Can hackers tap your bank account?

By Marcie Geffner - Bankrate.com

If you use a credit or debit card, bank online or make any kind of electronic financial transaction, you face some risk that your personal information or money could be stolen.
That means pretty much everyone is exposed to this threat. And data breaches, where many of these financial misdeeds begin, have become common.
In November 2015, the U.S. Justice Department and other law enforcement agencies accused several men of a massive criminal computer hacking scheme that included the largest known theft of customer data from a U.S. financial institution.
That attack targeted account holders at JPMorgan Chase, according to a company filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. User contact information for 76 million households and 7 million small businesses was stolen during the breach.
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http://www.bankrate.com/finance/savings/could-bank-hackers-steal-your-money-1.aspx?ec_id=tweet101

Real estate profile: Jason Oppenheim

By Marcie Geffner - TheRealDeal

In a not-too-distant past life, Jason Oppenheim, president of the Oppenheim Group brokerage in West Hollywood, was an L.A. attorney representing the former CEO of Enron Corporation in the controversial Enron criminal trial.

He left that life to join the family brokerage founded by his great-great grandfather in 1889. At Oppenheim Group, he works alongside — though not always in agreement with — his identical twin brother, Brett Oppenheim.

Read more:
http://therealdeal.com/la/2016/02/18/jason-oppenheim-on-finding-chloe-moretz-an-la-home-and-fighting-his-twin-brother/

VA loan can trip up buyers

By Marcie Geffner - HSH.com

The VA loan is an excellent way for U.S. military veterans and other eligible borrowers to finance a home.

Backed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), this type of loan offers buyers no down payment, no private mortgage insurance, limited closing costs and the ability for an existing loan to be assumed by another buyer.

The VA loan isn't always preferred by home sellers, however, and that can present stumbling blocks even for well-qualified buyers.

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