As you may have heard, The Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009 was passed in May to provide additional credit protection for consumers. While many of the new provisions will go into effect in February 2010, there are some changes you’ll notice before then.

Part of this new legislation specifies that creditors, including Vantage, must give consumers clear disclosures of account terms before the opening of an account, and clear statements of account activity afterwards.

306,000,000 … and counting. That’s 306 million people, the current population of the United States. The counting part will take place in 2010 with a massive undertaking known as the census, an official headcount of U.S. citizens that happens every ten years.

This counting means census workers are now out in neighborhoods all across the country collecting the preliminary information they’ll need to put together accurate population numbers. Unfortunately, it also means thieves will be out to exploit the situation, posing as official census workers, trying to collect personal information they can use for fraudulent purposes.

Have you ever been burned by love? Really, who hasn’t at some time or other? And while it may have taken you days, weeks or months to recover, you did live to see another sunny day. But were your emotions the only price you paid?

Think of this scenario: You’ve been dating your boyfriend for several months and things are looking rosy. But, in conversation, he’s mentioned a few snags he’s had with his credit. You, on the other hand, have proudly kept your credit history squeaky clean. While it may seem nice or even romantic to think about adding him to your credit card account to help him improve his credit, the gesture may not work as you expect, or could even backfire on you.

MyVantage enrollment continues into week three. Statistics to date:

Number of active accounts:    23,542
Number of members who successfully auto-enrolled:   19,894
Number of e-statements: 24,767

Why is the last statistic such a great success? Because it’s a faster, safer, more efficient way for us to provide your statements. Not to mention, it saves the credit union a lot of money on printing and postage, and, statements remain viewable and available to you indefinitely. The number of e-statements listed above is an increase of 171% over our original number of e-statement enrollees, definitely a step in the right direction for Vantage!

Sometimes debt strains a relationship and couples never recognize it. Breakups, fights, and tension are blamed on more obvious causes instead of the underlying problem of mounting bills and dwindling bank accounts. Here are some tips to help ease the tension and open the lines of communication between couples that are faced with mounting bills.