Consumer Law

Sunday link roundup

Posted on June 29, 2008
I have a backlog of cool articles in my starred items folder in Google Reader. Here they are: Good news from a debt-collection industry source: Collectors Face New Law in Colorado, and NY Considers Debtor’s Bill of Rights | Collection News Countrywide CEO Gave Below Market Rate Loans To Senators From A Special “VIP Desk” | Consumerist Subprime [...

Five cool cell phone tricks

Posted on June 27, 2008
Bet you didn’t know your cell phone can (1) reach an ambulance anywhere in the world, (2) unlock your car, (3) go longer with a reserve battery, (4) be disabled remotely if you grab its serial number, and (5) get you free directory information. 5 Secret Things Your Cell Phone Can Do? | Apartment Therapy [photo: freerangestock [...

The Interest Rate Outlook Continues to Improve

Posted on June 26, 2008
The Interest Rate Outlook Continues to Improve | Queercents

Citibank considers imitating Gilda Radner

Posted on June 25, 2008
Last year, Citi promised its credit card customers that ?A Deal is a Deal? - that they would be getting rid of ?any time for any reason? interest rate hikes. But now that they?re facing financial problems, Citi is reconsidering this pledge. Ed Mierzwinski made the SNL connection in his blog at US PIRG, noting [...

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Top 10 Ways to Trick Yourself into Saving Money

Posted on June 25, 2008
Top 10 Ways to Trick Yourself into Saving Money | Lifehacker

Hundreds of brokers netted in FBI sweep

Posted on June 19, 2008
Hundreds of brokers netted in FBI sweep Arrests include two former Bear fund execs charged with fraud | MSNBC

Former Bear hedge fund managers surrender

Posted on June 19, 2008
Former Bear hedge fund managers surrender Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin, who managed Bear Stearns hedge funds before the subprime collapse, charged with lying to investors about mortgage market risk. | CNN Money

Can governments copyright laws? Should they?

Posted on June 19, 2008
Can governments copyright laws? Should they? | BoingBoing

Government Foreclosure Rescue Plans are in the Works

Posted on June 19, 2008
Government Foreclosure Rescue Plans are in the Works | Queercents

Minnesota is a friendly state?especially if you are a debt collector.

Posted on June 18, 2008
In almost every other state, a debt collector must file a lawsuit either immediately or within a short time after serving the summons and complaint. This means the court has an eye on the lawsuit, and the debt collectors must pay the “entry fee” if they want to use the considerable power of the court [...

Anatomy of a Meltdown: The Credit Crisis

Posted on June 18, 2008
Anatomy of a Meltdown: The Credit Crisis | Washington Post

Settlement results in free credit monitoring service

Posted on June 16, 2008
Settlement results in free credit monitoring service | CNN

Latest Gallup Poll Shows 43% of Americans Pays Credit in Full

Posted on June 16, 2008
Latest Gallup Poll Shows 43% of Americans Pays Credit in Full | StopBuyingCrap.com

Quick Thoughts - Superstars Barack Obama and Elizabeth Warren collide, plus new Democratic Hypocrisy

Posted on June 13, 2008
Alright, maybe Elizabeth Warren isn?t a superstar to everyone. But she is the unequivocal rock star of the consumer movement. So it is totally appropriate that she?s now palling around with the most rockin? politician since JFK. She appeared with Senator Obama Wednesday in Chicago to discuss credit cards, and I can only imagine the [...

United Airlines To Charge $15 For First Checked Bag

Posted on June 12, 2008
United Airlines To Charge $15 For First Checked Bag | Consumerist

Think Twice Before Paying for Credit Protection

Posted on June 12, 2008
More on LifeLock. Think Twice Before Paying for Credit Protection | Lifehacker

Tips for Dealing with a Stolen Credit or Bank Card

Posted on June 12, 2008
Tips for Dealing with a Stolen Credit or Bank Card | Queercents

Could you live with just 100 things?

Posted on June 12, 2008
Dave Bruno thinks he can (not counting shared family things, that is). I’m not sure I could, but I love the idea. I wonder if I could get my wife to go along with it. (Not likely.) Think how much easier it would be to move! Think how much money you would save if you didn’t [...

More on how arbitration screws consumers from Elizabeth Warren

Posted on June 11, 2008
More on how arbitration screws consumers from Elizabeth Warren. Have You Already Lost? | TPMCafé

Identity protection ads come back to bite LifeLock CEO

Posted on June 11, 2008
Identity protection ads come back to bite LifeLock CEO | BoingBoing

In trouble with an internet payday loan? Change banks.

Posted on June 11, 2008
Nathalie Martin at Credit Slips reports that many internet payday loans are illegal and therefore unenforceable. But they can be a big problem, since most automatically deduct their fee from consumers’ bank accounts and roll over without warning...

Chicago courts clogged with collection claims

Posted on June 11, 2008
Chicago joins California and Minnesota in the news, as its civil courts try to deal with moving more than 119,000 debt collection lawsuits through the system. With numbers like these, are the court systems becoming just a satellite office for the debt collection industry? It seems so, especially since most courts are giving these lawsuits little [...

Insurance Insider Tells How To Appeal Coverage Denial

Posted on June 11, 2008
Insurance Insider Tells How To Appeal Coverage Denial | Consumerist

Surprise: debt causes a lot of stress, which can take a physical toll

Posted on June 09, 2008
According to an Associated Press-AOL Health poll, over half of those with debt (i.e., everybody) reported some physical effects of debt-related stress, from muscle tension to migraines, all the way to ulcers and heart attacks. That’s it, Congress, the credit crisis is now a national economic and health problem...

Update: save your money; Citibank will not reopen your HELOC even if you spend $600 on an appraisal

Posted on June 09, 2008
According to Glenda, she paid $600 to get her home re-appraised after Citibank suspended her home equity line of credit. All to no avail, as she has been unable to get Citibank to reopen her line of credit, even though the appraisal shows she has equity in her home.

Banks vs. Consumers (Guess Who Wins)

Posted on June 07, 2008
“The business of resolving credit-card disputes is booming. But critics say the dominant firm favors creditors that are trying to collect from unsophisticated debtors” Banks vs. Consumers (Guess Who Wins) [BusinessWeek]

Hate your credit card? Tell the Fed

Posted on June 06, 2008
The Federal Reserve Board and two other regulators recently surprised consumer advocates by proposing some decent rules that would reform credit card lending. Six AFFIL Partners issued a joint statement calling the proposal as ?an important first step to stop credit card companies from pumping up their profits by using hidden traps and tricks [...

Free credit scores for all consumers? Almost?

Posted on June 06, 2008
Get your TransUnion score here! Free credit scores for all consumers? Almost… [The Red Tape Chronicles]

Minnesota has less than half as many mortgage originators this year. Good.

Posted on June 06, 2008
In response to the tanking housing market, Minnesota passed some pretty strong mortgage industry regulation last year. Alex Stenback points to an article in the Strib reporting that there are now less than half as many mortgage originators as last year...

“Two defendants have agreed

Posted on June 05, 2008
“Two defendants have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges for allegedly victimizing Spanish-speaking consumers nationwide by posing as debt collectors seeking money the consumers did not owe.” Defendants in Debt Collection Scheme Aimed At Hispanics Agree to Settle FTC Charges [FTC News]

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