Use your credit cards wisely

NEW York | - Recognition card game are a convenient manner of paying measures and covering day-to-day expenses, but they do it far easier for the financially challenged to carelessly rack up debt, cripple their recognition evaluation or autumn quarry to personal identity thieves. In the book ''On My Own Two Feet,'' Manisha Thakor and Sharon Kedar, both hired fiscal analysts, offering guidelines for responsible recognition card management:
Watch those involvement rates! Recognition card companies often entice clients by offering low pressure involvement rates in the beginning. But these rates be given to hit up after the introductory time period expires. Worse, sometimes you never even acquire the charge per unit you believe you signed up for, because it's only available to those who ''qualify'' -- and unbeknownst to you, you didn't.

Wage all your measures on time. Not just your recognition card bills: All your bills. Because it's legal for recognition card companies to raise your involvement rates if you're late on anything. Don't utilize hard cash progresses or ''free'' checks. As a rule, the involvement rates are much higher on hard cash progresses and recognition card bank checks than they are on your existent recognition card. Limit the figure of cards. The danger of having too many card game is that it acquires harder to track your spending. State no to ''add-ons.'' Somes batch of recognition card companies offering add-ons, such as as disablement coverage or account-monitoring services, but don't take the bait. Report purloined card game right away. If you describe a lost or purloined card within 24 hours, you're only responsible for $50 worth of charges. Shred unsought offers. Never throw recognition card offerings in the rubbish without destroying them or you go forth yourself open up to personal identity theft.

American Express Introduces First-Of-Its-Kind Mortgage Payment Plan Via Credit Card

New York, NY (AHN) - In a first of its kind offer for the credit card industry, American Express has announced that cardholders will be able to pay monthly home mortgage bills on the American Express Card.

American Homer Mortgage Corp. is the first lender to introduce the Express Rewards Mortgage program.

Sanjay Sakhrani, an analyst at Keefe Bruyette & Woods told The Street.com, "American Express is trying to get into recurring payments" in order to encourage charging things such as gas bills and rent. Adding, "That assists their spending volume and also provides rewards to consumers and makes their card product more attractive," says Sakhrani. "My sense is that over time these partnerships should expand and should go to other card lenders as well."

Placing mortgage payments on the credit card "certainly increases the credit risk or the severity risk, but remember they're [lending] to the affluent consumer," Sakhrani said. "This consumer has a pre-existing credit line already. It certainly is scary, but you have to trust that they're issuing cards to higher-quality consumers, which I do."

A spokesperson for American Express said, "These are highly responsible, highly creditworthy consumers who are driven by rewards and convenience."

An independent research survey showed that customers preferred to pay monthly mortgage payments via credit cards. The survey, conducted by American Express, also revealed that consumers were motivated by the incentive of earning rewards such as cash back, airline or hotel points.

"By introducing an entirely new industry to card acceptance, American Express is providing tremendous value to our Cardmembers, Issuers and our Merchant partners," said Bill Glenn, president, Establishment Services North America and Global Merchant Network Group, American Express.

Glenn added, "The ability to pay recurring monthly mortgage payments on the Card, typically a consumer's largest monthly expense, brings unprecedented convenience and rewards to our Cardmembers. This builds on the American Express tradition of innovation, enabling our Cardmembers to use their Card where and when they want to spend in categories such as luxury apartment rentals, private jets and corporate events."

American Express Cardmembers who qualify for new purchase or refinance loans with American Home Mortgage need to pay $395 to enter the Express Rewards Program.

"The American Express Cardmember represents a very attractive customer segment for American Home Mortgage as we continue to grow our direct-to-consumer business channel," said Debbie Holiday, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for American Home Mortgage's Direct Group.

She added, "This innovative service will enhance our ability to expand our reach into a highly affluent market segment and offer Cardmembers increased flexibility and convenience."

American Home Mortgage Investment Corp. is a mortgage real estate investment trust.

American Express Announces a First for Credit Card Industry - Monthly Mortgage Payments

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a significant first for the credit card industry, American Express
today announced that Cardmembers will now have the ability to pay
monthly home mortgage payments on the American Express®
Card. American Home Mortgage Corp. will be the first lender to offer
this Express Rewards MortgageSM program for
eligible prime loans.

