Year: 2015

A short-term, high-cost lender that tried to collect debts by in-person visits at borrowers’ homes and workplaces has ceased dealing in payday loans, and about 200,000 consumers will get refunds or debt collection relief, federal regulators said Wednesday. Austin-based EZCORP is accused of potentially revealing details about consumers’ debts to third parties during [Keep reading]

While Comcast moves ahead with its plan to add cell-phone-like data usage fees to home Internet service, consumers like Kimberly Richardson are feeling the pain.  And if you are a heavy user and part of Comcast’s new fee trial, expect your bills to go up in January. Richardson, who lives [Keep reading]

One out of three U.S. consumers has a debt in collections, but it often seems like three out of three have received a debt collection call recently. That suggests a lot of people are getting calls when they shouldn’t. What can you do if a debt collector is bothering you over a mistake? With 77 [Keep reading]

Some consumers are so annoyed by the new chip-enabled credit cards that they’ve begun avoiding stores that require them, a survey from Mercator Advisory Group, a payment industry research firm, claims. That’s an unwanted headache for small business owners, especially those fighting for shoppers during the busy holiday season. The “avoiders” group is small but [Keep reading]