States Where People Use the Most Electricity — and States Where They Pay the Most For It

From powering up our favorite gadgets to lighting up our homes, electricity is part of life for most Americans. Residents of some states, however, are using more electricity than others. People in Louisiana average 1,254 kWh/month, more than twice that of Maine residents, who use an average of 531 kWh/month.

While there’s no absolute correlation, the states with the highest average monthly consumption of electricity also tend to be the ones where electricity is cheaper. Here are the 5 states with the cheapest electricity and the 5 with the most expensive.

Besides cutting down on your electricity usage, you can also save on electricity bills by using alternate sources of energy. Check out the best states for residential solar energy for more information and resources.

Check our more data visualizations here.

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States Where People Use the Most Electricity — and States Where They Pay the Most For It

From powering up our favorite gadgets to lighting up our homes, electricity is part of life for most Americans. Residents of some states, however, are using more electricity than others. People in Louisiana average 1,254 kWh/month, more than twice that of Maine residents, who use an average of 531 kWh/month.

While there’s no absolute correlation, the states with the highest average monthly consumption of electricity also tend to be the ones where electricity is cheaper. Here are the 5 states with the cheapest electricity and the 5 with the most expensive.

Besides cutting down on your electricity usage, you can also save on electricity bills by using alternate sources of energy. Check out the best states for residential solar energy for more information and resources.

Check our more data visualizations here.

Light decor photo from Shutterstock

Source Article http://ift.tt/1y39EC7

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Subprime Auto Loans: Boon or Bane?

For consumers down on their luck with a checkered borrowing history and who need a car, subprime auto loans sound promising: they’re easy to get even for people who have a low credit score, are recovering from bankruptcy or lack a steady income.

Since they go to borrowers whose credit scores are often too low to qualify for a standard loan, these notes carry higher costs for consumers and greater risk for lenders. Subprime auto loans have become controversial recently as their increasing popularity has led to comparisons with the poor quality home mortgages that led to the 2007-2009 financial crisis and the recession that resulted. Here’s a look at how these loans work, what they can mean for consumers and how they could hurt the economy.

Subprime auto loans explained

Financial institutions give subprime auto loans to individuals with credit scores of 640 or under, according to Equifax, the credit reporting company. Because borrowers with poor credit are riskier for lenders, banks charge much higher interest rates, often in the 20% range, compared with less than 5% for those with good rankings. The difference can amount to hundreds of dollars a month, depending on the size of the debt.

Subprime lending accounts for about 32% of all car loans made today and they have balances outstanding of $46 billion, an eight-year high, Equifax says. Partly, the increase is driven by market forces unrelated to consumer needs.

As investors search for better returns, demand is rising for bundles of high-yield subprime auto loans, despite their elevated default risk compared with other types of debt, Bloomberg News reported in June. It cited last year’s sales of about $17.6 billion in securities created from the loans, more than double the amount in 2010. Moody’s Investors Service said in January that losses on the asset-backed debt were rising as lenders loosened standards further to generate more loans and satisfy the market’s growing appetite.

While rates for the loans are higher, they may be the only way for many buyers to get financing for a vehicle they need to get to work or for other purposes. Some unscrupulous dealers use the availability of subprime financing to help make sales, even if it can mean locking a low-income borrower into a nightmare of missed payments, collections agencies and repo men snagging the car in the middle of the night, the New York Times reported in July. Increased availability of credit for high-risk applicants has also fueled new car sales, as about a third were financed by borrowers with credit scores of less than 700 last year, Fortune magazine said in November. New vehicle sales are projected to reach 16.3 million units this year, the most since 2006, according to Bloomberg News.

Standards loosened

The standards for subprime auto loans have gotten so relaxed that banks and other lenders have been giving them out left and right. Here are a few of the main reasons for the easy credit policies:

Collateral – A car loan is secured by the vehicle, which can be repossessed and sold to recoup some of the debt, so some lenders are more willing to take the risk of giving loans to people with low credit rankings. New technology even makes it possible for a bank or finance company to disable the car remotely if a payment is missed.

Secondary debt sales – The growing market for subprime auto loans bundled into asset-backed securities has prompted some lenders to make financing available to borrowers who wouldn’t have qualified even a year earlier because of a poor history of managing obligations. Some predatory finance companies have pushed larger dollar amounts with higher rates, as both boost their earnings while helping to meet demand for the debt. Bond rater Standard & Poor’s said in July that subprime loan delinquencies and losses have risen this year, reflecting the decline in credit standards.

Dodd-Frank exclusion – The 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform law that created the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau exempted automobile dealers from the agency’s oversight. This means financing arranged through a car dealer is less regulated than loans obtained directly from banks or credit unions. As a result, it’s easier for lenders working through dealers to take advantage of borrowers.

