Movie critics have labeled this great film “Capra-Corn” because director Frank Capra offered such a feel-good — and “corny” — outlook on this country.

But it’s not corny. Not to me. Because “the way a regular person can impact Washington, the goverment and all of America” is happening. Right now. To me. And you.

Last Thursday, The Medical Debt Responsibility Act of  2011 was introduced as a bipartisan bill into the U.S. House and I expect a bill to be introduced in the U.S. Senate in the near future.  As you may know, this is a bill that I authored three years ago. I’m passionate about it — what it can do to help Americans, help the housing market, help the job market and help the economy — all at no expense to taxpayers or to the government.

And now my passion is being shared by champions in our government.

Last Tuesday I flew to Utah and had an hour-long one-on-one meeting with Senator Orrin Hatch to share with him my information and to ask him to make the Senate bill bipartisan. This meeting was set-up after my keynote speech at the MoneyWise event in Utah.

It’s a small world: A father of one of the MoneyWise founders approached me and said “Son, how can we help you?”

This man was the former baseball great, Cy Young Award-winning pitcher, Vern Law, 81.

One week later Vern, his wife and son walked me into the Senator’s office and said “Orrin, you need to meet this young man because he has a solution to fix the economy! These medical billing errors have affected my sons and their credit.” (He has five sons, two of
whom have leukemia.)

Added Vern: “My children pay all of their bills on time and a $62 bill ruins them! Orrin, something has to be done.”

Yes the Law family and my family are now best friends – in large part because we share a vision.

A few days ago when I was in New York co-hosting the show on Fox Business, I met with the producers of CNBC, MSNBC, and Fox News. All are intrigued by the idea of producing stories on our bill. It was so cool when the producer of CNBC said, “Rodney, how can we help?”

I responded, “The Medical Debt Responsibility act is so impactful is is worthy of a hour-long TV special.”

I know this is going to take a grassroots effort from everyone to get this bill passed and put our economy back on the fast track. I also realize this bill is the first step to fixing the housing market and many leaders now understand this is a simple solution with billions and billions of dollars of positive economic impact.

This week on my radio show, 88-year old
Congressman Ralph Hall of Rockwall (whom Sen. Hatch and many other think is a great man) said, “This is good bill and needs to pass.” Rep. Hall also said, “This will cost the American Taxpayer and the government not one penny.”

I am asking you to tell all of your family, friends, employees, and co-workers about the
bill. For more information, my website is RodneyAnderson.com, of course. Please contact me for guidance. Also, if you have direct contacts to U.S. Members of Congress, I would love to sit down one-on-one with them!

In closing, I received a phone call on Memorial Day from a great friend of mine. Mark is a doctor and his father is one of the most recognized physicians in the country. The father is now is retired but has a lifetime chair at MD Anderson in Houston. Mark informed me that when his son was 6 months old, he took him to the emergency room because he was sick. Now his son is 2 years old and Mark received a collection notice a year-and-a-half after the fact. … same thing that has probably happened to you or people close to you.

So he called the collection agency to ask questions. The bill was never paid, so he then called his insurance company and was told the hospital never billed the insurance company!

Dr. Mark makes a great living, has plenty of money in the bank and now has
a $354 medical collection on his credit report, which has lowered his FICO score
111 points and when he pays it will stay on his report and negatively impact his score for seven years. This is what this bill is all about — righting wrongs so Americans who have earned the right to credit can get it!

Together we can make a difference! It’s not sappy. It’s not corny. It’s “Mr. Smith Goes To Washington” … except I am seeing it work on the front lines … and I see that it is real.

