The New Laws ( Ignorance Of Laws Is Not An Excuse)

New Credit Card Laws for 2010

Sep23, 2009

President Obama recently signed the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009. Most of this new legislation will begin February 22, 2010.

The new rules will protect consumers by:
•    Prohibiting credit card companies from raising interest rates on money already borrowed unless it was borrowed on a variable rate card, or the minimum payment is made more than 30 days late. 
•    Protecting new cardholders by prohibiting interest rate hikes in the first year of an account. The only way interest rates can go up in the first year is if the card issuer disclosed a future rate hike at a preset time when the account was opened. 
•    Imposing a new rule that "zero interest" really means zero, ending the practice of so-called deferred interest. 
•    Prohibiting credit card companies from charging a late fee if the cardholder’s bill was mailed out less than 21 days before the due date.

Source Link: http://blogs.consumerreports.org/money/2008/12/credit-card-rul.html

New US Passport Laws

March18, 2009

If you are used to going across the border to Mexico and Canada, you know that crossing the border and getting back was a matter of producing a birth certificate.  On June 1, 2009, the final phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) will take place, putting restrictions on those traveling to Canada and Mexico. 

Source Link: http://passportsandvisas.com/blog/index.php/2009/03/new-us-passport-laws-in-place-on-june-1-2009/

New Companies (Amendment) Act 2009 in operation from 1st September 2009

The Financial Supervision Commission ("the Commission") has announced that the Companies (Amendment) Act 2009 ("the Act") will come into force on 1 September 2009.

Some changes under the Companies (Amendment) Act 2009

1. Company prospectuses
2. Registration of charges
3. Changes to accounting provisions
4. Limited Liability Companies Act 1996
5. Treasury shares

Source Link: http://www.gov.im/lib/news/fsc/newcompaniesamen.xml