Proceed with caution

While a subprime loan – even with a 20% interest rate – can help pave the way to a new job and prosperity for some borrowers, the debt can easily lead to financial ruin for others. The average high-risk borrower takes on a car loan that exceeds the value of the vehicle being purchased by 15%, according to S&P, which means a failure to make monthly payments and repossession can still leave the consumer saddled with obligations for a car he no longer has.

While investors snap up bundles of subprime auto loans and analysts fret about a bubble forming like it did with high-risk mortgages before that market collapsed in 2007, the scale is vastly different. Reuters has put the value of assets backed by risky car loans at about $80 billion from 2006 to 2012, while securities underpinned by similarly low-quality mortgages reached 20 times more, at $1.6 trillion from 2006 to 2009.

Still, should there be a meltdown like the one that clubbed the real estate industry seven years ago, automakers could feel a drag on sales and that could put the brakes on the economy’s already slow recovery.

Car trap image via Shutterstock

Source Article :http://bit.ly/1uopTKu

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Subprime Auto Loans: Boon or Bane?

For consumers down on their luck with a checkered borrowing history and who need a car, subprime auto loans sound promising: they’re easy to get even for people who have a low credit score, are recovering from bankruptcy or lack a steady income.

Since they go to borrowers whose credit scores are often too low to qualify for a standard loan, these notes carry higher costs for consumers and greater risk for lenders. Subprime auto loans have become controversial recently as their increasing popularity has led to comparisons with the poor quality home mortgages that led to the 2007-2009 financial crisis and the recession that resulted. Here’s a look at how these loans work, what they can mean for consumers and how they could hurt the economy.

Subprime auto loans explained

Financial institutions give subprime auto loans to individuals with credit scores of 640 or under, according to Equifax, the credit reporting company. Because borrowers with poor credit are riskier for lenders, banks charge much higher interest rates, often in the 20% range, compared with less than 5% for those with good rankings. The difference can amount to hundreds of dollars a month, depending on the size of the debt.

Subprime lending accounts for about 32% of all car loans made today and they have balances outstanding of $46 billion, an eight-year high, Equifax says. Partly, the increase is driven by market forces unrelated to consumer needs.

As investors search for better returns, demand is rising for bundles of high-yield subprime auto loans, despite their elevated default risk compared with other types of debt, Bloomberg News reported in June. It cited last year’s sales of about $17.6 billion in securities created from the loans, more than double the amount in 2010. Moody’s Investors Service said in January that losses on the asset-backed debt were rising as lenders loosened standards further to generate more loans and satisfy the market’s growing appetite.

While rates for the loans are higher, they may be the only way for many buyers to get financing for a vehicle they need to get to work or for other purposes. Some unscrupulous dealers use the availability of subprime financing to help make sales, even if it can mean locking a low-income borrower into a nightmare of missed payments, collections agencies and repo men snagging the car in the middle of the night, the New York Times reported in July. Increased availability of credit for high-risk applicants has also fueled new car sales, as about a third were financed by borrowers with credit scores of less than 700 last year, Fortune magazine said in November. New vehicle sales are projected to reach 16.3 million units this year, the most since 2006, according to Bloomberg News.

Standards loosened

The standards for subprime auto loans have gotten so relaxed that banks and other lenders have been giving them out left and right. Here are a few of the main reasons for the easy credit policies:

Collateral – A car loan is secured by the vehicle, which can be repossessed and sold to recoup some of the debt, so some lenders are more willing to take the risk of giving loans to people with low credit rankings. New technology even makes it possible for a bank or finance company to disable the car remotely if a payment is missed.

Secondary debt sales – The growing market for subprime auto loans bundled into asset-backed securities has prompted some lenders to make financing available to borrowers who wouldn’t have qualified even a year earlier because of a poor history of managing obligations. Some predatory finance companies have pushed larger dollar amounts with higher rates, as both boost their earnings while helping to meet demand for the debt. Bond rater Standard & Poor’s said in July that subprime loan delinquencies and losses have risen this year, reflecting the decline in credit standards.

Dodd-Frank exclusion – The 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform law that created the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau exempted automobile dealers from the agency’s oversight. This means financing arranged through a car dealer is less regulated than loans obtained directly from banks or credit unions. As a result, it’s easier for lenders working through dealers to take advantage of borrowers.

Proceed with caution

While a subprime loan – even with a 20% interest rate – can help pave the way to a new job and prosperity for some borrowers, the debt can easily lead to financial ruin for others. The average high-risk borrower takes on a car loan that exceeds the value of the vehicle being purchased by 15%, according to S&P, which means a failure to make monthly payments and repossession can still leave the consumer saddled with obligations for a car he no longer has.

