In the future, credit cards may require an extra layer of security to process transactions, such as a retinal or fingerprint scan. It may also be possible that they will be printed with the card holder’s picture on them. For now, however, anyone who simply has possession of a credit card can use it, as there are very few stores which ask for identification with the use of a credit or debit card (as long as the card is run as credit and not as debit which does not require a pin). This, of course, makes these credit cards an attractive target for thieves and would-be fraudsters. Yet, there are some steps that consumers can take to protect themselves from losing their card, or from getting it stolen.

One tip is to decline to sign the back of the credit card. F

Read full article…

SOUTH BEND –– When Kim Wilson was offered the opportunity to take the reins of The South Bend Tribune, she gladly accepted.

Wilson, 41, who most recently served about three years as president and publisher of the Fort Collins Coloradoan, was announced as The Tribune’s new president and publisher on Thursday. She is taking the place of David Ray, who retired April 29th, after 11 years as publisher.

She will begin her duties at The Tribune June 1. She is the first woman publisher at the newspaper in its 139-year history.

“I am so passionate about what this industry needs to do to not only survive but thrive in the future that I was thrilled to be offered this opportunity,” said Wilson, who spent her entire 20-year career with Gannett Co. newspaper Read full article…

People looking for more convenient ways of doing their shopping could find using their credit card to pay for their goods online and picking them up at a drive through may save them time and effort.

News.com.au reports that Coles has begun trialling a system to use its petrol stations as a pickup point for customers who have bought their goods over the internet and paid with a debit card.

Customers using the Click and Collect scheme would be able to visit the forecourt of one of 620 stores nationwide that are participating to collect their groceries between 15:00 local time and midnight.

Trails have already begun and the company will make a decision whether to expand the service in the next six months.

General manger for online at Coles Keith Louie told the Australian Financial Review that it could potentially “change the way people shop”.

Those who use credit cards for the service may also be looking to reduce the amount of debt they carry on their plastic, as according to the Australian Debt Study, 60 per cent of people will look to pay off some of their outstanding charges in the next six months.

A new service called “Credit Sesame” gives you access to a monthly updated free credit score based on credit profile information pulled from credit bureau Experian.

While this sounds pretty cool, keep in mind Credit Sesame uses Experian’s National Equivalency Score, which is not a Fico score.

However, it does rely upon the Fico score range, which ranges from 300-850, so that’s a plus.

But they don’t provide a credit report with payment information and tradeline activity, so it’s a bit limited.

The good news is that the credit pull is a soft one, meaning it will not hurt your credit score (since you’re not applying for a loan or any other type of credit).

Signing Up for Credit Sesame

So out of curiosity, I decided to sign up for Credit Sesame – they ask quite a few personal questions, including home address and annual household income, but alas, I continued.

They then ask for your social security number, which is used to pull credit information from Experian (this is standard practice, so don’t freak out).

After that, you must answer a few questions about what may appear on your credit report to verify your identity.

Once registered, Credit Sesame provides you with your credit score instantly, along with your monthly liabilities, which is the combined minimum monthly payments for all your credit card debt and loans (auto leases, mortgages, etc).

They also provide your credit usage, which is the amount of your revolving credit currently in use. The lower the per

Read full article…

Two years ago, heavy spring rains combined with course drainage problems set the South Bend Country Club up for disaster.

An inadequate system could not properly remove the water pouring onto the already-saturated fairways after the winter thaw. The 18-hole course was forced to completely close for a while. Several holes remained idle for weeks, meaning golfers could not always complete full rounds.

But the brutal April storms that have saturated courses across the region this spring have had little adverse affect on the private west-side club and its schedule. Most days the club closed in recent weeks, other courses did, too.

New owners saved the club with financial and emotional investments and brought back excitement and pride that had been missing for some time.

The 95-year-old club nearly closed last year before it averted a sheriff’s sale and a listed judgment of $1.79 million. T

Read full article…