Gri.pe gives consumers a voice

At times, individuals rely on the Better Business Bureau when bad business strikes. But the BBB isn’t always the quickest way to solve such problems anymore. That’s where Gri.pe plays a role. This cell application brings grievances out in the open, Twitter style.

‘Word of mouth is powerful’

The New York Times states the free Gri.pe iPhone or Android application is available to any consumer that wants to complain about a business with Twitter’s speed at their fingertips. The company’s byline – “word of mouth is powerful” – reminds consumers they have the power to fight back against bad companies. Customers are able to post to Facebook and Twitter their grievances to the company’s consumer service department with a simple user interface on Gri.pe. Just like Yelp works for businesses, Gri.pe then allows the business to respond and make an effort to fix the problem.

Customers are also able to use “cheers.” These are positive notices. They can talk about it on the Gri.pe network with friends also.

Getting rid of fakers with a Facebook post requirement

While having Gri.pe post to sites like Facebook might seem like an expected add-on, Gri.pe CEO Farhad Mohit argues that there is a good reason for doing so. As it would be very simple for customers searching for a free payday to loan their voice to a chorus of boos, Gri.pe utilizes Facebook and Twitter as security devices to help discourage users from making frivolous posts (“social bullying”). It is easier to be a jerk whenever you do not know who’s reading it. You will only make accurate comments. However, if a user does not possess reasonable internal filters, Gri.pe does reserve the right to remove comments deemed too offensive or outlandish.

Gri.pe: It was a very good year

The six people that run Gri.pe have no problems with its users right now, even though it was founded concerning a year ago. According to Mohit’s estimation, almost 1.7 million people already use the service. ”Online word-of-mouth power,” or “womp,” is powerful enough to do that. Gri.pe has more than 100 million-plus local businesses and service providers taking notice, so it must be.

Take a look at the griping about service on ‘The View’

Citations

Gri.pe

gri.pe/

New York Times

nytimes.com/2011/05/29/technology/29digi.html

House foreclosure rates go up and prices go down

Foreclosure rates are on the rise in the United States as house prices continue to drop. This is great news for home buyers looking for a bargain. Sellers, however, would be advised to give it more time.

FHFA report shows distinct decline

The Federal Housing Finance Agency reports this week that its home-price index fell in the current quarter quicker than at any time since 2008. In the last quarter, prices went down 2.5 percent, which is a 5.5 percent drop from last year was. The report didn’t contain all homes. Only Fannie Mae or Freddie Machomes were integrated. It excludes cash only sales.

Difficulties caused by foreclosures

According to Edward DeMarco, FHFA director, “In many local real estate markets, particularly those hit hard by this cycle, foreclosures and other distressed properties are still a key factor in recorded and anticipated future sales and may be delaying price stability or recovery.” There has been a decrease in the price people are willing to pay for foreclosures. It has been going down considerably, RealtyTrac explained. The average sales price was $168,321 during the first quarter, which is a 1.89 percent drop from the previous quarter, and 1.46 percent from a year ago. The rest of the homes are worth less since foreclosures lower the value of homes in the neighborhood.

Foreclosure third parties

”While foreclosure sales continue to account for an unusually high percentage of all residential home sales, sales volume is well off the peak we saw in the first quarter of 2009, when nearly 350,000 foreclosure properties were sold to third parties,” said CEO of RealtyTrac, James Saccacio. There were 158,434 homes sold to third parties in the first quarter. That’s a 16 percent decline from the previous quarter and from a year ago it dropped 36 percent.

States have different foreclosure rates

Every state has a different number of homes being foreclosed on. In Ohio and Illinois it was 41 percent. Both California and Arizona had the same also. It was 45 percent for both. In Nevada, foreclosures were 53 percent of the industry.

Beware of foreclosure scams

This trend has brought out higher numbers of foreclosure rescue scams. Some companies promise to protect from foreclosure for an upfront fee. The homeowners end up with nothing. The Federal Trade Commission no longer allows upfront fees for negotiations on mortgage reduction plans. This change was made in February.