By Rodney Anderson

Tony Romo used to park his usually-unwashed Ford Explorer next to mine. His condo in my building featured little more than a couch, a TV and a pingpong table. For awhile there, he’d hang out with the doorman in the lobby, Tony wearing one of his now-familiar caps – but not as a disguise or anything, because this was 2006 and nobody in Dallas (maybe not even Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells) would ever recognize him.
Today, Tony is older. Wiser. Wealthier. And an All-Pro-level quarterback in love.
And today, my old friend Antonio Ramiro Romo is RodneyAnderson.com’s first-ever “Financial Hottie of the Week.’’
Tony’s profile eventually increased from those dirty-truck-and-pingpong times. Tony worked. He had flare.
Coach Parcells eventually saw it.
And now, the lovely Candice Crawford sees it, too.
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Candice; we were both recently on the “Good Morning Texas” set. And because of our residential proximity, I also shared a few elevator rides with previous Romo paramours like Carrie Underwood and Jessica Simpson, too.
I think Tony has made a wonderful choice for a bride, as their celebration begins with a Saturday wedding at Arlington Hall in DFW. I also think he’s done a wonderful job building his career into one that has Cowboys owner Jerry Jones paying him a contract worth $67.4 million, which included a $30 million guarantee when the deal was done (in 2007) and $9 million in salary for this season.
Tony is putting singlehood and (some silliness) behind him. That includes having to answer media questions this week during a TopGolf franchise appearance in Allen, Texas, about whether he has “any second thoughts.’’
And it includes Tony’s maturation into a man ready to help lead not only a football team, but also ready to help lead a family.
I advise any couple to go through my “Affairs of the Heart” checklist …
And in fact, I mentioned that to Candice “The 10 Things You Must Do Before You Say ‘I Do.”’ Given the fact that 78 percent of NFL players end up experiencing serious financial strife, it’s worth a deep examination.

But I know Tony is ready. He’s come a long way since those days doing a bunch of nothing hanging out in our condo lobby.
But even with all the changes in Tony Romo’s life, I bet the caps remain.
Congratulations, Tony, on your wedding – and on being RodneyAnderson.com’s first-ever “Financial Hottie of the Week.’’

By Rodney Anderson

Raise your hand if you don’t want the best for your children! Hands down? Good. It’s unanimous.

We all want the best for our children, of course. But when “the best’’ means that plastic-flower corsages from Michael’s cost $1,400, “the best’’ becomes “too much.’’
This isn’t the fault of Michael’s, by the way, a fine company based in North Texas. No, this is the fault of the crooks, who are using our technology against us.
Here’s the story:
A nice lady named Brandi wants to do something nice for her daughters, her 7-year-old twins. The twins need little corsages so they can look just right at the upcoming Father-Daughter dance. It’s an adorable thing – if you are a parent, you are probably already touched …
Well, you’re going to get “touched’’ alright. Stick with me here …
So Brandi goes over to Michaels to make some cute fake-flower corsages and … the corsages cost Brandi 1,400 bucks.
Again, it wasn’t Michael’s fault. And it won’t be the fault of the store you are going to shop at today. But it’s happened at Michael’s stores in 20 states as customers’ bank accounts have been looted after they had used their debit cards at the stores.
What’s involved here is something called a “skimmer’’ that lets crooks record information your debit cards and steal your PINs. It’s fraud and it’s a scheme and Michael’s — now having to replace its 7,200 card-processing terminals – is a victim, too.
This is a serious enough issue that The U.S. Secret Service is being called in. It’s a serious enough issue for me personally – as someone who has spent the last 27 years working with American families to help them with their money and their credit – that I am working with some Thought Leaders in search of answers.
Fraud involving debit cards, PIN numbers and card processing equipment has increased times five in the last five years. The criminals used to just go after bank ATMs. But the technology now allows them to do it at the gas pump and at retail chains. The technology is, to be honest, fascinating: To capture the cards’ PIN numbers, thieves place tiny cameras, as small as pinheads, on the processors. Or they install a membrane over the key pads to record keystrokes. In either case, a thief must have physical access to the store. The devices can be homemade, assembled using by easily obtainable electronic parts …
And the good guys – that’s us! – need to use technology to stay ahead of the crooks.
I just returned from a cross-country trip, a sort of exploratory visit to discuss how technology might help American consumers like you – how we can all use some simple but effective technology as a shield …or even as a weapon against the crooks.
We can joke around about this; what are we all going to do? Never go shopping? Never have twins who need corsages? Cower in fear because of some pinheads with cameras the size of pinheads?
But this is serious, and I am serious about being involved in a solution – a technological protection for us all.
Stay tuned. …

