Banks Get Better at Hiding Charges

Banks Get Better at Hiding Charges
Published: Friday, 8 Jun 2012
By: Richard Satran
Personal Finance Editor

READ ORIGINAL at cnbc.com

Overdraft fees that banks launched in recent years with little notice to consumers have not gone away despite efforts by consumer groups and regulators to end a practice that generated billions in fees from unwitting customers.

Instead, two new studies show, banks are charging more, hiding the fees deeper than ever and making it difficult to have charges reversed.

Fees in the latest year totaled $29 billion, according to Moebs Services. And the charges are rising again without customers’ awareness, said the advocates.

Notice of pending charges are buried in bank account consumer disclosures that average 69 pages, said Pew Health Group in a report released Friday. For consumers who complain, the banks require “binding arbitration” through industry channels, not independent regulators, a practice that Pew said discourages customers from being reimbursed.

“Consumers are expected to wade through long, confusing documents and may be subject to steep, unexpected fees,” said Pew project director Susan Weinstock.

…snip…

How Big Banks Run the World – at Your Expense

How Big Banks Run the World – at Your Expense

Link … READ ORIGINAL at truth-out.org

June 9, 2012

By Gar Alperovitz, Truthout?

The recent Public Banking conference held in Philadelphia offered a message that is at once so simple – but also so bold – it is hard for most Americans to pause long enough to understand how profoundly their thinking had been corralled by the masters of finance – in ways far, far, far more insidious and powerful than even the latest financial crisis suggests.

To understand what has happened, however, you first have to take a minute to shake a few cobwebs out of your brain about “money” – and how it is created and by whom and for whose benefit.

Money is “created”? Yes, obviously so – or did you imagine there is some fixed pile of “money” some place that exists once and for all and for all times?

Think about it: If that were true, it would be impossible for the economy ever to change and grow. If the “money supply” were not increased over time, the original economy of, say, 1776 – which served about 2.5 million Americans – would still define the amount of “money” we would have to work with today.

(And yes, going back further, if money were not increased – i.e. “created” – the amount that existed even in a far smaller economy prior to 1776 would be all there was and is, even down to today.)

…snip…

Critical Mass Approaching – The Shift Has Hit The Fan

link

Critical Mass Approaching – The Shift Has Hit The Fan
Tuesday, March 13th, 2012

by Zen Gardner

The warnings and revelations of truth regarding current events that the alternative community is exposing are having a profound effect. This uncensored research is based on real history, news trends, accumulated information, knowledge of the occult such as ritual dates, numerology and other esoteric sciences as well as intuitive, conscious understandings.

The massive vibrational change of consciousness is palpable.

And it’s getting to them. It’s never been easy to quantify, but we’re starting to get proof positive on a massive scale. One of the best examples is this Kony 2012 phenomenon that literally backfired right in the smug elites’ faces. A young demographic comprised of millions worldwide latched on to the cause and then sussed it out almost immediately. Fantastic.

We need to take that awareness and apply that as direct knowledge on other fronts. The walls are coming down.

The wake up is approaching critical mass and starting to erupt in mainstream society. When impeachment proceedings are launched against Obama and war criminals Bush and Cheney can’t travel outside the U.S. for fear of demonstrations and arrest, something big has shifted. When top banksters are resigning at an increasing rate and Timothy Geithner was supposedly detained again and is rumored to have fingered Bush Sr. and Bill Gates, something’s up.

The Power of Awareness

If everybody’s screaming there’s gonna be a nuclear hit on the London Olympics and it gets any kind of serious traction, they may just do it somewhere else. It’s rare we’ll ever know for sure, but when Killary says they’re losing the info war, or Brzezinski says the global awakening is a threat, something’s working, and well. And we’ve come a long way since then.

Being aware of not just the information but the vibrational changes is a huge advantage. The insiders on their side know about this too. Most of the stooges you see in the news don’t. They’re just hired thugs. We know it’s working not just by observing information and events, but by intuitive conscious awareness and the thrilling crescendo of awakened lives we’re seeing and hearing from everyday.

…snip

Are The Elites On The Run?

Link to Original at zengardner.com
 

by Zen Gardner

An awakened populace is the enemy of the would-be Controllers. The war on terror is a war on human freedom by a dystopian state structure disguising itself as a protecting surrogate parent from an enemy of their own making.

