Bailiffs & Council Tax - Knowing What To Do -

Home
>
Credit
>
Bailiffs & Council Tax - Knowing What To Do

Bailiffs & Council Tax - Knowing What To Do

This article is about bailiffs who may call trying to collect Council Tax or Community Charge (Poll Tax) arrears. If a bailiff has contacted you to collect another sort of debt the law might be different.

Council Tax and Poll Tax are usually collected by private firms of bailiffs on behalf of your local council. They try to take your goods away and sell them, usually at auction, to raise money to pay the debt. The process they have to follow to say they want your goods is called 'distraining' or 'levying'.

From October 1998 bailiffs who call must be "certificated". This means they must have a certificate from the County Court allowing them to act as bailiffs. You can complain to the County Court about a certificated bailiff.

From April 1998 you should get a letter from the Council telling you how much you owe and warning you that a bailiff will call if you do not pay the debt within 14 days. It will also tell you who to contact at the council if you have a query. Contact the council and try to make an arrangement to pay what you can afford immediately. If the council agrees then they can stop bailiffs calling out and save you extra fees.

DO I HAVE TO LET THE BAILIFFS IN?

IF THE BAILIFFS HAVE NOT BEEN INTO YOUR HOME BEFORE TO COLLECT THIS DEBT, THEY HAVE NO RIGHT TO COME IN. THEY CANNOT BREAK IN. YOU CAN CHOOSE NOT TO LET THEM IN.

* DON'T open the door to them as they may try to push past you. If they get inside, they have a right to enter again and may break in to take your goods.

* DON'T leave windows open or doors unlocked - bailiffs can legally get in through these. Bailiffs CANNOT get the police to help them break in.

* BEWARE! Some bailiffs may leave you a phone number, and arrange to come round to 'have a chat'. Don't let them in, even if they say it's only to use the toilet or make a phone call.

* Bailiffs MAY try to break into sheds, garages, greenhouses etc., even though this is illegal. KEEP VALUABLES SAFE! They may be able to take cars, motor-bikes and other vehicles parked near your home.

* Politely but firmly refuse to let the bailiffs in. Offer what you can afford to pay. If the bailiffs accept your offer, ask them to return to their car, and go out and pay them. Make sure you get a receipt.

DON'T SIGN ANYTHING! If the bailiff leaves papers for you to sign and return, you do not have to do this. You don't have to sign agreements posted through your door either.

THE BAILIFFS HAVE ALREADY BEEN INSIDE MY HOME

THIS IS MORE SERIOUS. If you have let them in before, then bailiffs have the right to return to you home and if you don't let them in, they are allowed to break in.

* Contact the bailiffs straight away and make an offer to pay the debt in instalments. Show them a copy of your personal budget so they can see you are offering as much as you can afford. You will need to treat this as a priority debt as bailiffs could come back and take any goods they have listed if you don't pay. Get a receipt for any payments you make.

* Contact you council and ask them to take the debt back. Ask your local Councillor for help.

WHAT THINGS ARE THE BAILIFFS ALLOWED TO TAKE?

There are some things that the bailiffs are not allowed to take at all; such as goods that are rented or hired. The regulations also say that the following items are exempt and can't be taken:

* "Such tools, books, vehicles and other items of equipment as are necessary for use personally in employment, business or vocation"

* "Such clothing, bedding, furniture, household equipment and provisions as are necessary for satisfying basic domestic needs of the person and family".

* This list is not very specific so you may find that bailiffs have a different idea of what items are necessary for you to keep and what can be taken. You can complain about what the bailiffs take if you feel the items should have been exempt.

CAN THE BAILIFFS TAKE THINGS WHICH ARE NOT MINE?

The bailiffs can only take things which belong to you and/or goods which are jointly owned by you and your partner. If they want to take goods that belong to someone else (your children, partner, lodgers etc.) explain that the goods do not belong to you. If you can, show a receipt or note as proof. The owner of the goods may have to provide a sworn statement in the form of a "statutory declaration" to say this is the case. They cannot take goods which are rented or hired. This includes goods on hire purchase agreements. Show them a copy of your credit agreement if you can.

