Consumer Protection

With Gas Prices It's 'Heads I Win, Tails You Lose'

Tyson Slocum | Posted 05.25.2012

Read More: Energy, Gas Prices, Vacation Travel, Wall Street, Memorial Day Weekend, Oil Speculation, Consumer Protection, Gas Prices Wall Street, Gas Price Manipulation, Oil Price Manipulation, Memorial Day Gas Prices, Business News

You might think that the declining price of gasoline means that we don't have to pay attention to all that talk about oil speculation driving up the price of oil. Right? Wrong.

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Changing to WTO's 'Made in the World' Labeling Would Harm Americans

Michele Nash-Hoff | Posted 05.22.2012

Read More: World Trade Organization, Product Dumping, Environmental Abuse, Free Trade, Country-of-Origin, "Made in World" Label, Consumer Protection, Business News

How would you like to go shopping and find that everywhere you went, the label said "Made in the World" instead of "Made in China," "Made in India," "Made in USA" etc.?

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Wall Street Bankers Who Broke the Law Belong in Jail

Eric Griego | Posted 05.15.2012

Read More: Congress, New Mexico, Wall Street, Elections 2012, Wall Street Reform, Eric-Griego, Financial Crisis, Consumer Protection, Mortgage Crisis, Banking, Banking Crisis, Banks, Bankers, Politics News

In Washington, I will fight to hold Wall Street accountable.

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An Anniversary You Are Forced to Remember

Negah Mouzoon | Posted 04.27.2012

Read More: AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion, CFPB Arbitration Clauses, National-Association-of-Consumer-Advocates, AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion Anniversary, Consumer Protection Rights, Class Action Lawsuit, Federal Arbitration Act, Consumer Protection, Naca, AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion Supreme Court, Politics News

Until federal policymakers act to protect consumers from one-sided contracts, April 27 will always mark the anniversary of a devastating day for consumers' rights.

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Financial Services Should Take a Page From the Physician's Code of Conduct: First Do No Harm

April Rudin | Posted 04.20.2012

Read More: Fidelity Investments, Charles Schwab, Wirehouses, Private Wealth Management, Wealth, Wall Street, Financial Services, Financial Planning, Consumer Protection, Brokers, Business News

Financial services needs to fix itself and repair its relationship with consumers who have developed mistrust of an industry who has harmed them.

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FTC Urges Congress To Shed Light On Opaque World Of Data Brokers

HuffingtonPost.com | Gerry Smith | Posted 03.26.2012

Read More: Consumer Privacy, Online Privacy, Video, Internet Privacy, Data Brokers, John D Rockefeller IV, Jon Leibowitz, Consumer Protection, Ftc, Technology News

The Federal Trade Commission on Monday called on Congress to shed light on the opaque world of data brokers who collect and sell consumer data but rem...

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4 Ways Prepaid Card Vendors Can Help Reduce Consumer Anxiety

Patrice Peyret | Posted 05.26.2012

Read More: Consumer Confidence, Consumer Protection, Prepaid Cards, Filing Taxes, Tax Season, Tax Returns, Prepaid Credit Cards, Customer Service, Tax Advice, Money News

It's tax-filing season, and the fastest-growing way to receive tax refunds is on prepaid cards. So it is a great time to review how prepaid card vendors can do a better job explaining how the cards work and what the true costs are.

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Few Things Are 100% Predictable, But Here's One..

Ellen Schloemer | Posted 05.26.2012

Read More: Congressional Oversight, Dodd-Frank Ac, Subprime Mortgages, CARD Act, Credit CARD Act, Consumer Spending, Consumer Protection, Consumer Safeguards, Center for Responsible Lending, Money News

Imagine how many people would have walked away from getting a subprime mortgage if the broker had told them, "The rate on this loan is 2% higher than you qualify for, because I make more money that way."