Articles cited

Wall Street Journal

blogs.wsj.com/marketbeat/2011/05/25/home-prices-fall-at-fastest-pace-since-late-2008/?mod=google_news_blog

DS News

dsnews.com/articles/home-prices-post-biggest-drop-in-two-years-as-foreclosures-depress-market-2011-05-26

DS News

dsnews.com/articles/home-prices-post-biggest-drop-in-two-years-as-foreclosures-depress-market-2011-05-26

Daily Finance

dailyfinance.com/2011/05/27/foreclosure-prices-fall-again-how-your-state-stacks-up/

DC Comics restarts all its superheroes at No. 1

In September DC Comics plans to reboot each one of its hero comics. Each one of them will begin once again from issue No. 1. DC owns such iconic roles as Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and The Flash.

DC’s new imaginative team to do well

In a bold and risky move, DC’s new imaginative team, Geoff Johns and Jim Lee, are leaving behind 70 years of storylines and starting over with a clean slate. The plotlines will be more modern, there will be new origins and the costumes will be changes. Lee explained it a little better. He said it will “make characters more identifiable and accessible to comic fans new and old.”

Battle of the superheroes

DC has long played second fiddle to its arch nemesis, Marvel Comics. Walt Disney Business is owned by Marvel who has about 40 percent of the industry for comic books. About 27 percent goes to Time Warner’s DC. Hopefully Johns and Lee can change that gap a bit.

The Justice League

The new DC saga begins Aug. 31 with a new start for the Justice League. ”The Brave and the Bold” magazine is where the Justice League debuted in Feb. 1960. It involves Aquaman, Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Batman and Superman.

Altogether, there will be 52 titles rebooted. In Sept, there will be 13 new titles released every week. At DC, 52 is an enchanting and well known quantity. This is because in the company’s “multiverse,” there are 52 alternate Earths that “exist.”

New industry to overcome

A new marketing strategy will be put in place with the starting of the “Justice League” reboot. DC will plan an app where the rebooted titles could be sold. They’ll have same-day digital releases. This will end up “making DC Comics the first of the two major American publishers to release all of its superhero comic book titles digitally the same day as in print.” This is what DC’s blog explains. The move is following what Archie Comics did. The strategy was initially thought up by the company.

Articles cited

National Post

arts.nationalpost.com/2011/05/31/dc-reboots-entire-line-of-comic-books/

MSNBC

today.msnbc.msn.com/id/43232629

Titans Tower

titanstower.com/monitor/?p=3118

Completing a bill with an autopen brings about controversy

The contentious Patriot Act has been given a new lease on life, thanks to President Obama. It went to the White House for approval, though President Obama is currently in Europe. The president’s signature is creating debate, as he authorized an autopen signature, which is a mechanical device that produces an exact copy of a persons’ signature.

Not ending government surveillance just yet

Unless a new bill was created and passed by Congress and signed by the president, some Patriot Act provisions would have expired. The controversial surveillance was passed and finalized into law by President Obama at the last minute. This was despite all the debate on it, states the Christian Science Monitor. The government can still use the internet, wiretaps and business records whenever they want without permission. Senator Paul did rally against the bill though, without any luck. Apparently the president used a robotic pen though which caused anger in Congress, reports CNN.

Refill the ink if you need to live

Since the president is currently in France, and the signature was needed urgently, the document had to be signed using an autopen. The autopen is a system that could be used. A person’s signature could be reproduced with it. It is almost extremely hard to tell the difference between the signatures. It might as well have been the same. Some of the machines are very complex. Some are not complex at all though, reports MSNBC. There are two companies in the U.S. that make them, and a brief interview with Bob Olding, owner of one of those companies, is being reproduced on many news sites. ABC spoke with Damillic Corp., owner Olding who said that the technology hasn’t changed much since the 1930s when it came out. He also stresses that Damillic goes out of its way to properly vet its customers and make sure that his goods are being used ethically.

Whether or not it is legal

The Constitution states “he shall sign it” in reference to the president signing the bill. As long as a signature is directed to be attached to a document, it is valid, according to the Department of Justice. As long as a president gives his consent of signature, it is legal and valid to auto sign something. This was the response the Justice Department had in 2005 when an autopen for President Bush was being looked into. V.P. Quayle admits that he used an autopen in 1992 while Donald Rumsfeld used one in 2004. This was for the letters he sent to families of troops killed. The signature and letter duplication machine was built in the 19th century. Thomas Jefferson was responsible for this. Government officials, astronauts and business executives all have used autopens in the past.

