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	<title>First-Stop-Credit.com News</title>
	<link>http://www.first-stop-credit.com/news</link>
	<description>Covering credit cards, consumer debt and more.</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Fri, 20 Jan 2006 10:25:56 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>UK Mortgage Lending Rise</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	A report on the UK mortgage market has shown stronger mortgage lending in December than expected.  The research from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) reports that mortgage lending came to an approximate total of £26.3 billion, which is 25% up on December 2004.
	A report from the British Bankers&#8217; Association (BBA) has also shown [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.first-stop-credit.com/news/uk-mortgage-lending-rise/</link>
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		<title>Credit Card Repayments</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	The main attraction with credit cards are that the repayments can&#8217;t be spread over a fixed period of time, unlike the traditional bank loan.  A credit card has a minimum monthly repayment usually in around 2% of the outstanding balance, but can change depending on the issuer and terms and conditions.  Late fees [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.first-stop-credit.com/news/credit-card-repayments/</link>
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		<title>People Getting Hit With Late Payment Fees</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	A survey by defaqto and MoneyExpert has found that in 2005, 1 in 5 consumers got hit with late payment fees.  The main reason for the late payment fees was late payment of credit cards and store cards.  The survey also found that 1 in 20 consumers had built up over £100 in [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.first-stop-credit.com/news/people-getting-hit-with-late-payment-fees/</link>
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		<title>UK Interest Rate Unchanged</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	The UK interest rate, set by the Bank of England, has been left unchanged at 4.5% after the bank&#8217;s meeting on the 12th of January.  The move to keep interest rate the same is seen by analysts as the Bank waiting on more reports from retailers and their Christmas figures.
	The UK economy has been [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.first-stop-credit.com/news/uk-interest-rate-unchanged/</link>
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		<title>In USA Credit Card Debt Tops $3,500 Per Adult, $7,200 Per Household</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	Recent reports based on data released by the federal US government indicates that the average American adult is running $3,560 in revolving debt.  Extrapolating the figures, the average American household has $7,271 in revolving debt.  Revolving debt includes debt accrued from credit cards and loans that have yet to be paid back.
	These figures [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.first-stop-credit.com/news/in-usa-credit-card-debt-tops-3500-per-adult-7200-per-household/</link>
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		<title>Take The Debt Test</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	The BBC and Experian have developed a joint debt tester where you answer a series of questions in order to build up your profile.  The debt test asks a series of questions about your current financial stats such as how much you earn, what you pay back per month etc.  This helps them [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.first-stop-credit.com/news/take-the-debt-test/</link>
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		<title>Why Credit Cards Charge So Much Interest</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	Even those great interest free credit cards eventually start charging interest, once the interest free period has passed.  So why do credit cards charge so much interest?
	Basically it all comes down to risk.  The interest rate for any loan or credit card is directly tied to the risk of loss to the lending [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.first-stop-credit.com/news/why-credit-cards-charge-so-much-interest/</link>
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		<title>Visa Data Security Breach</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	Visa USA have publically aknowledged that a merchant credit card provider based in the United States may have had a security breach where the details of accounts were revealed.  Visa have announced that they have alerted the financial institutions so that they can protect their business and customers.

]]></description>
		<link>http://www.first-stop-credit.com/news/visa-data-security-breach/</link>
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		<title>US Federal Reserve Raises Interest Rate 4.5%</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	the US Federal Reserve has announced that interest rates in the United States are to rise by 0.25% to 4.25%, representing the 13th increase in interest rates.  However, experts are split down the middle on the issue of future interest rate rises, with some wanting to dispell any talk of future rises because it [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.first-stop-credit.com/news/us-federal-reserve-raises-interest-rate-45/</link>
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		<title>UK Debt Counsellors Warn Of Impending Debt Problems</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	Debt counsellors in the UK are warning that consumer debts will mount to record levels in 2006 because of Christmas overspending.  Personal debt in the UK is already valued at over £1 trillion, with more than 3 million people owing more than £10,000 on loans, bank overdrafts and credit cards.
	However, a statement from debt [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.first-stop-credit.com/news/uk-debt-counsellors-warn-of-impending-debt-problems/</link>
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