When it comes to applying for loans, many people find that they jump into the process far too quickly, and without doing the adequate research in order to ensure that things go smoothly. Applying for a loan is not nearly as transparent a process as it may seem, and knowing your rule is crucial if you don't want to end up getting rejected. Perhaps the most important thing you can do for yourself before you get into applying for a loan is checking to see what your credit report looks like.

For anyone who isn't familiar, your credit report (including your credit score) is a major determining factor as to whether or not you end up getting a loan after you apply for one. Lenders can check your credit report to review your history, and if you have run into trouble that you have yet to repair, they will most likely deny you the loan. The simple fact is that many people have no idea what their credit report even looks like. There is no worse way to go into applying for a loan than this.

Fortunately, by utilizing a reputable consumer credit report service, you can obtain your report quickly and without hassle. Your credit report will show everything about your credit history, including all things to do with credit cards, student loans and other debt that you may have. If you have a clean history, your credit score will be high and you will be a far better candidate for a loan. On the other hand, a history of missed or skipped payments and too many inquiries for credit cards is a surefire way to disqualify you for a loan.

It should be noted that while there are many services who offer "free credit reports," more often than not these are too good to be true. Usually, these services make you pay for either a product or subscription in order to get your "free" report, and are generally considered to be scams by many consumers. While it might be tempting to try to utilize one of these services to obtain your credit report, it's best to stay clear of them at all times.

MyBackgroundCheck.com offers checks on your credit history, and allows you to continuously monitor your credit report, without any hassles or fine-print. For more information, visit http://www.mybackgroundcheck.com/CreditReports.aspx.

When it comes to accepting new tenants, understandably many landlords get a bit leery. After all, everyone has heard their fair share of horror stories about problem tenants. As a result, tenant screening is a necessity. The problem is, traditional tenant screening techniques are usually expensive and can sometimes be confusing, to the point where some landlords don't even complete renter background checks and end up in a bad situation. Traditional tenant screening is viewed by landlords as a major pain, which is a shame because tenant screening can be easy and can basically complete itself as long as you use the right service.

The fact is, running background checks is something that doesn't have to be difficult or expensive to do. With online background screening from MyBackgroundCheck.com, landlords can screen their tenants for free. While most services take time and can be expensive, an applicant supplied background check from MyBackgroundCheck.com can be completed quickly, and there's nothing more cost-effective than getting your tenant screened for free! MyBackgroundCheck.com has all of the features that landlords expect when checking background info and is equally comparable to services that cost quite a bit more money. Landlords who deal with many tenants and own a variety of units will really enjoy the ease and convenience of MyBackgroundCheck.com.

So what are you waiting for? There's no reason to be paying and spending large amounts of time on background checks anymore. It's time to get started and take advantage of MyBackgroundCheck.com's incredible, free services. For more information, visit http://www.mybackgroundcheck.com/RenterBackgroundChecks.aspx.

If you have never been a victim of identity theft, please read this. There are ways to help prevent identity theft from happening. For those who have already been a victim of identity theft, this article should prove helpful to you as well. There are ways to reduce the risk of identity theft and everyone can benefit from being more informed on the subject. Identity theft is taking place every day and is increasing at a rapid rate all across the U.S.

Monitoring your background check can help to prevent identity theft. This method has proven highly effective in determining whether you could be at risk for identity theft. Monitoring your own background check will give you the ability to find any false information that someone else could have entered while stealing your information. You may not believe this is happening today, but it is becoming more prevalent across the U.S. Identity theft is one of the worst crimes committed against an individual. Personal records are stolen and used by the person stealing them. You are at risk of having your social security number stolen, along with your phone numbers and other private information. Many insurmountable problems result from identity theft.

The consequences of being a victim of identity theft are difficult to comprehend. The result of losing private information can cause numerous problems and personal grief for months or even years to come. Monitoring your background check can prevent identity theft. Take precaution, be safe. Don't let identity theft happen to you. Visit http://www.mybackgroundcheck.com to learn more about monitoring your background check and preventing identity theft.