By Rodney Anderson

In my book “CREDIT 911,’’ I coin the phrase “Affairs of the Wallet.’’ It is “sexy,’’ in sense. It speaks to your relationship, obviously. And it’s about your money – and when you combine all of that … well, “Affairs of the Wallet’’ is among the reasons I am able to say that “CREDIT 911’’ is so successful.
Another reason “Affairs of the Wallet’’ hits home?
Couples bickering about money is at an all-time high in America. Because of my position in the mortgage industry, I see the results every day. Understand, I’m not just in a front-row seat in this game. I am out there on the court like Tyson Chandler and Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd, helping defend and score and assist.
The leading cause of divorce? Money issues.
The leading cause of even bickering?
You guessed it: Money issues.
Couples argue more about household finances than they did a year ago, according to a recent study. And as a result, you know what we’re seeing? Not just bickering, but dishonesty and distrust. The threat of an argument and the nature of money in America today is prompting some of these couples to sneak purchases, sock money away in a secret bank account, or keep a credit card account hidden from their spouse or significant other. This is all about something I call “Affairs of the Wallet.’’
The foundation of any relationship – with your friend, your spouse, your sweetheart, your lender – is trust.
And yet in the most trusting of all relationships, most couples—some 61 percent—admit that their conversations about the household budget are mushrooming into arguments. That’s significantly higher than what the survey said a year ago, when 45 percent of people admitted this.
Here’s another on-the-court observation: It’s happening with wealthy people, too …Notably, the trend remains even among the most affluent responders to the polls, with 56 percent saying they argue with their sweetie this year, versus 44 percent in 2010.
So it’s not rich/poor or black/white or good/bad. It’s not HIS fault. It’s not HER fault. …
It’s the economy, stupid!
It starts with the threat of a crisis. Then the argument. Then distrust … and then … the hiding of purchases from your partner. As you read this, think about it: Are you doing it? Is your significant other doing it to you?
Three in five people are admitting to buying items on the sly. … so look around in the room with you, my friend. If you’re not doing it … three of the other four people are. It’s like the old business saying that insists there is a fool in every deal: If the guy across from you isn’t a fool, the fool is you!
We can go after this problem in the micro sense: How to find out if your significant other is a sneak? Check in their closet. Thirteen percent of those surveyed said that’s where they stash the goods.
But there is a macro issue here: You need to get help! Financial help! Smart advice! I urge you to find financial tools that can guide you – and even save your relationship! – and to seek out a Thought Leader who understands what I call “Affairs of the Wallet!’’

A Simple Secret to Raise Your Credit Score! - Associated Content

Homeowners get the boot for bad paperwork while banks get millions for same – Huffington Post

Big Banks Told Not to Just ‘Fix’ Foreclosure Fraud – WSJ

Wells Fargo servicing ratings may be cut – Moodys – Reuters

Why mortgage rates differ from advertised rates – ABC 27

Time to pare back Fannie and Freddie – Dallas Morning News

A Marshall Plan for America’s Housing Woes – ABC News

The credit card with a 59.9% interest rate – MSN Money

The 49-year-old resident of Colleyville, Texas, pays 7% on the mortgage for her three-bedroom house. In October, she says, she was shocked to learn that the two medical bills, which had been turned over to a collection agency, had caused her credit score to fall to 680 from 757—making refinancing far too expensive.

“I was told I’d have to pay $14,000 in closing costs to get a 5.5% interest rate,” Ms. White says, substantially more than she would have paid with a higher credit score. When Ms. White, a retired sales manager, contacted the doctor’s office, she found out the bills had been issued in error.

Ms. White’s case is hardly an isolated one. Otherwise well-qualified borrowers with good loan-to-value ratios and steady employment are increasingly finding it difficult to refinance because of medical billing mistakes marring their credit, say mortgage bankers and real-estate agents.

Jeanne White of Colleyville, Texas, saw her refinancing costs skyrocket after her credit score was dinged by two disputed $11 doctor bills—and is now in limbo as interest rates rise. Rodney Anderson, executive director of Supreme Lending, a mortgage bank in Plano, Texas, calls medical debt the single biggest roadblock for would-be refinacers. “People have no idea that they still owe small amounts which later end up on their credit report,” he says.