It’s all by assumption and generations of conditioning. But the veil is coming off.

Thanks to their own military invention called the internet millions are discovering the full truth. History is a lie. Religion is a control system. Money is a hoax. Government is a for profit corporation.

And we don’t need their goddamn hierarchy.

Conscious Truth Cannot Be Stopped!

Like they say, you may kill my body but you can never destroy my soul. Fear is the number one tool of the Powers That Would Be. If we don’t fear they have no power.

The cornucopia of laws and rules written, unwritten and subconscious is their method of entrainment. Crime, punishment. They define what’s a crime, and people get in line for fear of punishment.

Socially it’s the same. Break the social norms and be shunned or called out. Use the “wrong” language and you can face incarceration. All restrictions put in place by these would-be Controllers. Screw ‘em. They’re arrogant lying bastards and the truth is they’re scared to death of us.

Wanna know their mindset? The monster George Bush Senior said the following in an interview published by Sarah McClendon in 1995. “If the people were to ever find out what we have done, we would be chased down the streets and lynched.”

Damn straight, buddy.

The NWO Is Backfiring!

 

…snip

Mysterious Disappearance of Charles T. Sprading Solved

Mysterious Disappearance of Charles T. Sprading Solved

“I am the last living person to have seen him alive in the late 1950s”

 

Charles T. Sprading was one of the greatest intellectuals of the 20th Century. He was a man who championed liberty and fought tyranny all of his life. He vanished around 1959, and many people over the years wondered what happened to him.

My dad was a great friend of Mr. Sprading. Although my father was a technical writer, he was very interested in many other subjects, one of which was rationalism, or free-thought as it is sometimes called. When I was a kid I spent most Saturdays riding around in our old car, visiting dad’s friends. Most of them were quite elderly. Two of the rationalists I remember were Sadie Cook and Charles T. Sprading. I was taught from a young age to listen, not speak. “Children should be seen and not heard,” was the refrain I remember hearing on a weekly basis. These visits to Cook, Sprading, and others opened my eyes to things in philosophy and history at a very early age. Listening to elders talk was serious in my family, so I grew up respecting the views of those who were in very advanced years.

I believe Sadie Cook was the secretary for one of the rationalist societies, and her small house was packed with papers, correspondence, books and magazines. I heard about atheism on Saturdays, then on Sunday it was off to church, for my mother’s side of the family was somewhat religious. I used to ask my dad why I had to go to church if there was no God, and he would answer that I would go to church until I was 18, and then make up my own mind about God. He never said God did not exist, I just picked up that from his discussions with Sadie Cook and others.

Mr. Sprading was a delight to visit, he was a wonderful man, an advanced age, very thin and fragile. He was living in a ramshackle garage in East Los Angeles, I believe it was behind a house on Folsom St., off Brooklyn, in the older section of the city. His living quarters were very sparse, a cot, a sink, some crates and old shelves that contained his remaining books and papers. Looking back, it is more than sad, it is a national disgrace that one of America’s finest intellectuals, a world-respected author and speaker, would end up in such poverty. During our visits, he never complained. He was always cheerful, speaking of many earth shaking historical events. His time was the time of great radicalism. His contemporaries were anarchists, rationalists, syndicalists, libertarians, the great union organizers, and especially Eamon de Valera, the great fighter for Irish Freedom. Sprading was a close associate of de Valera, and worked in the cause for Irish Freedom for many years, as an organizer, speaker, advance man, publicist, and writer.

I would sit in an old shaky wooden chair and listen wide-eyed to Sprading telling about Emma Goldman, revolutionaries, the great strikes, the libertarian campaigns against the religious “blue laws”, and other fantastic events. Most of the libertarian fights in the 1930s seemed to be against the “blue laws”, which among other things forbade retail stores to be open on Sundays. It is hard to believe now, in this time, that such laws existed 80 years ago. Mr. Sprading could go on for a couple of hours, his photographic memory for people and dates were very clear, he would never stumble over a date or a name. After about 2 hours, he would tire, and we would depart so he could rest.

