If they say something like Hutt or anything other than Galactic Trade Network it is a good bet that they are neutral trade networks and not faction specific.
Under your preferences at the bottom there is a link for keybinds. Make sure your mouse isn't bound to something you don't want it to be. I don't have this problem on my characters.
I am playing on a Dell Studio 550
8GB RAM
Intel Quad 2.5 Ghz
EVGA Nvidia 560 Ti
I run on high with no lag whatsoever outside of the odd server lag. The tower cost me about $500 from Dell last year.