All posts tagged consumer advocate
Bandits jumping on the timeshare bandwagon as industry gains speed
Initial timeshare sales typically are regulated through the real estate regulator in the state where the timeshare property is located. When it comes time to dump a timeshare, however, resales generally are not regulated.
What CFPB’s proposed mortgage servicing rules could mean for you
ASHLEY GORDON (CFPB) - Delinquencies. Defaults. Foreclosures. Let’s face it: before the housing crisis, these and many other terms were foreign to many of us. Since 2008, however, they’ve
Federal discrimination suit brews over REO marketing, upkeep
(Update: NFHA, on April 10, filed discrimination charges against Wells Fargo with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.) The same kind of discrimination that saddled minorities with
Pew’s ‘Transaction Infraction’ demonstrates how banks reorder transactions to extract unnecessary overdraft fees
The Pew Charitable Trusts offers an interactive "Transaction Infraction" graphic to reveal how lenders reorder debits and withdrawals in a non-chronological order, in order to maximize over draft
Invest in Leap Year’s extra day
NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR CREDIT COUNSELING (NFCC) - Advice to invest that once-every-four-years-extra-day in getting your financial house in order is another classic "why-didn't-I-think-of-that" moment from a credit
Get the skinny on the F.A.T. (Financial Aptitude Test)
JIM GARNETT - Can your knowledge about personal finances see you through these tough economic times? Financial literacy expert and counselor, Jim Garnett, known on the Internet as "AskMrG.com,"
Congress hears plight of San Jose, CA woman evicted from her home of 41 years
JANICE ROMBECK - A seriously ill South San Jose woman who recently was evicted from her home of 41 years by Wells Fargo Bank is receiving support from
Banks tightening squeeze on consumers
HSBC offers a zero-interest rate, GM affiliated credit card and after 15 months the rate only jumps to 9.99 percent -- provided you don't hit a financial bump
Fair Housing Act a memorial to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT - On April 11, 1968, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which was meant as a follow-up
Obama frees consumer watchdog from Republican doghouse
Wary of Republicans' fiddling while America's economy burns, President Barack Obama lived up to a promise and used special presidential powers to put Richard Cordray in place to
Facebook red-faced, settles FTC consumer deception charges
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION - The social networking service Facebook has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it deceived consumers by telling them they could keep their
CFPB unveils simplified credit card disclosure form
The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently rolled out a plain-English credit card agreement prototype designed to simplify the credit card agreement you trigger when you first
Power up your passwords with more protection against hackers
On your next double dinner date, look around the table. Three of you are vulnerable to hacker attacks because you didn't use much imagination creating online passwords. Consumer Reports
Video: Gift cards only almost as good as cash
It's just about that time of year when harried holiday gift shoppers begin to stock up on gift cards to take the guesswork out of giving. Gift cards typically
Feds play hardball with mortgage modification scams
If G-men were as tough on predatory loans as they now are on mortgage modification fraud, the nation still could be enjoying good times. Those toxic NINJA, no-doc, interest-only,
Foreclosure crisis isn’t half over
"Foreclosures continue to hammer the housing market and subprime mortgages keep wrenching homeownership from millions." That's the same lead published here in 2009. Like it or not, it's still the
Feds shut down more online-advertised mortgage modification scams
SIGTARP - The Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP) today announced that it has shut down online mortgage modification scams that
Five things to do before leaving home on Black Friday
NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR CREDIT COUNSELING - For many, shopping on Black Friday has become as much of a Thanksgiving tradition as turkey, with friends and families whipping up
California consumer advocates call for homeowner relief during the holidays
A number of California community groups joined California Attorney General Kamala Harris on Monday afternoon to draw attention to the plight of homeowners facing foreclosure during the holiday
Fewer consumers feel abused by credit card companies, but problems persist
CONSUMER REPORTS - New federal rules barring many abusive practices by credit-card issuers seem to be having an effect: Only 12 percent of Americans said their credit-card
