia. When Hurricane Irene barreled through Fleischmanns, N.Y., last summer, the buckets of rain and howling winds proved too much for the town — and Garcia’s business. In just a few short hours, La Cabaña, the Mexican restaurant and nearby [...]

Small business are saying the state of the economy rather than bank behaviour is the main reason why they are not seeking new credit lines as a survey shows banks are still taking a tough line with those that do apply Fears over the economy have replaced anger at tough bank lending policies as the [...]

President Barack Obama is taking steps to ease the burden of student loans, the White House said on Tuesday, potentially helping millions of cash-strapped college graduates in a tough economy. Obama plans to accelerate a plan to cap student loan payments at 10 percent of income, bringing it forward to start in 2012 instead of [...]

With shock waves roiling financial markets worldwide, investors are seeking new ways to protect their portfolios from the next upheaval. But they may be ignoring the best weapons in their arsenal: straightforward strategies for managing money that, over time, boost returns. “We’re on this incredible volatility roller-coaster ride,” said Andrew Lo, professor of finance at [...]

In the tax world, COD is short for “cancellation of debt.” If that phrase doesn’t sound familiar, you’d better read on, particularly given the state of the economy. Like it or not, when a debt you owe is canceled or discharged, in many cases the tax code treats the wiped out debt as cash income [...]

FHA loans have been touted recently as a great mortgage option because they offer lower interest rates and are easier to qualify for. But easiest doesn’t always equal cheaper or better. Because they are insured by the Federal Housing Administration, the mortgages allow down payments as low as 3.5 percent and have less stringent underwriting [...]

Last week’s news that total commercial lending is up for the first time in three years but small-business lending continues to fall got The Agenda wondering: Is that true across the board? Or are some banks actually making more small-business loans, while others are making fewer? We know that the biggest banks are making fewer [...]

Last week’s news that total commercial lending is up for the first time in three years but small-business lending continues to fall got The Agenda wondering: Is that true across the board? Or are some banks actually making more small-business loans, while others are making fewer? We know that the biggest banks are making fewer [...]

Nearly 40 percent of U.S. homeowners refinancing in the second quarter chose shorter loans, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. said Monday. Freddie Mac said 37 percent of those people off 30-year loans in a refinancing deal in the quarter chose a 15- or 20-year loan. It was the highest portion of borrowers choosing shorter [...]