My dad passed on at an early age in 1956. After a time, my mother would take me on a Saturday and we would make the long trip from Hollywood to East Los Angeles on street cars and buses to see Mr. Sprading. My mom didn’t drive, and when father died she sold the car, so we had to take public transportation. Believe it or not, it wasn’t bad back then, because we had the wonderful street car system, soon to be trashed by a conspiracy of GM, Firestone Tires, and Standard Oil. One fateful day we went out to see Mr. Sprading, but he wasn’t there. The landlady who lived in the front house said that he had died. We asked about his books and papers, and she informed us that she had “thrown away all those old papers and books, who would want them?” Even as a young man of 15 at that time, I knew those “old papers” were very valuable. I wanted to scream at this ignorant woman, but years of family training to be polite took hold. My mother was visibly upset, but she kept her cool. On the way home we discussed what a tragedy it was that the stupid woman threw away such rare photos, papers, and books in the trash. My mother knew that material should have gone to a library somewhere. And so it was that one of the giants of the 20th century died quietly in his sleep, living in a dilapidated old garage in the run down section of Los Angeles. His books still exist in libraries, and if someone could track down old copies of The Truth Seeker magazine published by Charles Smith, or other rationalist, libertarian, or freedom magazines, you will find some interesting articles by Charles T. Sprading. Since I was only 15 at the time (1959), and since I never heard of any other “youngsters” who visited him, I am pretty sure that I am the last person presently alive who saw the great Charles T. Sprading.

Charles T. Sprading’s Classic Book on Mutual Service Now Posted on this site!

Mutual Service and Cooperation

 

We are very pleased to announce that Charles T. Sprading’s great book on Mutual Service and Cooperation has been uploaded to Support Credit Unions site. Click on the main bar to begin reading. This book has been out of print for many years.

 

Sprading was a well known Libertarian and author of many books and articles on Liberty and Freedom, as well as cooperative societies. In his early years he fought for Irish Freedom. When Eamon de Valera, the heroic leader of the Irish Freedom movement was traveling around the United States speaking and fund raising, Mr. Sprading was his “advance” man. Mr. Sprading would go into a town or city and do the press work and publicity to get people ready to attend the de Valera rallies.

 

Mr. Sprading was an intellectual, and contemporary of de Valera, who wrote the Irish Constitution and served as President of Ireland. Many feel that Charles Sprading, who was a few years older than de Valera, was in fact a mentor figure. Sprading’s keen mind, his vast knowledge of philosophy, history, and politics, would play a big part in de Valera’s life and fortunes. It can be noted here that even in his late eighties Mr. Sprading had a photographic memory, and could recall his early years with great clarity, almost down to a specific date. As a champion of liberty and freedom he is certainly one of the greatest men of the twentieth century, although now almost forgotten in this age of totalitarian beliefs.

 

So it is with tremendous enthusiasm that we present this great work on mutualism. Thanks go to Floyd Pink and Mike who were great helps in tracking down this rare book and spending the time necessary to scan this into text.

 

Uncle Paulie

Lockheed Name Change Makes No Sense

Why Does LFCU Want To Become More Like A Bank?

Lockheed Federal Credit Union (LFCU) wants to change its name to Logix.  We think Logix is a cool name, but it is a techie, computer type of name, not a name for a credit union.  What is really strange is that LFCU already has a great name: “Lockheed”.  What could be better than that?  It’s a name that has been around since the 1920’s (although the company goes back to 1912).  “Lockheed” is a strong-sounding name, a power name, a name that reflects the company history of building fighting aircraft, planes that had a big part in the U.S. victory in World War II.  It’s a name that projects power, security, and integrity.  As a name for a credit union, it doesn’t get any better than that.

The other thing that seems to be happening, along with the change in name to “Logix”, is a drift to make LFCU seem more like a bank and less like a credit union.  Although they say they are going to remain a credit union, the new tag line on their new name is “smarter banking”.  In other words, their image is morphing a bit, a name (Logix) that is a nebulous techie-type name that suggests a company making electronic parts, and a tag line with the words “smarter banking”.  They are entering the grey area of imagery and leaving behind the strong, powerful name with 80 years of history and strong imagery in print, movies, news, aircraft production, and solid reality. 

Lockheed Federal Credit Union’s web site acknowledges that credit unions are under attack by big banks.  Here’s what they say:

“BANK ATTACKS. CREDIT UNIONS FIGHT BACK!