WHAT IF I HIDE THINGS OR GIVE THEM AWAY?

If the bailiffs haven't yet been in, you can hide things or take them somewhere else. If the bailiffs have already been in, you are committing an offence if you remove goods that they have said they will take. You can hide them on your premises but the bailiffs can search for them.

BAILIFFS PROCEDURES

If the bailiffs are distraining for Poll Tax or Council Tax, there are certain procedures that they have to follow. They must have with them:-

* written authorisation from the council for them to call. They should show you this if you ask.

They must leave you a copy of:-

* the law setting out their powers and what they can and cannot do. These are the "Enforcement Regulations".

* the charges the bailiffs are allowed to make for each visit. You should check they have not added too much on to your debt. See the schedule at the end of this fact sheet.

* any agreement you have actually signed. This will be called a "Walking Possession" agreement and includes a list of goods the bailiffs have warned you they may take.

HOW DO I STOP THE BAILIFFS?

* You can try to make an arrangement to pay the debt back at a rate that you can afford. You can offer the money directly to the bailiffs, although it is easier to get them to accept your offer if they have never been into your home. Always get a receipt for any money you pay.

* Bailiffs cannot send you to prison. If the bailiffs have never been into your home and they will not accept your offer, all they can do is to pass your debt back to the council. It is important to make an arrangement to pay the council, or they may try other ways of recovering the money, such as taking money out of your wages or your benefit.

* If the bailiffs refuse your offer it is important to put the money you have offered aside so you can pay it to the council as soon as the debt is passed back to them. Write to the bailiffs and the council telling them you are saving the money up as the bailiffs have refused to take your payments.

* If you are on Income Support, Pension Credit or Job Seekers Allowance, some councils' have a policy for not using bailiffs and will accept an offer from you or agree to accept direct payments from your benefits. Ask your council if they are willing to take the debt back from the bailiffs so you can pay them directly.

* If the council won't help then contact your local councillor and ask them to take it up with the council for you. Explain what hardship you will be in if the bailiffs come to your home and take your belongings.

HOW DO I COMPLAIN?

The Lord Chancellors Department has issued National Standards for Enforcement Agents. These good practice guidelines set out general rules for how bailiffs should behave and what procedures they should follow. You can mention these standards in your complaint but the standards are not enforceable by law. We can give you details of the standards or they may be found at the Department for Constitutional Affairs website www.dca. gov.uk/enforcement/agents02.htm

GET ADVICE FIRST. Bailiffs law is very complex, and even if you think that what they have done is unfair, they may still be acting within the law.

* From October 1998 bailiffs have to have a certificate granted by a court to collect Council Tax. A complaint from you can help get the certificate withdrawn. Ask your local County court if they have a form for making a complaint. If not, write in to the Court Manager with details. The Court will hold a hearing and can cancel the bailiff's certificate, order compensation and order return of the goods. A bailiff can be fined for collecting without a certificate.

* You can complain to the Magistrates Court, and there have been cases recently where the debt has, in effect, been written off when it has been proved that bailiffs have acted illegally. This is done by making a complaint and asking for a hearing. The court can order return of the goods or compensation.

* You should complain to the council as the bailiffs are acting as their agent. They can ask the bailiffs to look at your complaint and change their procedures. If the council won't help you could talk to your local councillor who may be prepared to take your complaint up with the council.

* You can ask the local Government Ombudsman to look at your complaint if the Council refuse to help you.

BAILIFFS CHARGES

You may be able to complain about bailiffs charges. The amounts they are allowed to charge for council tax and poll tax are set out in the schedule on page 5. The amounts they are allowed to charge for council tax are set out on the next page in the schedule. There are lower fees for poll tax collection. These are shown in italics. If you feel you have been charged too much you can complain in writing to the Council and the bailiffs. You may be able to ask the County Court to look at the charges for you see below. Phone us for advice.