Articles cited

Christian Science Monitor

csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2011/0527/Patriot-Act-three-controversial-provisions-that-Congress-voted-to-keep

CNN

whitehouse.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/27/rise-of-the-machines-autopen-puts-bill-into-law/?hpt=T2

MSNBC

firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/05/27/6731197-the-great-presidential-autopen-hullabaloo

ABC

blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2011/05/robama-is-it-ok-for-a-president-to-autopen-a-bill-into-law.html

Damillic Inc

realsig.com/index.htm

The Credit Card Act is able to help, but individuals aren't using it

In 2009, Obama agreed upon the Credit Card Act into legislation. Part of the legislation required card businesses to work in conjunction with the National Foundation for Credit Counseling to provide free assistance to customers in danger of delinquency, commonly in the form of advising. In spite of this, credit-constrained consumers simply are not using the resources, per NFCC reports.

Not many chances for free credit card counseling

Only 150,000 U.S. consumers struggling with charge card debt have accessed the nonprofit help to which banks and the NFCC have access, said NFCC spokeswoman Gail Cunningham. The contact number is toll-free and printed on credit card statements. As credit card debt still weighs heavily on the average, recession-weary American, the lack of initiative is troubling.

“I certainly think one of the reasons for the low response rate from consumers could be attributed to a lack of prominence,” said Cunningham. “Perhaps the number is buried somewhere.”

The number is likely buried in the recess of public prejudice. Several consumers think the toll-free Credit Card Act number is just a “service” that the charge card business has put together so they can get even more money from them. Some statements haven’t put the number on statements, which is illegal now, states Cunningham.

Less credit card debt last year

A study by Credit Karma indicates that from Jan to December, U.S. customer credit card debt decreased by 8 percent nationally, to an average of $7,404 per person. As much as an 11 percent improvement was shown in eight states including CT, Indiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Nevada, California and Colorado. There was a 31 percent improvement shown from 2009 to 2010 in Wisconsin making is the biggest in charge card debt change.

On the other side of the scale, states like Delaware, Iowa, LA, Missouri, Nebraska and New Mexico grew their credit card debt by as much as 6 percent. The Credit Karma Survey states that Mississippi had the biggest increase in charge card debt. It had an 8 percent increase.

Looking for credit card help?

If you need information on non-profits, go to nfcc.org which is the National Foundation for Credit Counseling website. If you just make minimum monthly payments, you will still have a balance on your charge card debt. You can find out what this balance is at the Federal Reserve’s website. You can go to the Android Market for tools as well. The Personal Financial Calculator should be downloaded. Or, if you are seeking to compare overdraft APRs of personal financing and other customer loan goods, have a look at Personal Money Network’s “Loan Overdraft Calculator,” connected below.

Articles cited

Android Market

market.android.com/details?id=com.adworkz.pms.mobile.tools.calculators_2001.com

Bankrate

bankrate.com/financing/credit-cards/nfcc-credit-card-help-unused/

Federal Reserve

federalreserve.gov/creditcardcalculator/

Personal Money Store

tools.personalmoneystore.com/free-payday-loan-calculator/

National Foundation for Credit Counseling

nfcc.org/

Obama signed the Credit Card Act. Are you using its programs?

youtube.com/watch?v=OVFj2p8JeKo

ClearXchange is large bank competition for PayPal

The Associated Press states that PayPal should watch out right about now, because three cut-throat banking giants are getting even closer. Bank of America, Chase and Wells Fargo now are offering clearXchange as a cheaper, easier option to mobile payment businesses like PayPal. Three United States banking companies anticipate that clearXchange will eventually replace traditional money transfers altogether.

Pay more for prepaid debit and PayPal to work

Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo are suggesting that the Charlotte, N.C. clearXchange has fewer fees than prepaid debit cards and eBay’s PayPal, even though banks bring on the fees. The person-to-person clearXchange will only be given to the three banks’ consumer base, but it will change to the mobile payment program soon.

The Associated Press reports that Jack Stephenson believes the clearXchange is very simple. Stephenson is JPMorgan’s Director of Mobile, eCommerce and Payments.