Banks want to eliminate credit union competition

We need your support to fight the banking industry’s relentless attacks on America’s credit unions. The attacks are serious – the American Bankers Association has ranked taxing credit unions as its number-one priority – ahead of combating terrorism!”

LFCU understands completely the threat the big banks are posing.  So then why in the world are they abandoning their great, strong name and drifting toward the banking imagery?  The clock is ticking, the big name change is coming on July 9th.  That’s when the high stakes game begins, with a lot of money being spent on this name and image changeover. With 3 billion in assets, this is indeed a big play for Lockheed.  Will this send LFCU on a road to greater benefits for its members, or as some fear, will it send it drifting over a financial cliff?

 

“Obama Dollar” Now Worth $50!

“Obama Dollar” Hits Record of $50!

"Obama Dollar" is now worth $50 - Read this post to find out why.

How could it be?  Those gag gifts (pun) for fiat money lovers, those worthless Obama joke “dollars”, how in the world could one of those be worth fifty bucks?  Look closely at the photo, folks.  See the writing in the space next to Obama’s portrait?  It’s the signature of Max Keiser.  I got him to sign the Obama-scrunge bill as a joke, and I’m pleased to tell you, one and all, that I have been offered $50 for it!  Maybe Max should print some of these up with his picture on the front, or better yet, put Stacey Herbert ‘s pix up there.  I would like to have one of these Obama dollars signed by Obama, Bernanke, and Geitner.  I’ll bet it would bring at least $200.  The Three Musketeers of Financial Doom.

Uncle Paulie

Lockheed a bank or a credit union?

This morning while en-route to Pasadena with my friend Mike, we had a rather curious experience with the local credit union.

 

My friend Mike sometimes follows the news about credit unions and co-ops, having been involved in starting a co-op several years ago. He has always had an interest in cooperative organizations.

 

After Mike’s return from a short meeting with a representative, he showed me a nice glossy advertisement regarding Lockheed’s name change from Lockheed Federal Credit Union to Logix, with the new website to refer to them as Logix Smarter Banking. Seems they are dropping all references to their being a credit union, so as not to confuse people and gain more customers …. Well I’m certainly confused. I suspect most people will now think they’re a bank, they will say “no we’re still a credit union”. People will ask, “then why are you dropping all references to you’re being a credit union”. They will reply, “so you’re not confused”. I guess I need an MBA to understand this one.

 

I mean really! You’re a credit union, but don’t want to advertise as one? Leading people to assume you’re a bank and offer the same old things that we’ve all come to know and love, like fees for everything, how about out of order processing in order to get overdraft fees. Maybe you should ask for a government bailout, that would be memorable.

 

We’re a credit union, but don’t tell anyone, we want your business, we’re smarter.

Floyd Pink

Lockheed Name Change Is Confusing

Lockheed Name Change Is Confusing

Lockheed Federal Credit Union is changing their name to Logix.  Check out this video cartoon about this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALMEQSdDw9k

So what brought all this on?  Lockheed Federal Credit Union decided to change their name to Logix.  Cool name.  Unfortunately, if you go on the internet, someone else is using logix.com, some communications company.  The new Lockheed flyer they are putting out does not have a new website name, nor do they have the old web name on the flyer, which, by the way is lfcu.com.  They also announced on their old web site that the name change is dropping the tag “credit union”, even though they say they are still going to be a credit union.  Huh?  Are you confused yet?  Also on the flyer is the new name with another tag line, Logix smarter banking.  If you go to logixsmarterbanking.com it takes you to a “who is” page, showing that some un-named person or entity already owns this name.  Could Lockheed own this name, kind of a pre-launch secret because the new website isn’t done yet?  Maybe, but we thought they were not going to be a “bank” , they are still a credit union but just not using the name. 

Then there’s the matter of the Trademark.  They didn’t file for a trademark, Logix Credit Union  Maybe they forgot this, or possibly because the name was already filed a few years ago by a school district credit union in Indiana.  But hey, good news here, the school district has abandoned the name by not responding to official paperwork, so the trademark is still available, if Lockheed decides to use the forbidden words “credit union”.

Are you as confused as Knuclehead in the cartoon?  We are too.  But there’s more.  The names “logixcreditunion.com” and “logixfederalcreditunion.com” appear to be owned by pro-credit union folks.  Good news for Lockheed if they can somehow straighten out this spaghetti mess and get their act together.