You can find out what is 'reasonable' by making enquiries on a local basis. For example, if you have been charged £80 for attendance with a van, and local enquires indicate you could hire a van for a morning for £40 this is clearly unreasonable, especially as it is likely that bailiffs will be visiting several properties at once, and many companies own their own vans.

In the first instance, complain to the bailiffs themselves. You can tell them you know their charges are excessive and that you will be taking further action if the charges are not reduced to the levels shown in the schedule.

* You can then complain to the council as the bailiffs are acting as agents of the Council. There have been recent cases that have been taken back in front of the Magistrates Court over these issues, with the result that the councils have been forbidden to take any further recovery action, or in other words, the debt has been written off. So it IS worth complaining.

* You can apply to the County Court for the costs to be checked. This is called "Taxation". The court can look at a complaint within 12 months. They will decide if the charges are excessive or not. There is a fee to pay to the court for this application. If the court decides not reduce the bill at least 20% you can be liable for the bailiffs firm's court costs. You need legal advice first.

USEFUL LINKS

The Secretary
Association of Civil Enforcement Agencies
Kensington House
33 Imperial Square
Cheltenam
Glos
Tel: 01242 241456
Website: www.acea.org.uk

The Secretary
Enforcement Services Association (ENSAS)
(formally The Certificated Bailiffs Association) Ridgefield House
14 John Dalton Street Manchester M2 6JR Tel: 0161 839 7225
Website: www.bailiffs.org.uk

Local Government Ombudsman (England)
Millbank Tower
Milbank
London SW1P 4QP
Advice Line: 0845 602 1983
Monday to Friday 9.00 am ? 4.30 pm. Website: www.lgo.org.uk

There are 3 Local Government Ombudsman offices for England. Please contact the advice line to check where to send any complaint.

Local Government Ombudsman (Wales)
Derwen House Court Road Bridgend
CF31 1BN
Tel: 01656 661 325
Website: www.ombudsman-wales.org

Author: Michael Sherriff

After writing 100's of articles relating to UK Credit and finance Michael has also written a book that blows away the myths surrounding UK credit repair. A number one seller in the UK called "UK Credit Secrets 2005 Edition". This book can be found at UK Credit Secrets

In The News:

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.business24-7.ae/Articles/2008/10/Pages/10112008_23825236eec14cbe922d5f4fc87798d1.aspxcid=1256188834ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNH2oTob01CkK7-it5BJrrF2BY0wvQimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=g8PrqbEYrW4Jimgurl=www.business24-7.ae/Articles/2008/10/PublishingImages/10_11_2008/eb11_greenspan_11_small.jpg width=63 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Emirates Business 24/7/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/11/business/yourmoney/11money.html%3F8dpccid=1256188834ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNHfuvvo7q-p-ObUnqJW53VhEn1NyQOne Thing You Can Control: Your bCredit/b Score/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fNew York Times,nbsp;United Statesnbsp;-/font nobr2 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Your bcredit/b score, however, is something that you have a fair bit of control over, since it reflects your behavior as a borrower. b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://money.cnn.com/2008/10/10/markets/bondcenter/credit_markets/%3Fpostversion%3D2008101017cid=1256188834ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNH2v8z69RkutnbtkDiCtFID3MNEFAbCredit/b freeze sees small cracks/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrCNNMoney.com/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gXJkHBkXwQWtPp4EaKg_ly_7cM_AD93LTPB03cid=1256188834ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNEdmqUgfnaAFFkBwX06he1SwVg18QbCredit/b barely eases after Fed plans to buy paper/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrThe Associated Press/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://article.nationalreview.com/%3Fq%3DYzZkN2YxMzVlZTBhOTNiMTBlODBhNDlkNGU4NmIwNTY%3Dcid=1256188834ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNFSQ2T6yAbb6F03I1xbc7H49utcKQThe Light at the End of the Crisis/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrNational Review Online/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/10/10/news/Meltdown-Glossary.phpcid=1256188834ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNGWkElxZxIrx_QmOOS_LzBX5Nqr0wnobrInternational Herald Tribune/nobr/anbsp;- a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/us/july-dec08/crisis_10-10.htmlcid=1256188834ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNGHlUpBIsmbYxZcHSc88_X4I9q1eAnobrNewsHour/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1256188834hl=ennobrall 1,725 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122359479643121141.html%3Fmod%3Dgooglenews_wsjcid=1255835915ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNFil-g-1QzJxnJ_c1fK3Udtlw4i9Aimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=2YgdHyEATaYJimgurl=s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/MK-AS274_GM_D_20081009174930.jpg width=80 height=53 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Wall Street Journal/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php%3FstoryId%3D95620206cid=1255835915ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNFpL8RRlwepyOakAcGTrSiwYH9PowFears Grow That Tight bCredit/b Could Crush GM, Ford/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fNPRnbsp;-/font nobr7 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Standard amp; Poor#39;s downgraded the bcredit/b of both companies and their financing arms this week. AFP/Getty Images Ford F-150 trucks sit at a dealership in b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DhvlBeiPY0MIcid=1255835915ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNFllk8TG79skSwady8klUUAEVEEQQVideo: Money Minute: GM, GE, Oil/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrAssociatedPress/nobr/fontobject width=448 height=356param name=movie value=http://www.youtube.com/v/hvlBeiPY0MI/paramparam name=wmode value=transparent/paramembed src=http://www.youtube.com/v/hvlBeiPY0MItype=application/x-shockwave-flashwmode=transparentwidth=448height=356/embed/objectbr/fontfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/163342cid=1255835915ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNGaYRdw1P4bigQGIMJbKz9aszXIbgRunning on Empty/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrNewsweek/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.columbiatribune.com/2008/Oct/20081010Busi012.aspcid=1255835915ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNHk6tPNGr3HZ6_iD_gQU1qmHWdKUQbCredit/b crisis adds to pressures on dealers/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrColumbia Daily Tribune/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.abcnews.go.com/Business/Economy/story%3Fid%3D6002604cid=1255835915ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNFLEOHlEM3nxIOwSoZgl6v3V1ljCQnobrABC News/nobr/anbsp;- a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.mlive.com/annarbornews/business/index.ssf/2008/10/bankruptcy_fears_swirl_around.htmlcid=1255835915ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNG68f1huWjJQ-7ZXH75a3JlujKLFQnobrMLive.com/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1255835915hl=ennobrall 741 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/financialcrisis/3175474/Financial-crisis-Lehman-Brothers-liabilities-sale-fails-to-pacify-market.htmlcid=1256028374ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNGWCA7GCc8VtNnktapw8j389aNZTgimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=DVaEufaDQv8Jimgurl=www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01007/lehman_1007680c.jpg width=80 height=50 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Telegraph.co.uk/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news%3Fpid%3D20601087%26sid%3DainXunmcK3kw%26refer%3Dhomecid=1256028374ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNFBJpcXAc0HpWUYFdWH9unBIlsY8gLehman bCredit/b-Swap Auction Sets Payout of 91.38 Cents (Update1)/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fBloombergnbsp;-/font nobr9 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By Shannon D. Harrington and Neil Unmack Oct. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Sellers of bcredit/b-default protection on bankrupt Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. will have to b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssFinancialServicesAndRealEstateNews/idUSN1036473720081010cid=1256028374ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNGLJB6JJiVec2hRWnbs4L5tXO6nVAUPDATE 1-Morgan Stanley#39;s CDS leads bcredit/b spreads wider/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrReuters/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.forbes.com/business/2008/10/10/lehman-bonds-banking-biz-wall-cx_lm_1010auction.htmlcid=1256028374ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNF1cAv1Cr4wPrXJiO7QPbmVUjg8sgLehman Auction Leaves Cloudy Picture For Banks/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrForbes/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/traders-worst-fears-realised-at-lehmans-auction-957953.htmlcid=1256028374ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNGyIjDU9AcjgtT1B4XtvkVgVGmxrgTraders#39; worst fears realised at Lehmans auction/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrIndependent/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122365493477023279.html%3Fmod%3Dgooglenews_wsjcid=1256028374ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNH4MEUCm1tpRbEJpMidM0NU4cqITwnobrWall Street Journal/nobr/anbsp;- a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/financialcrisis/3175474/Financial-crisis-Lehman-Brothers-liabilities-sale-fails-to-pacify-market.htmlcid=1256028374ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNGWCA7GCc8VtNnktapw8j389aNZTgnobrTelegraph.co.uk/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1256028374hl=ennobrall 210 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2008-10/10/content_7093059.htmcid=1256320384ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNH0mlZ59N_H1Ir_5KNFitiFID_wkwimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=a9oUpE6WrVsJimgurl=www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/images/attachement/jpg/site1/20081010/0013729e4abe0a58daa12b.jpg width=63 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2China Daily/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php%3FstoryId%3D95624944cid=1256320384ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNGstn84lAomH5PmSVfOBQqvgcTT0APaulson OKs Bank Stock Purchase Plan/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fNPRnbsp;-/font nobr5 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Finance officials from the world#39;s top economic powers emerged from talks Friday with a five-point plan to reverse the bcredit/b crisis, vowing quot;decisive b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D1hnqKnevsC4cid=1256320384ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNHdxua2LSCm7flUx6RP0tOZp9c0PwVideo: Stocks Fluctuate After Fed Corporate Debt Plan/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrAssociatedPress/nobr/fontobject width=448 height=356param name=movie value=http://www.youtube.com/v/1hnqKnevsC4/paramparam name=wmode value=transparent/paramembed src=http://www.youtube.com/v/1hnqKnevsC4type=application/x-shockwave-flashwmode=transparentwidth=448height=356/embed/objectbr/fontfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24477274-664,00.htmlcid=1256320384ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNEDHEwAQP5g4-MlhWOn9Ik02M0XvAGreed is gone, fear is here/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrMelbourne Herald Sun/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://money.cnn.com/2008/10/10/markets/markets_newyork/%3Fpostversion%3D2008101015cid=1256320384ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNFxVeR_j2tN24t5a7EKardY6aVoowMarket turnaround/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrCNN/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2008/10/10/treasury_plan_fails_to_stem_carnagecid=1256320384ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNHEt7uFClzaQEkI-tl_7epUXcrm-wnobrBoston Globe/nobr/anbsp;- a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122368129669524867.html%3Fmod%3Dgooglenews_wsjcid=1256320384ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNE6Um55RRorwP15iJYBapDxO23BRAnobrWall Street Journal/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1256320384hl=ennobrall 1,353 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSTRE4998QG20081011cid=1256133923ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNEK8t240Y0_0VVcldn-S1ui3eCYXQimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=OChmPPyDSXAJimgurl=www.reuters.com/resources/r/%3Fm%3D02%26d%3D20081011%26t%3D2%26i%3D6341173%26w%3D192%26r%3D2008-10-11T011826Z_01_BTRE4991UEW00_RTROPTP_0_G7 