Last week, a man who for years had been tops on a California city's Most Wanted list was arrested -- on a cruise ship. And he wasn't a passenger. As reported by the Oakland Tribune and USA Today's Cruise Log, Bulgarian Kaloyan Kaloyanov, who was wanted for a sexual assault case that took place in 2000, was working onboard Carnival Splendor as the manager of the ship's hair salon. He'd been working onboard cruise ships for several years, employed by Steiner Leisure, the company that manages the spas and salons on many cruise ships.

How did a wanted criminal get a job onboard a cruise ship? The story made us wonder just how cruise lines, and the companies that hire for them, screen candidates for onboard jobs (as well as onshore ones, as in the case of the cruise line employee who used information about cruise passengers to rob their homes while they were away). It's extremely important to travelers that the people who go into their cabins to clean while they're onshore or the counselors looking after their children in the kids' clubs do not have past histories of theft, abusive behavior or other criminal activities.

We contacted Steiner, as well as a few cruise lines, to find out about their hiring practices. Here's what we learned:

Background checks are an essential part of the hiring process. "Carnival conducts background checks for all shipboard and shoreside personnel," Carnival spokesman Tim Gallagher tells us. "Background checks on all non-U.S. shipboard personnel are conducted by agencies in the candidates' home country and a certified criminal history document for the country of origin is required." Glenn Fusfield, chief operating officer of Steiner Leisure, says that every job applicant for an onboard position is required to supply a police record and background check with official seals -- the company can tell when the documents are faked.

"If there's record of a prior arrest or a conviction, we handle that on an individual basis," says Fusfield. "In some cases, the candidate would automatically be disqualified. But it might be that they have something lingering from their past that won't interfere with their current job, or the people have moved on." He maintains that Kaloyanov had a "clean and perfect" background check from his home country when Steiner hired him.

The cruise line or hiring company is not the only organization to run background checks. "The U.S. State Department oversees the issuance of seamen's visas to foreign nationals who sail with ships into U.S. ports," says Cynthia Martinez, spokeswoman for Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Azamara Club Cruises. "Therefore the U.S. embassy in the crewmember's country of origin conducts background checks in connection with the issuance of seamen's visas." In addition, U.S. Customs and Border Protection runs checks on ships' manifests, which include all crewmembers onboard, each time a ship enters and leaves U.S. ports. Other countries have similar practices. So even if the hiring agency misses a red flag, the government is looking out for wanted persons entering the country on cruise ships.

And what if a crewmember has a clean record, but gets in trouble after being hired? Says Martinez, "Any crew dismissed from employment for Royal Caribbean for violation of our zero-tolerance policies is not eligible for re-hire with our company."

Given all these checks and screenings, it's surprising that a wanted criminal like Kaloyanov cruised undetected for years, but it also indicates that his case is highly unusual.

At least in California, the answer is yes (State supreme courts in Oregon and Montana ruled the same way)

In Gary Ross vs. Raging Wire Telecommunications Inc., the California Supreme Court upheld the firing of Ross after he failed the pre-employment drug test required of all new employees -- even though his physician had recommended he use marijuana to treat chronic pain.

In agreeing with a lower-court decision, the state's high court ruled, in a 5-2 decision written by Associate Justice Kathryn Mickle Werdegar (http://www.hreonline.com/pdfs/08012010Extra_RossOpinion.pdf) , that "Nothing in the text or history of the Compassionate Use Act suggests the voters intended the measure to address the respective rights and duties of employers and employees."

It noted that under California law, "an employer may require pre-employment drug tests and take illegal drug use into consideration in making employment decisions."

In the dissent (it starts on page 17), Associate Justice Joyce L. Kennard writes the majority decision is "conspicuouslylacking in compassion," as the court rules an employee may be fired for "marijuana use, even when it occurs during off-duty hours, does not affect the employee's job performance, does not impair the employer's legitimate business interests, and provides the only effective relief for the employee's chronic pain and muscle spasms. I disagree."

Kennard writes that the majority opinion "disrespects the will of California's voters who, when they enacted the Compassionate Use Act, surely never intended that persons who availed themselves of its provisions would thereby disqualify themselves from employment."