Residential loan officers saw salary rise 17 percent over the past year, according to the Crowe Horwath LLP’s 2010 Comprehensive Financial Institution Compensation Survey.

“In the past year, mortgage activity was up, in part from the first-time homebuyers’ tax credit and low prices prompting sales, but also in part from a significant uptick in mortgage refinancing,” said Timothy Reimink, a senior consultant in Crowe’s Performance group.

“Even though the tax credit expired, rates are still at historic lows, so it’s likely the mortgage activity will continue into the next year,” he added.

Loan officers make most of their money by originating loans, and not so much via base salary.

The median income for a loan officer in the United States is around $40,000, though some make significantly more, depending on their sales volume.

And the average may be dragged down by those who only work as loan officers part time, or fail to close more than a few loans annually.

What’s clear is that those who have stuck around in the business post-mortgage crisis are reaping the benefits of less competition and increased mortgage demand.

And it could get even sweeter if that blanket refinance legislation gets legs…

The survey, which compiled data from 340 U.S. financial instituti

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New regulations governing debt settlement and other debt help services are now in effect as the result of consumers complaining about being ripped off by scams that require up-front payment and offer little or no debt help. Highlights of new disclosures that must be made to consumers engaging debt settlement services include:

• Cost: Consumers must be notified up-front of all fees and costs associated with a debt settlement program.
• Time frame: Debt settlement services must advise consumers how long it takes to “see results” from the program being offered. This language leaves room for interpretation, so it’s best to ask prospective debt settlement companies how long it should take to complete the program being offered.
• Impact of debt help programs on consumer credit scores: Debt help services must advise consumers how their programs can affect consumer credit scores. Altho

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Young drivers are charged higher premiums for their car insurance policies. Why is this? Well, simply because young people all responsible for more accidents on the road than anyone else. This can be down to a few reasons. It could simply be because young people are relatively foolhardy and are likely to drive more recklessly than others. It could also be because they are relatively experienced and therefore more likely to cause accidents.

Whatever the reason, young drivers are always charge higher premiums for their car insurance policy. This may seem somewhat unfair to those who believe they are very safe drivers, but this is simply the policy line that insurance providers will take.

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You’ve paid off your credit cards, but it doesn’t take too many unplanned expenses to rocket your credit card balances back into the stratosphere. Here are options for getting the damage under control.

Debt management methods: One size doesn’t fit all

• Debt consolidation using home equity financing: Home equity loans have traditionally offered homeowners with enough equity an opportunity to borrow against home equity at lower rates than typically charged for personal loans or credit cards. Current housing markets have eroded home equity for many, but if you can qualify for a home equity loan or line of credit, this can provide funds to pay off multiple balances and consolidate several payments into one home equity loan payment. Borrowing against home equity can be risky; if home values fall, you could lose all of your home equity or owe more on mortgage loans than your home is worth.
• Debt consolidation loans: Consolidating multiple bills into one account with one payment and lower finance charges offers convenience and may help you pay off your debt faster and cheaper. The problem with unsecured debt consolidation loans is that they can be difficult to find unless you have good to excellent credit. Total your credit card balances and ask your bank or credit union about taking out a personal loan for the amount you need. Make sure to compare the annual percentage rates (APR) for your credit card accounts against the APR for an unsecured debt consolidation loan. A debt consolidation loan can help you clean up smaller bills.
• Loans from family or friends: In short: Don’t go there. Borrowing from relatives and friends can cost far more than the APR of your credit card debts. Misunderstandings and unpaid loans have caused many fall outs between families and friends. It’s not worth the risk.
• Vehicle title loans: This is a risky solution to pay down credit card debt; if you can’t make payments, you risk losing your vehicle through repossession.
• Consumer credit counseling and debt consolidation: Certified credit counseling services offer three services. They evaluate your finances and develop a cash based budget, they assess your credit card debt and negotiate affordable repayment terms based on your new budget, and they act as a debt consolidation plan by collecting the amount you agree to pay and distributing it among your creditors. Consumer credit counseling and debt consolidation services typically charge moderate fees for their services, and can generally arrange payment according to your ability to pay.

Knowing how much you owe and which options can work takes time and research, but unburdening yourself from credit card debt is a great investment of your time and effort.

Landing freelance jobs can feel like a catch-22: you can’t land them without work samples, but you can’t get work samples without the jobs. This is why it’s important to make sure your freelance portfolio is as polished and impressive as you can make it. Every freelance assignment you complete, no matter how small, can be vital to increasing your experience, broadening your skill set, and making your body of work that much more attractive to your next employer. Here are a few ways to maximize the impact of your freelance portfolio and drum up new work as a result.

1. Keep it simple. Your online portfolio isn’t designed to be an all-encompassing site that tells potential employers your life story.

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New legislation that would allow struggling homeowners to rent their homes would slow the foreclosure rate, according to a report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR).

“With roughly one-in four mortgages underwater, the loan modification plans put forth so far have done little to help homeowners facing foreclosure,” said Dean Baker, Co-Director of CEPR and an author of the report, in a release.

“Right to Rent, on the other hand, would benefit millions, provide families with real housing security, and could go into effect immediately.”

The report analyzed the costs of renting versus owning a home in a number of major metropolitan cities and found that it’s often much lower than the cost of ownership.

“Ordinarily, the gap between owning and renting is not that large.” added Baker. “Due to the e

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