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When buying a car can be a rough ride Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporters Ann Hardie, Carrie Teegardin and Alan Judd examined state consumer laws and lending practices affect consumers, creditors and regulators. These articles look at how they apply to car buyers.
Day One Why Georgia can be a bad place to buy a car When it comes to consumer protection, almost every state does more than Georgia to protect car buyers. Day Two Don't count on help from state's consumer agencies If your car deal goes sour, the two state agencies charged with looking out for consumers provide little relief and often seem sympathetic to the dealers they police. Order reprints • Purchase 11x17 copies of the original Borrower Beware series This series was reported and written by Ann Hardie, Carrie Teegardin and Alan Judd. Ann Hardie can be contacted at ahardie@ajc.com, Carrie Teegardin at cteegardin@ajc.com, and Alan Judd at ajudd@ajc.com. Or contact the reporters at 404-526-2681. | |
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Think you know? • Before you buy a car in Georgia, take this quiz Car-buying tips • Helpful advice, from titles to financing. • Clark Howard's warnings  Resources • How to trace a car's history, find complaints against dealers and more. At a glance • A look at actions taken by Georgia's used car board. |
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Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporters Ann Hardie, Alan Judd and Carrie Teegardin analyzed how Georgia lending laws affect consumers, creditors and regulators. These articles are the first installment in an ongoing series. Contact the reporters at 404-526-2681.
Day One Harsh lending laws fail consumers Georgia is an unforgiving state for people who owe money, perhaps the least forgiving in the nation. Swift foreclosures dash American dream Georgia professes to support the American ideal of home ownership, but no state does less to protect the homes of citizens hit by hard times. Day Two Lender takes all in repo cases The cost is high and so is the risk for borrowers who post car titles as collateral for quick cash. • The story of Willie Hampton
Day Three Small loans costs among highest in U.S. Lenders often pack small loans with insurance and other extras that spike costs for consumers. • Lenders win, lose in Gold Dome battles
Day Four Quail hunts a lobbying tool An insurer opens a hunting preserve to politicians and lenders alike -- and bags allies.
Update: Feb. 18, 2005 Bill puts brakes on title loans Interest can run up to 300% now.
Update: March 3, 2005
Update: March 27, 2005
Update: April 3, 2005
Update: April 12, 2005
Update: April 16, 2005
Update: July 15, 2005
Update: July 29, 2005
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How savvy are you? • Before you borrow money in Georgia, take this quiz Bankruptcy in Georgia • A county-by-county clickable map Bankruptcy across the nation • Search the personal bankruptcy rate for any county in the U.S. What's your story? • Have you had a "Borrower Beware" experience in Georgia? Help others and share what you learned. At a glance • How a $700 loan came to cost much more Resources • Buying a home? Trouble meeting your mortgage? Home foreclosures • When can a lender foreclose? Plus, answers to other questions This series was edited by Donna Lorenz, designed by Rick Crotts and copy-edited by Sharon Bailey. David A. Milliron, computer-assisted reporting and analysis editor, and AJC news researchers Nisa Asokan and Alice Wertheim contributed to the reporting. Equisystems LLC compiled the foreclosure data. |
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