While investors snap up bundles of subprime auto loans and analysts fret about a bubble forming like it did with high-risk mortgages before that market collapsed in 2007, the scale is vastly different. Reuters has put the value of assets backed by risky car loans at about $80 billion from 2006 to 2012, while securities underpinned by similarly low-quality mortgages reached 20 times more, at $1.6 trillion from 2006 to 2009.

Still, should there be a meltdown like the one that clubbed the real estate industry seven years ago, automakers could feel a drag on sales and that could put the brakes on the economy’s already slow recovery.

Car trap image via Shutterstock

Source Article http://ift.tt/1y39EC7

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some word about morocco

For Read all this article Visit Here : http://www.bubblews.com/news/5476395-some-word-about-morocco
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this summer was great i do see many city of my lovely country
yes y lovely country morocco
all poeple coming here in summer and every saison and every years and day
tourist love the city marrakech
marrakech also need more and more tourist
why they love there ? ...................
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Anaphylaxis (anaphylactic shock) Treatment options

Source Link : http://www.bubblews.com/news/5473018-anaphylaxis-anaphylactic-shock-treatment-options
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Anaphylaxis (anaphylactic shock)  Treatment options
The list of substances that can cause anaphylactic shock really long.
The most common causes of these toxins are insects, and injection of penicillin, and some foods such as shellfish and peanuts.
If ever had .....
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5 Ways to Protect Yourself From Thieving Hackers

It’s time to change passwords, again.

A Russian cyber gang created one of the biggest Internet data security threats in history, amassing 1.2 billion website user names and passwords and collecting information on more than 500 million people in a massive breach of online safeguards, according to Hold Security in Milwaukee.

To gather their collection, the thieves bought databases of stolen credentials from fellow hackers on the black market, then used what they got to hack into private e-mail accounts, social media and other websites, Hold said in a public statement.

Hardly a week goes by that doesn’t feature headlines about thousands or millions of accounts being exposed in the latest data breach, both online and in stores. Many involve astronomical numbers. For instance, in December Target said online thieves had hacked into the retailer’s computer systems, stealing personal and credit card information collected from at least 70 million customers. More recently, the company put the cost of the incident at $148 million.

Protect Yourself

While there’s no way to know if your credit and personal information has been lifted, the safest bet is to assume you’re at risk and take appropriate precautions.

Here are five steps that can provide some protection:

Change passwords– If hackers have access to your passwords and you change them, that limits the damage the crooks can do. So take that pre-emptive step and go into all those online accounts and create new passwords. For those that include sensitive and financial information, it may be wise to reset your passcode every three to six months.

Sound like a hassle? Well, there’s an app for that – several in fact. Programs like Lastpass and Dashlane help organize passwords and provide secure storage for login information.

Create stronger passcodes–Try to create new passwords that are stronger than those they replace – you can do this by using at least 12-15 characters,with a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, along with numbers and symbols. And avoid using words that can be found in a dictionary.

For example, a password like “RuSSiaNHacKer!31” is a much better password than “Russianhacker31,” while “rUSsn3hckr!1” is stronger still. Also, avoid easy-to-guess words, like your user name, and don’t use personal information, like your last name or your birthdate.

Don’t reuse them– It’s common practice to keep the same user name and password when using multiple sites. But that can increase vulnerability to being hacked. Once cyber thieves have cracked your code on one website, they can try that combination on others. So make sure each log on and passcode is unique.

Guard against spoofing– Copycat websites deliberately set up to deceive use names or addresses very similar to those of real organizations, including banks, in an attempt to lure people in and disclose log ons, passcodes and other personal information, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC). It’s often referred to as website spoofing.

The U.S. agency advises making sure to verify the correct website address for your bank before logging on or transacting any business. You can confirm if an online bank is legitimate by looking for an FDIC logo, or the words “FDIC Insured” or “Member FDIC” on the website.

Watch for phishing – Don’t open email from an unknown source, especially if that e-mail has an attachment, which should never be opened.Email that asks for confirmation of logons, passwords, personal details or bank account numbers is probably a trick by cyber thieves trying to obtain your personal information – a scam known as phishing. Legitimate companies won’t ask such questions by email or text message, according to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

Fight Back

If you think you’ve been hacked, you can file an identity theft fraud report online with the FTC, or call the agency at 1-877-438-4338. A printed version of the report should be submitted with a complaint to local police, and once that’s been done the documents created can be used to help repair or prevent damage to your credit.

By taking these and other common-sense measures, you’ll be better protected against hackers and the predations of cyber thieves.

Computer theft image via Shutterstock

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