One of the characteristics that concerns me the most about Rush County is the dichotomy between the better angels of our nature and our tendency to sometimes focus on self-interest. Barada: More thoughts on the school plan Paul Barada Guest Columnist One of the characteristics that concerns me the most about Rush County is the dichotomy between the better angels of our nature and our tendency to sometimes focus on self-interest. What on earth does that mean, you ask? Well, on the one hand, if Ike and Mary Sue's house burns down, there is no more generous county in the state than ours when it comes to helping a family rebuild their lives. All sorts of fund-raising drives are undertaken to help the couple start anew. Of if we perceive a need to help raise money for a good, worthwhile local cause, we're right there to pledge our hard-earned money to aid that cause! We're right there even if the cause isn't local.

Our view on predatory lending: 'Fee harvester' credit cards scam vulnerable consumers

Our view on predatory lending: 'Fee harvester' credit cards scam vulnerable consumers When issuers charge $175 for $75 in credit, something's not right.

The credit card solicitation to Chicago consumer Thelma Perry offered "a credit limit of up to $1,500." What Perry would get, instead, was a $250 credit line that was worth far less.

Perry sued, arguing in essence that this wasn't much of an offer. One of the three federal appeals court judges agreed, calling the solicitation "an unconscionably one-sided financial deal" offered to "extract one creative fee on top of another from consumers who are either naive, desperate or both." Sadly for consumers, the other two judges held that the offer from First National Bank of Pierre, S.D., was "not without value" and rejected Perry's claims.

BMO taking $320M in debt-woe writedowns, $185M MasterCard loyalty hit

TORONTO - The Bank of Montreal (TSX:BMO) has joined the array of big banks hurt by the U.S. subprime mortgage crash, revealing that it will book half a billion dollars in writedowns partly connected to disorder in world credit markets.

The "valuation adjustments" at BMO Capital Markets include $170 million on trading and structured credit-related positions and preferred shares, $135 million on Canadian asset-backed commercial paper and $15 million on Links Finance Corp.

The pay-by-phone challenge

Regional and Thai banks already facing forced or voluntary consolidation to gain market share may soon be up against a new and far fiercer competitor in the payments segment: mobile phone operators.

''The telecommunication service providers could be the biggest threat to the banking industry in the near future and this is visible in some markets already,'' said David Rhodes, the senior partner and managing director for Financial service practices for the Boston Consulting Group based in London.

Mr Rhodes still believes that the death of bank branches, as predicted by some pundits in the past, will not come to pass. However, he says that the payments-generating business of the banking industry could be at risk from the growing trend toward using mobile handsets to pay for purchases at various points of sale.

Credit Card Debt Help in Today's Financial Climate

According to The Debt Settlement Org, debt has become a national obsession here in the United States -- the binding thread that connects us no matter how diverse the rest of our lives. And when it comes to debt, credit card debt is by far the most pervasive in this country. In fact -- on average -- U.S. households carry nearly $8,500 in credit card debt -- a staggering figure when you consider that this is only a portion of the living expenses for which we are responsible. When you factor in mortgage payments and other living expenses, it is not surprising that so many people are in such dire financial circumstances.

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