The Summer 2005 issue of FDIC Consumer News, published by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, features a "shopper's guide" to finding bank products and services that are both a good deal and a good fit.

The shopper's guide includes tips and information on:

• Comparison shopping and questions to ask before signing up for a mortgage, home equity loan products, a credit card, a checking account or a certificate of deposit;
• How and why to make sure credit records are accurate and in the best possible shape; and
• How to determine if a free computer or some other attractive gift for opening a new bank account really makes for a great deal.

The newsletter also covers hot topics in fraud prevention. One article addresses "security breaches" in which a retailer, credit card processing firm or other company reveals that confidential account information was "lost" or stolen. Another article warns consumers to beware of scams involving fake checks, many of which involve offers that arrive by mail or e-mail.

Other coverage touches on credit card issuers raising minimum payments; interim final rules taking effect March 7, 2006, on the use of medical information in connection with a decision about credit eligibility; and a new FDIC Web site that enables consumers to quickly and easily get answers to questions about a bank.

The Summer 2005 issue is available online at www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/news/cnsum05.

The goal of the quarterly FDIC Consumer News is to deliver timely, reliable and innovative tips and information, free of charge, to help people protect and stretch their money. Current and past issues appear online at www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/news. The FDIC offers a free subscription service that provides an e-mail notice about each new issue posted to the Web site and a link to stories of interest. Instructions for subscribing are posted on the FDIC Web site at www.fdic.gov/about/subscriptions/index.html.

Information in FDIC Consumer News may be reprinted in whole or in part without permission from the FDIC. Material used should be credited to "FDIC Consumer News, a publication of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation." Media requests should go to Jay Rosenstein, the editor, at 202-898-7303 or jrosenstein@fdic.gov.

# # #

Congress created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in 1933 to restore public confidence in the nation's banking system. The FDIC insures deposits at the nation's 8,930 banks and savings associations and it promotes the safety and soundness of these institutions by identifying, monitoring and addressing risks to which they are exposed. The FDIC receives no federal tax dollars – insured financial institutions fund its operations.

FDIC press releases and other information are available on the Internet at www.fdic.gov, by subscription electronically (go to www.fdic.gov/about/subscriptions/index.html) and may also be obtained through the FDIC's Public Information Center (877-275-3342 or (703) 562-2200).