Headline News Archive

2011

December

22

• Victims in Countrywide mortgage case could get thousands. Consumers who were victims of mortgage discrimination could get anywhere from $500 to thousands of dollars each as a result of a settlement announced Wednesday…

• How people shopped online this holiday season. Little time remains for online shoppers to have gifts delivered in time for Christmas, and sales numbers for online shopping this season are arriving. The…

• Bank of America to pay $335M to settle claims of unfair Countrywide loans. Bank of America agreed Wednesday to pay $335 million to settle federal claims that its Countrywide Financial unit charged black and Hispanic borrowers higher mortgage…

21

• State tax changes on the way in 2012. While the fate of the payroll tax extension is still uncertain on Capitol Hill this week, at least some Americans can look forward to tax…

20

• No more fees: Company to launch free ATMs. Starting next year, you may be able to visit a non-bank ATM without having to fork over a fistful of dollars in fees. There is…

• Tips to avoid car-crash insurance mistakes. AAA forecasts that a remarkable 91.9 million Americans will take passenger-vehicle trips 50 miles or more from home this holiday season -- Dec. 23 through…

• Flexible spending account deadline near. In years past, depleting money in your health care flexible spending account before the end of the year was fairly straightforward. You made a midnight…

18

• Prepping for your annual review. Q. It’s time for your yearly performance review. You aren’t expecting any big surprises, but you still feel a little nervous. How should you prepare…

15

• Mortgage aid program stumbled from the start. "Congratulations" began the letter, dated Sept. 27. Lorraine and Jude Austin, who had battled against foreclosure for two years, were "approved" for $48,113 in federal…

• 7 secrets to super customer service. Even pros are suckers for flattery Front-line phone reps are cursed at, threatened or belittled seven times a day on average, according to researchers at…

• State hopes to break habit of changing car's oil too often. Many automobile owners are spending more than they need on motor oil, believing that it should be changed every 3,000 miles even though almost no…

• Ryan's new approach to preserving Medicare. House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, who has been castigated by Democrats and hailed by Republicans for his plan to privatize Medicare, will on Thursday…

• Carrier IQ faces federal probe into tracking cellphone data. ederal investigators are probing allegations that Carrier IQ software found on about 150 million cellphones tracked user activity and sent the information to cellphone companies…

13

• Firms caught up in identity theft offer little help to victims. Victims of identity theft will tell you: The shock of being defrauded isn't the worst part. What really stings is having to spend days or…

• Steps you take now can boost tax refund. Your tree is trimmed, your gifts are wrapped and your plane ticket home has been booked. Now you just have to figure out how you're…

09

• Consumers lose as GOP moves against nominee for new consumer bureau. It's their party, and they'll cry if they want to. As expected, Republican senators blocked a vote Thursday on whether to approve President Obama's nominee…

08

• U.S. targets mortgage servicers for poor performance. The Obama administration said on Wednesday it will keep the pressure on two big U.S. banks to help more troubled borrowers from losing their homes…

• White House pushes vote on consumer agency chief. The White House has undertaken an extraordinary push this week to promote the confirmation of a director for the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, despite…

• Simpler credit card agreement gets a tryout. A simpler credit card agreement is getting a tryout. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Wednesday released a prototype of a credit card agreement that's…

07

• Stealth commercials masquerade as TV news. Alison Rhodes is passionate about child safety, and in hundreds of TV news interviews, the self-styled “Safety Mom” has talked up products designed to increase…

03

• New financial protection laws to help California seniors. California's elderly are about to get new protections against being victimized by unscrupulous financial product salesmen. On Jan. 1, a new law takes effect to…

02

• Chase makes it easier for consumers to overspend. If there's an upside to these seemingly endless economic doldrums, it's that consumers have gotten a whole lot savvier about managing their money. Case in…

01

• Foreclosure crisis isn’t even halfway over. A new analysis suggests that the tide of home foreclosures isn’t going to recede soon. The report from the Center for Responsible Lending, “Lost Ground,…

• Consumer agency logs 5,000 credit card complaints. In its first three months of operation, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau got more than 5,000 complaints about credit cards, the federal agency said in…

• Cybersecurity bill could harm privacy rights. Leaders of the House intelligence committee have crafted bipartisan legislation aimed at fostering the exchange of online information between the private sector and the government…