I have initiated an on-line Petition Drive to our legislators and regulatory agencies in an attempt to help consumers verify their payments through monthly statements. National Consumer advocates such as Beth Givens of privacyrights.org and many other consumer advocates, are supporting my efforts. If you have a moment, please read my online petition "Ban Coupon Books" at, http://www.consumercity.org or http://www.ipetitions.com/campaigns/monthlystatements/ to see why this measure is so important.

Once you understand the ramifications of paying without the benefit of a monthly statement, I'm confident you will agree that it is just common sense to afford consumers the right to verify how their payments are applied.

If you agree with this petition drive, please consider signing and/or passing on to someone you know that may be interested in helping me to raise awareness of both the petition and the importance of consumers monitoring their monthly mortgage payments, student loans and even car payments. If you do not want a monthly statement you can simply opt out of having one but those of us who want to verify monthly how are payments are being applied feel strongly that it should be available to us. A few years ago HUD estimated over 1.5 Billion dollars were due consumers from mismanaged escrow payments. If bookkeeping errors can be made to that magnitude with simple escrow payments, what about our additional principal payments and our right to verify we were not charged a late charge for an on time payment?

Please take a moment to read the petition and if you agree, please sign.

Remember Richardson V Fleet, Equifax, TU, and Experian....it all started with paying my payments with a coupon book! It could happen to you...it's happening to me all over again....simply by using coupon payment books and not being able to verify how my payments are applied.