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Psst! Your 401(k) Is Ripping You Off

SmartMoney | Ian Salisbury | Posted 03.21.2012

Read More: Retirement Benefits, Retirement Funds, Fidelity, 401k, Fee Transparency, ING Bank, 401k Fees, 401k Fee Disclosure, 401k Advice, Consumer Protection, Merill Lynch, Retirement Planning, Money News

This article originally appeared on SmartMoney.com America's conversion to the 401(k) plan has certainly created a new world for future retirees, w...

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WATCH: These Fraudsters Are Finding Cheap Gas

The Huffington Post | Khadeeja Safdar | Posted 03.20.2012

Read More: Gas Prices, Gas Thieves, Video, Gas Pump Cheating, Gas Pump Rigging, Scammers, Money News, Stealing-Gas, Fuel Prices, Consumer Protection, Stealing Gas, Gas-Pump, Money News

Some customers simply won't stand for record-breaking fuel prices and are taking creative measures to avoid paying full price for gas. Thieves with...

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Fighting for Consumer Rights, Fifty Years After Kennedy's Call

Jim Guest | Posted 05.15.2012

Read More: Consumers Union, Consumer Rights, Privacy, Consumer Reports, John F. Kennedy, Consumer Protection, Business News

Today marks the 50th anniversary of a watershed moment in the consumer movement -- the recognition by a president that consumers deserved their own set of rights.

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50 Years Ago This Week, JFK Ushered in Modern Consumer Protection Era

Ed Mierzwinski | Posted 05.13.2012

Read More: John F. Kennedy, Wall Street Crisis, Credit Cards, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Consumer Protection, Subprime Mortgage Crisis, Cfpb, Jfk, Politics News

As President Kennedy said fifty years ago, consumer protection "is not a game." While we haven't yet achieved all of President Kennedy's ambitious agenda "to make certain that our Nation's economy fairly and adequately serves consumers' interests," it's a cause worth fighting for.

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Make My Phone Stop Ringing and You Just Might End Up in the White House!

Bill Bartmann | Posted 05.07.2012

Read More: Richard Cordray, Attorney General Greg Abbott, Consumer Debt, Debt, 2012 Presidential Election, 2012 Election, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Debt-Collection, Debt Collection, Attorny General Lori Swanson, 2012 U.S. Election, Consumer Protection, Elections 2012, Politics News

The targets for debt collectors have doubled in the last decade, with 14 percent of U.S. consumers today subject to debt collection. This 14 percent represents tens of millions of voters.

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Extending the Olive Branch -- Consumer Conflict Resolution

Donna Larner Lavery | Posted 05.02.2012

Read More: Corporate Integrity, Corporate Responsibility, Corporate Customer Service, Bad Consumer Service, Bad Customer Service, Consumer-Services, Customer Service, Good Customer Service, Customer Service Technology, Consumer Protection, Business News

Although we are more connected through technology than ever before, we have lost the art of discussion and personal acknowledgement. Our phones and our keyboards have become our anonymous mouthpieces.

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Can Companies Predict Your Divorce?

Richard Komaiko | Posted 05.02.2012

Read More: Target, Consumerism, Advertising Divorcees, Divorce, Consumer Protection, Advertising, Targeted Advertising, Divorce News

By catching the consumer at the intersection of a big life change, like having a child or getting divorced, there is an opportunity to change customer shopping habits and brand loyalty forever.

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Prepaid Debit Cards: A Brief Guide to What Really Matters

Jonathan B. Mintz | Posted 04.30.2012

Read More: Debt, Prepaid Card Tips, Prepaid Card Fees, Prepaid Credit Cards, Prepaid Cards, Prepaid Card Regulation, Fdic, Credit Cards, Prepaid Card Advice, Credit Card Industry, Debit Cards, Consumer Protection, Pepaid Debit Cards, Money News

More than $140 billion moves through prepaid debit cards every year in this country. Given the wide range of these products, consumers and regulators must find ways to navigate what really matters.

