Surprise! Consumers are still confused about what goes into a credit report and a credit score. Given how opaque these things were for such a long time, it’s entirely predictable that confusion reigns. It’ll be that way for a while. Credit bureau Trans Union released a survey on Thursday with [Keep reading]
The Federal Trade Commission sued DirecTV on Wednesday, alleging the firm engaged in “misrepresentations or deceptive omissions of material fact” when advertising low-cost subscription to new customers. The firm put new consumers in a bind, the FTC said, after luring them with low-cost monthly subscriptions that required 24-month commitments. Consumers [Keep reading]
Do you lie to people all day to make a living? OK, perhaps you don’t “lie” to the extent that this credit card telemarketer did when he confessed to me a few years ago, or as bad as this time share salesman. But perhaps you sell things you know are [Keep reading]
ARCHIVE — Originally Posted: Tuesday, November 17 2009 What if there were a way to have your credit card debt erased if you lost your job or became disabled? That’s the pitch behind debt cancellation, a service offered by many credit card issuers and retailers. Debt cancellation doesn’t come cheap: [Keep reading]
The nation’s three credit bureaus will improve their process for fixing errors and responding to consumer complaints under an agreement announced Monday by the New York state attorney general’s office. The seven-point agreement addresses some of the more vexing problems consumers have reported when dealing with the bureaus. Some quick [Keep reading]
College graduates are entering the work force with horrible job prospects, into an economy of stagnating wages, and owing an average of $33,000. What’s the solution? Doubling down on school and on debt, says David Brooks in a Friday column that only a 1 percenter could love. OK, college grads [Keep reading]
The average American homeowner pays $1,290 in property taxes for every $100,000 in home value, according to report by real estate data firm Realty Trac. That means taxes on a $250,000 home average $3,225. But some homeowners pay a whole lot more. RealtyTrac’s report this week reveals effective property tax rates [Keep reading]
A massive telemarketing robocalling campaign pestered up to 12 to 15 million consumers every day with sales pitches for cruises disguised as political surveys, the Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday. The total number of calls involved in the campaign was “over a billion,” an agency spokesman said. The FTC and [Keep reading]
I spent a year studying English Common law in college, and here’s the only thing I really remember: Law exists to prevent mob rule. It only survives when it’s considered effective by the masses. If it’s not, people start taking the law into their own hands. This is the precipice [Keep reading]
My Restless Project stories about “sane circles” where people live touched a nerve — I still get lots of traffic and questions about the concept, so I’m going in for a closer look. In case you haven’t seen the earlier posts, I worked with RealityTrac to find the 100 zip codes [Keep reading]
Bob Sullivan