You’ve probably heard callers on the show who have had strange charges show up on credit card statement or who have had money vanish mysteriously out of their checking accounts. The reason starts in the late ‘90s when Congress bought into an argument from banks, stock brokerages and insurance companies that they would be much more efficient if they were able to share information. It was a high-minded purpose they offered, but it was baloney. And credit card operators and banks instead entered into marketing alliances with evil characters who put all kinds of weird charges on your credit cards for bogus “membership programs” and “protection plans.” They tend to show up on your card statement in the form of small amounts - $3 to $5 - each month. Now, Clark tends to paint every bank as being in business with scums who sell your information at the drop of a hat. But there are those rare companies that look out for their customers. The Consumer Federation of California Education Foundation recently rated major financial institutions on how they view privacy and how they protect it. Only one company got an “A+” - Pacific Life Insurance. And there was only one “A” in the group – eLoan. Companies that got an “A-“ include U.S. Bank, First Republic Bank, State Farm insurance, 20th Century Insurance and Fireman’s Fund Insurance. What about the “F’s”. Well, there are lots. Bank One, Providian, J.P. Morgan, GE Capital and Salomon Smith Barney are just a few of them. As for “D’s”, Citibank, Washington Mutual, Household International, Capital One and MBNA are in that group. The “A” companies are there to protect you and your privacy. Organizations that get “D’s” and “F’s” will sell your personal information to anyone to make as much money as possible off of you. So, you know where to shop and where not to shop. Overall in the ratings, credit card issuers got the lowest grade of “D.” Stockbrokers got an overall grade of “C-.” Banks got a “C” and insurance companies and credit unions got a “B-.” The best overall grade of “A-“ went to online financial institutions.