The announcement follows the successful introduction of luxury rental
payments (2003) and luxury condominium down-payments (2006) on the
American Express Card. The Express Rewards Mortgage program, designed
for the consumer seeking a new or refinanced prime loan, provides
Cardmembers with the ability to pay recurring monthly mortgage payments
on the American Express Card; delivering convenience and security since
they will have one less check to write and one less due date to
remember. It also offers Cardmembers another opportunity to earn
Membership Rewards, cash back, airline or hotel points or other types of
rewards affiliated with their Card simply by paying their monthly
mortgage.

In independent research conducted by American Express, consumers
overwhelmingly cited monthly mortgage payments as an ideal opportunity
to use their Card. In particular, the research indicates the desire to
earn rewards for mortgage payments as a key motivating factor. American
Home Mortgage will be able to differentiate themselves from their
competitors and to appeal to the premium customer, the affluent,
high-spending American Express Cardmember.

“By introducing an entirely new industry to
card acceptance, American Express is providing tremendous value to our
Cardmembers, Issuers and our Merchant partners,”
said Bill Glenn, president, Establishment Services North America and
Global Merchant Network Group, American Express. “The
ability to pay recurring monthly mortgage payments on the Card,
typically a consumer’s largest monthly
expense, brings unprecedented convenience and rewards to our
Cardmembers. This builds on the American Express tradition of
innovation, enabling our Cardmembers to use their Card where and when
they want to spend in categories such as luxury apartment rentals,
private jets and corporate events.”

American Express Cardmembers with qualifying new purchase or refinance
loans with American Home Mortgage will pay a one-time fee of $395 to the
lender for enrollment in the Express Rewards Mortgage program at the
time of closing. By participating in the program, Cardmembers will have
the convenience of automatically charging recurring monthly mortgage
payments to the American Express Card, decreasing the chance of late
payments. In addition, program enrollees receive a package of unique
benefits including access to premium service with a dedicated loan sales
and processing group and an exclusive set of home-related offers from
American Express merchants. The offers include such savings as $15 off
orders of $100 or more at Brookstone; $200 off purchases of $1,000 or
more at Design Within Reach; $20 off purchases of $100 or more at Linens ‘n
Things, among others.

“The American Express Cardmember represents a
very attractive customer segment for American Home Mortgage as we
continue to grow our direct-to-consumer business channel,”
said Debbie Holiday, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for
American Home Mortgage’s Direct Group. “This
innovative service will enhance our ability to expand our reach into a
highly affluent market segment and offer Cardmembers increased
flexibility and convenience.”

The program is open to all American Express consumer Cardmembers and
applies to new mortgages for a home purchase or refinance of a
qualifying prime loan offered by American Home Mortgage. To be eligible
for the program, the Cardmember must qualify for and close on a
participating prime loan under the lender’s
underwriting standards and must be pre-authorized by the issuer to make
the anticipated monthly payment.

About American Express

American Express Company is a diversified worldwide travel, financial
and network services company founded in 1850. It is a leader in charge
and credit cards, Travelers Cheques, travel, business services,
insurance and international banking. Establishment Services is the
merchant network of American Express, which acquires and maintains
relationships with millions of merchants around the globe, which welcome
American Express-branded Cards.

For more information, please visit .

About American Home Mortgage

American Home Mortgage Investment Corp. is a mortgage real estate
investment trust (REIT) focused on earning net interest income from
self-originated loans and mortgage-backed securities, and through its
taxable subsidiaries, from originating and servicing mortgage loans for
institutional investors. Mortgages are originated through a network of
loan production offices and call centers as well as through mortgage
brokers and correspondents and are serviced at the Company’s
Irving, Texas servicing center. For additional information, please visit .

American Express Launches Gift Card Campaign

American Express says it is experiencing growing customer demand for year-round gift-card giving. In fact, the company says, last year alone it sold more gift cards than in all previous years combined.

With that in mind, it is launching three special occasion gift cards to help boost gift-card spending outside the holiday season, MediaPost. The Especially for Movie Lovers Gift Card is being launched in support of the sixth annual . There is also a card specifically geared toward dining out and one for bride and groom. Cards are $1 off when purchased online between April 25 and May 31.

American Express has replaced its "My life. My card," slogan with a new campaign that asks, "Are you a cardholder?"