Headline News Archive

2011

November

29

• Retirement rules of thumb don't always apply. You may have celebrated the new year in 2000 more worried about whether your computer would work than whether you'd have enough for retirement. After…

• Hard to stop telemarketing calls from 'Rachel'. Howard Cohen has received dozens of calls from "Rachel" at "card member services." At first he thought they must be from his credit card issuer.…

• Wireless, tech giants to start rating apps. Wireless and high-tech giants will announce Tuesday a ratings system for mobile apps to warn families about smartphone and tablet software that contain violent and…

• Crack down on Cyber Monday scams. Cyber Monday wasn’t just about sales. On one of the busiest online shopping days of the year, the Justice Department announced that it shut down…

27

• Need cash? Pawn shops edge into the mainstream. At a time when banks have shut their doors on those with bad credit, a growing number of U.S. borrowers are pawning their jewelry, electronics…

26

• Consumers may save on credit card cash-back deals. As Black Friday kicks off a holiday buying frenzy, credit cards can become a back-pocket arsenal for shoppers looking to save more than a few…

23

• Malls track shoppers' cell phones on Black Friday. Attention holiday shoppers: your cell phone may be tracked this year. Starting on Black Friday and running through New Year's Day, two U.S. malls --…

• Financial finger-pointing turns to regulators. In the whodunit of the financial crisis, Wall Street executives have pointed the blame at all kinds of parties — consumers who lied on their…

• CFPB looking to educate students on private loans. If you have a private student loan — and you are upset about what you’ve gotten yourself into — there’s a government agency that wants…

• Black Friday 2011 shopping guide. A guide to the holiday shopping season’s unofficial kickoff Apple to offer ‘special one-day’ shopping event Holiday Guide: Top smartphones, tablets and more Black Friday…

• FCC deals serious blow to AT&T and T-Mobile deal. AT&T, with its powerful army of lobbyists and years of experience navigating Washington, thought it could easily persuade the government to approve its merger with…

22

• Whistleblowers say ignored, punished by lenders. Darcy Parmer ran into trouble soon after she started her job as a fraud analyst at Wells Fargo Bank. Her bosses, she later claimed, were…

• Firms crack down on shopping at work. If you have small children, a full-time job and an interest in keeping up fashionable appearances -- prepare for some bad news: The era of…

• $1B homeowner loan program mainly benefited 3 states. A $1 billion federal program to help distressed homeowners in much of the country mainly helped people in just three states and very few in…

• E-shoppers' sales tax responsibilities. With CyberMonday approaching, savvy shoppers will be looking to save money on their purchases. Coupons? Check. Flash sales? Game on! Free shipping? Is there any…

• Consumers may save on credit card cash-back deals. As Black Friday kicks off a holiday buying frenzy, credit cards can become a back-pocket arsenal for shoppers looking to save more than a few…

• Bill targets airline checked luggage fees. Too much carry-on luggage toted by other passengers recently emerged as the No. 1 complaint of air travelers, and with the Thanksgiving travel crush underway,…

21

• Consumer Reports unveils 2011 naughty & nice holiday list. Shopping Policies at RadioShack, AirTran and American Apparel Among the Naughty; American Express, REI and Live Nation Among the Nice in Annual Public Education Campaign.

17

• The 1 bank fee that fell flat. Following weeks of outrage over plans for a $5-a-month debit card usage fee, Bank of America surrendered in November, joining Chase, Wells Fargo, and other…

• The smokers’ surcharge. More and more employers are demanding that workers who smoke, are overweight or have high cholesterol shoulder a greater share of their health care costs,…

• As graduates return to nest, economy feels the pain. Like most of her friends, Hollis Romanelli graduated from college last May and promptly moved back in with her parents. Add to Portfolio As a…

• California attorney general subpoenas Fannie, Freddie. Investigators with the California attorney general's office have subpoenaed information from mortgage titans Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as part of a wide-ranging inquiry into…

15

• Why a 529 college savings plan is a great gift. With the holiday shopping season fast approaching, gift givers have a couple of choices. You could venture out at midnight (or even earlier if you're…

10

• Prospect of online sales tax grows. Lawmakers, looking to help cash-strapped local governments, are coalescing around legislation aimed at letting states require most online retailers and catalog-only companies to collect sales…

• Judge chafes over Citigroup fraud settlement. A federal judge Wednesday challenged the SEC’s plan to settle a fraud case against Citigroup for $285 million, saying that the deal would recoup only…