width=80 height=58 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Reuters/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSTRE4998QG20081011cid=1256133923ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNEK8t240Y0_0VVcldn-S1ui3eCYXQG7 vows to fight bcredit/b crunch but details sketchy/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fReutersnbsp;-/font nobr4 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By Mark Felsenthal and Sumeet Desai WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The world#39;s rich nations vowed on Friday to take all necessary steps to unfreeze bcredit/b markets b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/1010/breaking66.htmcid=1256133923ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNEUSlIC7FhgRmcET6-HniLsKK1GTAPressure on G7 leaders as Wall St erratic at open/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrIrish Times/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/feedarticle/7850755cid=1256133923ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNH2h2uXuf-4uOlM1fRN-_idnTQSpQTOPWRAP 16-Wall St crawls back as G7 meets to tackle crisis/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrguardian.co.uk/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/feedarticle/7850126cid=1256133923ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNHvbb-9AO-AEVzl22EAu_chH-zcQwTOPWRAP 15-Wall St giants buried in global panic/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrguardian.co.uk/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1256133923hl=ennobrall 78 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2008/10/08/fed_orders_emergency_rate_cut_to_15_percentcid=1255009308ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNGGMAUoGASuz1siaG24V85Drxaqjwimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=pJFc_D45VnYJimgurl=cache.boston.com/resize/bonzai-fba/AP_Photo/2008/10/08/1223450954_9314/539w.jpg width=80 height=49 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Boston Globe/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/10/AR2008101002613.htmlcid=1255009308ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNHzAXQQO00_LwUBA_eHiGVB7n-OpQOverseeing Finance#39;s New Era/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fWashington Post,nbsp;United Statesnbsp;-/font nobr4 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Virtually every bcredit/b crisis since World War II has spawned further concentration, often followed by new policies that supported deregulation. b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DFa_Zw2Ty_Xocid=1255009308ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNEkhBN52ZcYAaD2dpzc-9iIAAKGdAVideo: Bernanke: More Economic Pain Ahead/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrAssociatedPress/nobr/fontobject width=448 height=356param name=movie value=http://www.youtube.com/v/Fa_Zw2Ty_Xo/paramparam name=wmode value=transparent/paramembed src=http://www.youtube.com/v/Fa_Zw2Ty_Xotype=application/x-shockwave-flashwmode=transparentwidth=448height=356/embed/objectbr/fontfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/JJ11Dj03.htmlcid=1255009308ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNGA2ksx6C7zFfPhiwlVEusoxBWJ1QMonetary Stalinism in Washington/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrAsia Times Online/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.forbes.com/afxnewslimited/feeds/afx/2008/10/08/afx5523171.htmlcid=1255009308ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNFjsDvBP9dJKG3ecz44M4BJj7kTsATREASURIES-Surge in Europe as shares skid on bcredit/b woes/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrForbes/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentary/30715484.html%3Felr%3DKArks:DCiUHc3E7_V_nDaycUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUcid=1255009308ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNGR1zMRqh-IEPxuPwSljeESfzsWhQnobrMinneapolis Star Tribune/nobr/anbsp;- a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.reuters.com/article/usMktRpt/idUSN0748399620081007cid=1255009308ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNECIcg6SOUlhS75gwWlRCxzqybKgQnobrReuters/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1255009308hl=ennobrall 1,797 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g8-DEMtAE9q4i4ySQ0eV_qZefmRQD93LKV0G1cid=1256346887ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNG7-q63xXCCd0JqR1oCEQSaiH5gbgimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=z-WGhTOctNMJimgurl=ap.google.com/media/ALeqM5hcreO5BPgd4iLUrFFOMQHS_Ee9DA width=70 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2The Associated Press/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gHs5OM3gFG_DytQQZFbWfgPT08MAD93MBAFG0cid=1256346887ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNFhkCmWZH8WKpbWjshCnrPWbFdYUAWall Street pulls back amid bcredit/b concerns/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fThe Associated Pressnbsp;-/font nobrOct 9, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1NEW YORK (AP) â€” Wall Street headed for another volatile session Wednesday as investors doubted that an emergency interest rate cut would revive bcredit/b