News

2020

April

03

• Messy start for small business loans. The government has promised to lend $349 billion to small businesses starting Friday, but banks and owners have no idea how it will play out.

• PG&E customers to receive climate credit in April. If you’re using a little more energy at home in the wake of the stay-at-home orders during the pandemic, PG&E wants to help you out. The utility company said Thursday that

• No refund but credit for a future cruise? Are you kidding?. Like airlines, cruise operators make refunds difficult for passengers who are rethinking travel plans because of the coronavirus.

02

• What you need to know about the government's forgivable loan program. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has promised that small business owners can apply for a new, forgivable loan to help keep their businesses afloat during the coronavirus crisis. So long as you use the borrowed funds

• How to figure out if your student loan qualifies for coronavirus relief. If your student loans are held by the federal government, relief should be automatic. You won’t have to make a payment until after Sept. 30, and interest will be waived during that time. In

• Needy will face hurdles to getting coronavirus stimulus. Automatic payments are guaranteed only to those whose information is already in the computers at the Internal Revenue Service or the Social Security Administration. Everyone else must follow instructions posted by the I.R.S.,

• What you need to know about paying your rent or mortgage. Federal officials have imposed a nationwide halt to foreclosures and evictions for more than 30 million Americans with home mortgages backed by the Federal Housing Administration or two government-controlled companies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But

• La recesión por el coronavirus ahora se espera que sea más profunda y prolongada. A medida que aumentan las proyecciones del número de muertos por coronavirus, los pronósticos de la consiguiente carnicería económica también se han vuelto mucho m

01

• Hospitals leave COVID-19 patients who don't speak English without proper care. Even in normal times, those who don’t speak English have worse health outcomes for a range of routine procedures and can struggle to gain access to interpreters. Some research also shows that professional

• Trump pushes $2 trillion infrastructure package in next coronavirus bill. President Trump said Tuesday that a $2 trillion infrastructure package should be part of Congress’s next response to the coronavirus pandemic, reviving a 2016 campaign pledge to ramp up construction projects despite public health guidance

• Dow caps its worst first quarter with a slide of more than 400 points. U.S. stocks delivered one of their worst starts to a year on Tuesday, with markets staggering under trillions in losses as the economy withers amid a coronavirus-induced paralysis.

• Don't get fooled by COVID-19 scams. Before you buy face masks, disinfecting wipes, colloidal silver, or other promised COVID-19 treatments, you can take a series of steps to protect yourself from scams. Scams can come in the shape of ads,

• Coronavirus recession will hit low-wage workers hardest. A global recession caused by the spreading coronavirus is likely to hammer the lowest-paid workers and the most economically-disadvantaged communities, segments of the workforce that had only just begun benefitting from an uneven economic recovery.

• Consumer Action INSIDER - April 2020. The April 2020 issue of the Consumer Action INSIDER instructs older people on how they can report scams, especially as new ones are arising daily due to the coronavirus crisis; gives readers an overview of former CFPB director Richard Cordray's new book, “Watchdog: How Protecting Consumers Can Save Our Families, Our Economy, and Our Democracy”; exposes how the devil's in the details when it comes to "free filing" tax prep services offered by companies such as TurboTax and Tax Act; updates readers on our coalition efforts, including those to ensure that any COVID-19 vaccines developed are affordable for all consumers; and more.

• ¿Perdió su trabajo por el coronavirus? Así puede evitar un desalojo si le cuesta pagar la renta. Más de un millón de californianos solicitaron asistencia por desempleo mientras los casos de coronavirus aumentan en las últimas semanas.

• Consejos de supervivencia económica en época de coronavirus. El coronavirus ha dado un golpe financiero a millones de estadounidenses, y ahora están por vencerse las facturas de abril.

• La compañía donde trabajo no me despidió, pero me puso en licencia sin pago, ¿qué significa?. Conoce tus derechos si la empresa en la cual trabajas te puso en esa situación.

• Marriott: Hackers obtienen datos personales de 5.2 millones de huéspedes. Esto es lo que debes hacer en caso tener un programa de membresía de la cadena hotelera

• T-Mobile y Sprint se fusionan, competirán contra AT&T. La compañía de telefonía móvil T-Mobile completó la adquisición de Sprint, su rival de menor tamaño, creando una nueva empresa capaz de hacerle

March

31

• Is your grocery delivery worth a worker's life?. Millions of white-collar workers are telecommuting from home to stay safe as the coronavirus extends its terrifying reach across America. But millions of other workers — supermarket cashiers, pharmacists, warehouse workers, bus drivers, meatpacking workers