FTC Tells Consumers to Hang Up on Tech Support Refund Scams
The Federal Trade Commission warns consumers that if they get a call promising a refund for tech support services, it is just a new twist on an old scam. Tech support scams try to gain…
Finance
Feds Call On Financial Institutions To Disclose Campus Financial Agreements
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is calling on financial institutions to publicly disclose agreements with colleges and universities to market debit, prepaid, and other products to students. Currently, institutions only make these disclosures about…
Outlet Malls Sell Lesser-Quality Merchandise
Prices at outlet malls might be cheaper but then so is the quality of the merchandise, according to a recent story in the Sacramento Bee. While 10 years ago brand-name products were sold at…
Feds Take Action Against National City Bank For Discriminatory Mortgage Pricing
Harmed African-American and Hispanic Borrowers Will Receive $35 Million in Restitution The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have filed a joint complaint against National City Bank for charging higher…
American Express To Pay $59.5 Million For Illegal Credit Card Practices
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today ordered American Express to refund an estimated $59.5 million to more than 335,000 consumers for illegal credit card practices. These practices included unfair billing tactics and deceptive marketing…
Feds Order Ally To Pay $80 Million To Consumers Harmed By Discriminatory Auto Loan Pricing
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and Department of Justice (DOJ) has ordered Ally Financial Inc. and Ally Bank (Ally) to pay $80 million in damages to harmed African-American, Hispanic, and Asian and Pacific Islander…
Utah Couple Sues Online Retailer That Fined Them $3,500 For Negative Review
A Utah couple Wednesday filed a federal lawsuit against an online retailer that retaliated against them for posting a negative review by “fining” them $3,500. Public Citizen, a nonprofit advocacy group, said it filed the…
Feds Sue Cashcall For Illegal Online Loan Servicing
Today the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) took its first action against an online loan servicer, CashCall Inc., its owner, its subsidiary, and its affiliate, for collecting money consumers did not owe. The CFPB alleges…
Feds Crack Down On Two Financial Services Schemes
The defendants in two separate alleged scams have settled charges with the Federal Trade Commission and will be banned from providing mortgage- and debt-relief services. The cases are part of the FTC’s continuing crackdown on…
Feds Order GE Carecredit To Refund $34 Million For Deceptive Health-Care Credit Card Enrollment
Today the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is ordering GE Capital Retail Bank and its subsidiary, CareCredit, to refund up to $34.1 million to potentially more than 1 million consumers who were victims of deceptive credit…
Are Christmas Sales Real?
Like many others I started my Christmas shopping during Thanksgiving week. My wife brought home a Lands’ End catalog from the hair salon she goes to that advertised 30 percent off all items, plus free…
Android Flashlight App Developer Settles FTC Charges It Deceived Consumers
‘Brightest Flashlight’ App Shared Users’ Location, Device ID Without Consumers’ Knowledge The creator of one of the most popular apps for Android mobile devices has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that the free…
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau To Oversee Nonbank Student Loan Servicers
Rule Brings New Oversight to Rapidly Growing Market Affecting Tens of Millions of Consumers The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has issued a rule that allows the Bureau to supervise certain nonbank student loan servicers…
Car Buying Scammers Ordered To Reimburse Victims $5 Million
At the Federal Trade Commission’s request, a federal court has ordered a Canadian telemarketer and four companies he owns to pay more than $5.1 million to American and Canadian consumers who were duped into paying…
Your Credit Rating Will Impact Your Car Insurance Premium
Most people know that their credit history can have an impact on whether they get hired. But did you know that your auto insurance rate is likely to be set, in part, by your credit…
Feds Crack Down Against Payday Lender
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today took its first enforcement action against a payday lender by ordering Cash America International, Inc. to refund consumers for robo-signing court documents in debt collection lawsuits. The CFPB…
Feds Crack Down On Google Money Tree Scammers
The Federal Trade Commission is continuing its crackdown on payment processing operations that enable scam artists to charge consumer accounts despite signs of ongoing fraud and unauthorized transactions. Today, the Commission announced a proposed settlement…
Ct Forum Tackles High Cost Of Health Care, Need For Transparency
By: Lisa Chedekel What if you needed a hip replacement and could click through a list of area hospitals to compare costs and outcomes for the procedure? That kind of transparency of information might go…
Newington Couple Learns The Downside Of Travel Club
Marilyn Lennehan and her husband Jim were enjoying their La Cabana timeshare six years ago in Aruba when they heard a presentation from a BlueGreen Vacation Club representative. His spiel of how they could be…
Private Student Loan Borrowers Face Hurdles In Trying To Pay Off Loans Early
Private student loan borrowers trying to pay off their loans early are taken advantage of by financial institutions, according to a report today from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The CFPB Ombudsman said in his…