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Stopping Lawless Debt Collectors From Harassing You

HuffingtonPost.com | Catherine New | Posted 03.01.2012

Read More: Late Payments, High-Interest Loans, Debt, Debt Collectors, Cfpb, Bills, Loans, Payday Loans, Credit Cards, Federal Trade Commission, Phone Harassment, Consumer Protection, Harassment, Money News

Cebilla DeCastro still disconnects her phone at night, afraid of the calls from creditors. The 48-year-old prep cook filed for bankruptcy in June 2...

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Baggage Delayed? What You're Entitled To

George Hobica | Posted 04.30.2012

Read More: Lost Baggage, Air Travel Hassles, Delayed Baggage, Airlines, Consumer Protection, US DOT, Baggage Rules, Travel Blogs, Luggage Rules, Travel News

It happens to hundreds of airline passengers every day. They arrive at a destination far from home, but their bags don't.

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CFPB Crowdsources Nominations For Key Advisory Posts

HuffingtonPost.com | Zach Carter | Posted 02.23.2012

Read More: Consumer Advisory Board, Richard Cordray, Video, Dodd-Frank, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Financial Reform, Economy, Fed, Cfpb, Crowdsourcing, Regulation, Jobs, Federal Reserve, Obama, Subprime, Consumer Protection, Housing Bubble, Politics News

WASHINGTON -- In a significant break with traditional federal policy, the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is appealing directly to the public...

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Look Who's Outsourcing

HuffingtonPost.com | Catherine New | Posted 02.21.2012

Read More: Ebeeze, Payday Loan, Overdue Billls, American Credit Crunchers, Late Fee, Ftc, Debt Collection, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Varang K. Thaker, Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Protection, Debt Collector Harassment, Business News

Even scam artists are outsourcing. On Tuesday in its first crackdown on fraudulent telemarketing in South Asia, the Federal Trade Commission announced...

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Consumer Watchdog's Latest Targets

AP | DANIEL WAGNER | Posted 04.17.2012

Read More: Richard Cordray, Debt Collectors, Video, Consumer Agency, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Cfpb, Business News, Consumer Protection, Business News

WASHINGTON — The nation's new cop on the consumer-finance beat is zeroing in on debt collectors and credit reporting companies. The Consumer Fi...

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Government Agency Continues Its Fight Against Abusive Debt Collectors

The Huffington Post | Alexander Eichler | Posted 01.31.2012

Read More: Asset Acceptance, Video, Debt Collectors, Rumson Bolling & Associates, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Debt Collection, Debt Collection Industry, Ftc, Cfpb, Rincon, Federal Trade Commission, Nonbanks, Consumer Protection, Debt Collector Harassment, Republicans, Business News

The government's efforts to police debt collectors -- an ongoing battle that has drawn in countless ranks of cash-strapped consumers in recent years -...

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Almost Half Of U.S. Households Live One Crisis From Poverty, Study Says

HuffingtonPost.com | Alexander Eichler | Posted 01.31.2012

What does it mean to be poor? If it means living at or below the poverty line, then 15 percent of Americans -- some 46 million people -- qualify. B...

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Scott Brown's Strategic Silence On Stock Ownership

HuffingtonPost.com | Max J. Rosenthal | Posted 03.26.2012

Read More: Scott Brown, Richard Cordray, Elizabeth Warren, Insider Trading, Dodd-Frank, Stocks, President Obama, Elizabeth Warren Scott Brown, Obama, Scott Brown Elizabeth Warren, Richard Cordray Cfpb, Scott Brown Stock Act, Barack Obama, Video, Scott Brown Bank of America, Scott Brown Massachusetts, Cfpb, Scott Brown Stock Bill, Consumer Protection, Scott Brown Banks, State of the Union, STOCK Act, Congress-Insider-Trading, Politics News

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) is touting President Barack Obama's call for legislation banning insider trading by members of Congress as a ...

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Airfarewatchdog Answers Your Questions About Air Travel

George Hobica | Posted 03.26.2012

Read More: Airfares, Airlines, Air Travel, Consumerism, Consumer Protection, Travel Blogs, Travel News

Answering your burning questions about super-low airfares (is it really a good deal?) and finding good fares in surprising places.

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