Global X filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission with more details about its upcoming international oil exchange traded fund . The filing is being taken to mean that the fund could launch soon.

Global X Oil Equities ETF  will have a 0.49% expense ratio and will track an index of international oil companies whose returns have historically been correlated with the price of oil, reports Devin Riley for Index Universe.

Oil prices have shot up in recent weeks, topping , as conflicts in the Middle East intensify.

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Consumers have been entitled to annual, free credit reports from the three credit reporting agencies for several years. Credit applicants who were denied were allowed to get a free copy of their credit report, but not their actual credit scores. Unless a copy of their report was required for a mortgage, most consumers never receive a ‘free’ credit score, but pay up to $20 for a score. And for those who received a report, it may not have been the one used, as there are different scores for car loans, mortgages, insurance and credit cards. In addition, the three credit reporting agencies sell scores to consumers that aren’t FICO scores.

But beginning January 1st, lenders must either tell consumers who apply for credit exactly which score they used or provide a letter explaining how they came to the decision using the consumer’s credit reports, if they didn’t receive the best terms available. And then on July 21, 2011, the Dodd-Frank financial overhaul law will make it mandatory for credit scores that a lender used to be fully disclosed to consumers who are negatively impacted by their credit score; for example, when a loan isn’t approved or employment is denied.

Credit scores are calculated using credit report information to provide a prediction of a consumer’s financial status. It impacts al

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Today with the vast number of credit card companies and banks available you will need to compare credit cards if you are going to get the best possible deal. The days of only a few major credit niches are gone and everywhere you look offers of credit are being advertised.

How will you know which ones you should be considering? Fortunately there are a few tips that you can use to find the one that is right for your needs. This is the first thing you should do. Determine exactly what you need the credit card to do for you. Do you need as standard credit card or perhaps a gas card? Maybe you are considering a store card.

Once you have determined the type you are going to apply for you will need to compare credit cards by their features. The APR or annual percentage rate will need to be one of these features. For purchases, balance transfers and cash advances the APR can be different. Find the lowest rate available. Many will advertise 0% for a period of time, but you should not rely on this number as the only consideration. Check the terms to see what the regular rates are after the introductory period is over.

Another thing you should be aware of is often the APR will increase if you make a late payment.

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Big banks like Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Citigroup have warned they may face financial penalties over mortgage investigations.

Three of the nation’s biggest banks warned investors Friday that federal and state investigations into their mortgage businesses could lead to severe financial penalties.

The New York Times reported that Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Citigroup made disclosures in their U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings that indicated any settlement with the government could be expensive.

Many state attorneys general, including in Ohio, have looked into the banks mortgage practices and federal regulators also have investigations ongoing.

Along with potentially costing the banks financial penalties, the investigations also could damage the banks’ reputations, according to Bank of America’s filing.

It was not clear if the investigations could have an impact on other banks with mortgage operations other than those three. MetLife Inc. and PNC Financial Services Group have large loan operations in the Dayton region with hundreds of employees each.

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Over the years we have seen quite a shake-up when it comes to brokerage credit card offers. During the Great Recession and the tough economy that followed, some were discontinued or had their rewards reduced. However the Fidelity credit card offers never went anywhere.

There are actually four different Fidelity credit cards. Let’s review all of them…

This Fidelity Visa card has a two-tiered reward structure as follows:

• For annual spending up to $15,000 there is 1.5 points per dollar given.
• For annual spending which exceeds $15,000 there is 2 points per dollar given.

There is no cap on the amount of rewards that can be earned.

When it comes to redemption, the most common choice is to convert them to cash that can be deposited into the accountholder’s eligible Fidelity account. Every 5,000 points = $50 which means it’s 1 cent per point when going this route.

Alternately, points can be spent through WorldPoints (Bank of America’s credit card reward program) and used for travel, merchandise, gift cards, etc. However m

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