“Customers will be able to send and receive money even more quickly and easily,” he said, “with full confidence their funds are in a bank account without worrying about cash, checks or higher-cost services.”

PayPal is quite big

In the first quarter of 2011, PayPal processed $27.4 billion in payments with its 100 million active users that currently using it, reports eBay, which is a 28 percent increase from last year. EBay is sure that PayPal will make more money than its parent company annually soon as PayPal’s revenue hit $992.3 million.

‘An innovative game-changer’

Wells Fargo Executive Vice President Mike Kennedy told Business Wire that clearXchange’s simplicity will change the mobile payments game.

“This is an innovative game-changer in electronic payments,” he said. “We want our customers to be able to easily send money to anyone without having to establish a new account outside their primary bank. All our customers need to know is the email address or mobile number of a friend or family member and (clearXchange) takes care of the rest.”

Citations

Reuters

reuters.com/article/2011/05/25/idUS131437+25-May-2011+BW20110525

USA Today

usatoday.com/money/industries/banking/2011-05-25-banks-cash-transfer-cell-email_n.htm

ROAM Data, Inc.’s Rob Stringer on end-to-end encryption

youtube.com/watch?v=2NU-E0Ul59I

Strauss-Kahn not given bail in IMF sex scandal case

The head of the IMF, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, was brought up on sexual assault charges recently and has been denied bail. While boarding a flight to France, Strauss-Kahn was detained for allegedly trying to rape a maid at the hotel he was staying at. Strauss-Kahn will stay in a holding cell at Riker’s Island.

International financier in Riker’s Island

One of the highest profile sex scandals in years has just been announced as the head of the International Monetary Fund was arraigned for charges of sexual attack and false imprisonment in a NYC courtroom on Monday, May 16, states the Guardian. Dominique Strauss-Kahn was detained on Saturday for sexual assault and false imprisonment after he was accused of sexually assaulting a hotel maid at Sofitel, the Times Square hotel he had been staying at. Officers detained him as he was boarding a plane for France, according to Reuters, and he appeared before a judge on Monday. Prosecuting attorneys labeled him a flight risk and observed that France wouldn’t extradite him if he was able to leave. He is at the Riker’s Island Correctional Facility right now after being denied bail.

Still having IMF operations in his absence

The imprisonment of the International Monetary Fund has not changed it much. The LA Times states that it is still running. Kahn missed a meeting with several finance ministers in Europe in Brussels because he was in arraignment. This meeting discussed the possibility of a joint bailout package for the Portugal debt crisis between the European Union and International Monetary Fund. The Greece debt crisis is still ongoing, and more aid to the struggling country was also slated to be topic for discussion. A newspaper in Athens carried the headline “the chambermaid blocks Greece!” in reaction to the scandal, and Strauss-Kahn is already a reviled figure there for forcing austerity measures to give the country emergency financial assistance. The Guardian reports that Strauss-Kahn is in The Tombs holding cells near Riker’s Island Courthouse while all of this is happening.

Response to scandal

Dominique Strauss-Kahn is a prominent figure in the Socialist party in his native France and had been anticipated to challenge current president Nikolas Sarkozy in the coming elections. It is possible that Francois Hollande or Marine Aubry will replace him. The Telegraph reports that his job at IMF is up for grabs. Several people are ready to take the position too. The previous English pm Gordon Brown is said to covet the job, however it is said that current P.M. David Cameron won’t endorse him. Other possibilities include finance minister of France, Christine Lagarde, and previous Germany finance minister Axel Weber.

Articles cited

The Telegraph

telegraph.co.uk/finance/dominique-strauss-kahn/8517119/Christine-Lagarde-and-Axel-Weber-front-runners-for-Dominique-Strauss-Kahns-IMF-role.html

Los Angeles Times

latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2011/05/ron-paul-imf-dominique-strauss-kahn.html

Reuters

reuters.com/article/2011/05/16/us-strausskahn-arrest-idUSTRE74D29F20110516

Los Angeles Times

latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-euro-talks-20110517,0,2339845.story

The Guardian

guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/17/dominique-strauss-kahn-court-appearance

The Guardian

guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/15/strauss-kahn-arrest-hits-french-elections