Abogados

Overall, it was a crummy year for consumers, with a few exceptions, notably the passage of the new credit card act that took effect in late February.

Something else good: Creditors became more cooperative in helping consumers resolve their debt issues, said Ann Estes, vice president of Henrico County-based ClearPoint Credit Counseling Solutions.

Also, she said, people who sought counseling began taking control of their finances and became more financially literate. They started down the path of growth though continuing education and training, she said.

"We have learned we can no longer depend on the comfort of two paychecks and a stable income," she said.

Housing and job woes domi nated the consumer landscape in 2009.

Fearful homeowners streamed into Housing Opportunities Made Equal's offices in Richmond either because they foresaw trouble paying their mortgage, already had fallen behind or the bank had foreclosed on their home, said Paula Sherman, the agency's lending-protection coordinator.

Some fell victim to loan-modification crooks who promised to fix their mortgage problems in exchange for a hefty fee, except they took the money and did nothing.

For most clients who were in trouble, it wasn't that they had a bad loan product, Sherman said. Rather, life circumstances, such as job losses, illnesses or unexpected expenses, sabotaged the repayment of their mortgage.

Reduced income was the reason that 23,368 consumers called or showed up for help at one of ClearPoint's offices in 11 states last year, compared with 14,470 in 2008, spokesman Bruce McClary said.

"This is our No. 1 issue," he said.

Senior citizens lost jobs and had a hard time finding work, too, said Jo Norton, care-coordination manager at Senior Connections, the Capital Area Agency on Aging in Richmond.

"When you're in your 60's trying to find a job, it's much more difficult," she said.

More pressing was the lack of affordable housing, Norton said. "We get people whose income is $800 to $900 a month. If you have to go into an apartment that costs $700 to $800 a month and your income is $800 to $900 a month, that's not doable."

Some cash-strapped seniors took out second mortgages with unscrupulous brokers, then faced foreclosure, Norton said.

Unscrupulous con artists took advantage of consumers who used the Internet in 2009, said John Kane, research manager at the National White Collar Crime Center based in West Virginia.

Criminals do a very good job of assessing the economy and then figuring out ways to rip people off, he said.

Last year, for example, the top scams reported by Internet users included fake offers to get stimulus money or employment, and bogus security software for their computer or a new application for their smart phone that really was malware.

Credit issues were the top concern at the Office of Consumer Affairs in Richmond, said Tina Holt, its program manager.

"That's not surprising, based on these economic times, especially during last year," she said. "We had a lot of issues dealing with collection agencies, loan modifications and credit cards."

Linda Sherry, deputy director of national priorities at Consumer Action, a consumer education and advocacy group based in Washington, said credit card issuers last year slashed people's credit limits, increased annual percentage rates on existing balances, closed accounts for inactivity -- and some added fees.

In 2010, things will get better for credit card holders because of the new Credit Card Act, she said. It removes "major harms. There are a lot of things that I think will work out well for consumers."

Consumers won't fare as well on other fronts, though.

Crooks will keep up their attacks but will migrate to the latest technology mediums, such as text messaging, cell phones, social networking sites and smart phones, Kane said.

Reduced income will stay on top of the list of reasons that consumers seek credit counseling, McClary predicted.

Credit issues will stay at the top of the list of consumer complaints, simply because people use a lot of credit, Holt said.

Sherman from Housing Opportunities Made Equal expects consumers to continue having housing issues, including another wave of mortgage resets in 2010.