| Credit scores count in jobs and insurance
In terms of easily understood topics, credit scoring might be right down there with rocket science. Surveys indicate most Americans don't have a good grasp of what scores are, how they work or what they're used for. Scoring has become widespread because it allows banks, credit-card companies, auto-finance firms and others to make quick decisions on loan applications. Credit scores are numerical grades that reflect a consumer's payment history and other factors that show up on credit reports, with the intent of assessing that person's riskiness as a borrower. What about areas that don't involve loans, such as screening job applicants or making insurance decisions: Are scores allowed for those, too? The answer is yes, but it's sometimes not clear-cut.
College could train SNP's 1,000 extra police
SCOTLAND'S police college has the capacity to train the extra 1,000 officers that the SNP told voters it would fund, it has been revealed. Kenny MacAskill, the justice secretary, was yesterday forced to admit that up to 1,400 officers a year have been trained at the Scottish Police College at Tulliallan, in Fife. .
Rockland AM Report
- Today: Right lane Westchester-bound closed for bridge maintenance from milepost 16.1 to 13.1, between 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. - Tomorrow: No scheduled work because of Thanksgiving holiday. - Thursday: No scheduled work because of Thanksgiving holiday. - Friday: No scheduled work because of Thanksgiving holiday. All lane closures are subject to change due to traffic, weather or emergency situations. The public is also notified on Tappan Zee Bridge repairs and lane closures via Dynamic Message Signs and Highway Advisory Radio, 530 AM. Tappan Zee Bridge deck replacement - Today: Work begins at 8 p.m. Three Westchester-bound lanes closed from 11 p.m. until 5 a.m. from Interchange 10 in Nyack to the bridge's toll plaza.
Police: Man May Be Linked To More Rape Cases
TIGARD, Ore. -- A Tigard man accused of raping women he met on the Internet may be a suspect in dozens of unreported sexual assaults, according to police. Police said Ronald Leistiko, 52, used Craigslist.org and social networking Web sites to meet women and girls in the escort business. He would set up meetings at his home, where the sexual assault allegedly occurred. Leistiko was arrested on several charges Friday, including rape, kidnapping, prostitution and sex abuse. .
European Business Council Head:EUR Strength Not Major Problem
TOKYO -(Dow Jones)- Richard Collasse, chairman of the European Business Council, said Wednesday at a press conference that the strength of the euro isn't a major problem for European companies operating in Japan. "Companies have been adapting to the strong euro," said Collasse, who is also president of Chanel KK in Japan. While the euro's recent gains aren't helpful to businesses, "nobody said it is an absolute deterrent," he said. Collasse said this at a conference where he introduced the idea of a European Integration Agreement in the EBC's next white paper. The proposed agreement would boost trade between Europe and Japan based on free movement of goods, services, capital and people, he said. The EBC will release its white paper, "Economic Integration - A New Approach To Reforms: The EBC Report On The Japanese Business Environment - 2007" on Nov.
Didn't pay heat bill? It'll go on your record
Socked with a record $106 million in customer delinquencies, the state's largest provider of natural gas is taking an unusual get-tough step: telling the nation's big credit-rating agencies who pays the bill on time and who does not.The change, which will begin in January for CenterPoint Energy's residential customers, could potentially push down the credit scores of those who owe. Other utilities across the nation grappling with unpaid bills are mulling similar measures.CenterPoint is announcing the changes in radio ads, customer newsletters and an insert in November gas bills. The utility said that the practice can help customers who pay on time -- young people and renters, for example -- who have little or no credit record to establish a reliable history. But some privacy advocates see it as part of a worrisome trend."It's true, this could start to build you a credit score," said Evan Hendricks, author of "Credit Scores & Credit Reports."But they are ignoring the other side: late payments with a thin history will have a devastating impact."The utility said that it's trying to get its statements moved up from the bottom of everyone's stack of bills.
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