‘The Rates Are the Bait’
Despite record-low mortgage rates, refinancing activity has been lower this year than many in the industry would have expected. Last month, applications for refinancing fell 18% from their 2010 high in August, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association, even as rates for 30-year fixed-rate loans hit a record low of 4.17% in the second week of November. (They rose to an average 4.61% this week.)

“The rates are the bait,” says Brian Wickert, president of Wisconsin-based lender Accunet Mortgage. “But when consumers begin to refinance, there are real impediments spoiling the refi party.”

Earlier this month, Mr. Anderson says, he counseled a client whose $42 medical debt meant he would have to pay $4,200 in points to refinance his $300,000 mortgage.

Some 14 million Americans have errors on their credit report because of medical collections, according to the Commonwealth Fund, a Washington-based nonprofit focused on health-care research. These routinely small-balance blemishes, which can go unnoticed for years, can be a death knell for refinancing because they can cause outright refusals—or make closing costs so high that borrowers opt not to refinance at all.

Until she tried to refinance, Ms. White says, she had no idea about the overdue medical bills, which were from a visit earlier this year to an orthopedist. She has since disputed the charges, which will be removed from her credit reports within 30 days, but is worried about rising interest rates. “I’ll have missed the window,” she says.

Disputed Hospital Bills
For Debra Thomas, it was a disputed hospital bill that derailed her plans to refinance her Baltimore home. She wanted to use the savings from refinancing her $160,000 mortgage to renovate her kitchen, deck and patio. But when the 62-year-old approached several lenders in April, she says, the banks required more than $12,000 in closing costs to secure a lower rate because of her credit score.

It turns out that an unpaid $343 hospital bill incurred during a short stay in Maine was sent to a collection agency. Until she was contacted by the agency last year, Ms. Thomas says, she had no idea she owed any money. She is disputing the bill since she says she never received any notification of money owed.

“Other than this error, my credit is excellent, and I clearly would have paid the bill had I known about it,” she says. “Now, this whole other part of my life is impacted.”

Pricier “jumbo” loans—those of more than $729,750 not backed by government-sponsored agencies like Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac—can prove especially difficult to refinance. Investors’ appetite for such loans has waned, which means that banks typically have to keep these loans on their books.

A bill wending its way through Congress could provide relief for homeowners with medical-debt troubles. The Medical Debt Relief Act, which passed the House this fall and is now in the Senate, would remove settled medical debt from credit reports after 45 days, instead of the customary seven years.

Yet borrowers shouldn’t wait for relief from Washington, says Mark Rukavina, executive director of the Access Project, a Boston-based health-advocacy group, since the chances are slim that the bill will be signed into law anytime soon. Instead, they need to take action themselves.

“Don’t assume that your credit score is pristine, and be vigilant about checking it for these medical bills,” Mr. Rukavina says, adding that borrowers should also contact a medical provider’s office immediately after a visit to ensure that all outstanding bills are covered.

If homeowners are thinking about refinancing, they should pay close attention to their so-called utilization rate. They need to pay down as much credit-card debt as they can, says Beverly Harzog of Cardratings.com, a consumer-education website. Also, they should beware of closing existing credit-card accounts because those factor into a credit score.

“In this environment,” says Greg McBride, a senior financial analyst at Bankrate.com, “borrowers have to be more assertive about making the case to lenders that they are a good borrowing risk.”

Hidden Medical Debts Kill Refis – Wall Street Journal

Holiday Shopping: Americans Cut Back on Credit Card Use – ABC News

5 Ways to Wreck Your Credit Score – CNBC

The Christmas Without Credit Cards – TIME

Kids pile up credit card debt with iPhones – Debtamerica

Mortgage rates surge to a five-month high – Washington Post

Principal writedowns happen, just not through the government – CNBC

Mortgage program could help homeowners – Dallas Chronicle

Mortgage modifications done right – Reuters

Congress should not eliminate mortgage interest deduction – Daily Tribune