b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.amateureconomists.com/blogs/2008/10/09/aig-wall-street-bailouts-is-the-federal-reserve%25E2%2580%2599s-independence-at-riskcid=1256346887ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNHomv5YDDHPzVo9o8u04KO_u9A3RQAIG, Wall Street Bailouts: Is the Federal Reserveâ€™s Independence b.../b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrAmateur Economists/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/MARKET%2520ANALYSIS/1926279/cid=1256346887ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNH9DNXGL_-7OgDHJYuMciSEbvDGTAConcerted Official Actions Should Calm Traders - RTTNews Daily b.../b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrTrading Markets (press release)/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.ktla.com/pages/landing_topstories/%3FStocks-Slide-Again-Dow-Drops-as-Much-as-%3D1%26blockID%3D84499%26feedID%3D1198cid=1256346887ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNETiDLSVKjdFN5XKtSboX5JYEd7yQStocks Slide Again: Dow Drops as Much as 279 Points/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrKTLA/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.washtimes.com/news/2008/oct/09/fed-central-banks-coordinate-interest-rate-cut/cid=1256346887ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNEvE4BDeReNctvB4OxHaBrE8dwGtwnobrWashington Times/nobr/anbsp;- a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gHs5OM3gFG_DytQQZFbWfgPT08MAD93MBG7G0cid=1256346887ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNFxDIYQDTd_CxM1jvrxCwhgNHSmpAnobrThe Associated Press/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1256346887hl=ennobrall 925 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE4995W320081010cid=1256210871ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNGp16bFf_hMV9MkhnJFYXA7f1Xwxgimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=nbbZ3C7b-ZMJimgurl=www.reuters.com/resources/r/%3Fm%3D02%26d%3D20081010%26t%3D2%26i%3D6335468%26w%3D192%26r%3D2008-10-10T150253Z_01_BTRE49915SW00_RTROPTP_0_USA-POLITICS-OBAMA width=80 height=55 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Reuters/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE4995W320081010cid=1256210871ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNGp16bFf_hMV9MkhnJFYXA7f1XwxgObama offers plan to offer bcredit/b to small firms/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fReutersnbsp;-/font nobr14 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Obama told a campaign rally in Chillicothe, Ohio that he would put in place a bcredit/b facility for small businesses similar to one set up after the September b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://nhbr.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article%3FAID%3D/20081010/NEWS01/810099925cid=1256210871ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNHafId1Ub8H2OCPgXMmqQWz9pmjnAWho#39;s best for small business?: Barack Obama/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrNew Hampshire Business Review/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/11/us/politics/11retire.html%3Fref%3Duscid=1256210871ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNEC5KgAZ7yKFsNZkQgXlvWNa7ptagCandidates Present 401(k) and Small-Business Plans/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrNew York Times/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/small-business/2008/10/obama_proposes_small_business.htmlcid=1256210871ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNEvQFVYkI0pmlLLZ79gYdXQ_D0BlQObama Proposes Small Business Rescue Plan/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrWashington Post/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/10/10/1528327.aspxcid=1256210871ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNH_iqvkiNbl2XgClwGjRKBDwUWJGwnobrMSNBC/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1256210871hl=ennobrall 35 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/small-business-entrepreneurs/2008/10/10/credit-card-financing-by-small-businesses-gets-crunched.htmlcid=1256199915ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNEIF-FqpfVCLNOvRezyXP0LzqKVOQbCredit/b Card Financing by Small Businesses Gets Crunched/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fU.S. News World Report,nbsp;DCnbsp;-/font nobr9 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By Matthew Bandyk Like many other lenders today, the bcredit/b card industry is spooked. bCredit/b card companies are cracking down on card limitsâ€”even on b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/creditcardscom-weekly-credit-card-rate/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257BB56E10FD-BE57-46AE-A3B2-5B75BC5F16E0%257D%26dist%3Dhpprcid=1256199915ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNGR45ySOp41Zgj_CWrf7ehrqwCwgACreditCards.com: Weekly bCredit/b Card Rate Report/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrMarketWatch/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.investors.com/editorial/IBDArticles.asp%3Fartsec%3D24%26issue%3D20081010cid=1256199915ei=gjnwSKqlFqjk6gPXwuC7Bwusg=AFQjCNGZlYBxMVhgmC2pkP-5molkM46-jAFOR SUCCESS/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrInvestor's Business Daily (subscription)/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1256199915hl=ennobrall 9 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

credit - Google News