News
2007
June
19
- Quietly, AT&T discounts DSL. Companies usually like to promote their best deals. Not so with AT&T, which over the weekend started offering high-speed Internet service for about half its normal price in some states. The $10-a-month-deal, which was not…
18
- Credit cards cut off gas purchases. You're at the gas station filling up your vehicle, and without warning the gas pump shuts off. What? The tank isn't full, and you know your credit card isn't over its limit. "Using my Visa…
- Food costs take bigger bite of budgets. Food and beverage costs rose 3.9% in May from a year earlier, outpacing the overall inflation rate by more than a full percentage point and is the biggest increase in three years, the Labor Department…
17
- Stopping the credit score 'piggyback' ruse. The days may be numbered for dozens of Internet-based companies that promise to quickly boost FICO credit scores by 200 to 300 points. Fair Isaac, the developer of the widely used FICO score, plans to…
- Mortgage rates take upward path. The price of money has gone up. Or more technically, long-term interest rates have jumped in recent weeks, rattling the already slumping housing market. When potential home buyers call for mortgage rate quotes these days,…
- Beef with broker? You're likely to lose. If you have a beef with your broker and you go to arbitration, you'll be less likely to win. And if you do come out a victor, the amount you recover won't be nearly as…
14
- Bush stance on investor lawsuits criticized. The chairman of the House Financial Services Committee yesterday said he was "troubled" by disclosures that President Bush had expressed policy views that prompted administration lawyers not to file court briefs supporting investors. Rep. Barney…
- Home ownership isn't paradise for everyone. Anyone who has given the headlines even a passing glance recently knows the subprime mortgage industry is in deep trouble. Since 2006 more than 20 subprime lenders have quit the business or gone bankrupt. Many…
- Warning of fake toothpaste, maybe toxic. Colgate-Palmolive said today that counterfeit "Colgate" toothpaste that may contain a toxic chemical has been found in discount stores in four states. "There are indications that this product does not contain fluoride and may contain…
13
- Debt collectors slammed by consumer lawsuits. Debt-collection lawyers are increasingly being hauled into court as defendants in Fair Debt Collection Practices Act lawsuits by debt-burdened consumers who use litigation to fend off creditors. Lawyers say the statute's vague and broad language…
- 'Yelpers' review local businesses. San Francisco home mover Pat Ryan says he's picked up 200 jobs since a satisfied client first raved about his moving services on Yelp, an up-and-coming website where ordinary people write reviews about local businesses.…
12
- Health savings plans start to falter. President Bush and many big employers have hailed "consumer-directed" health plans and savings accounts as an effective weapon in the battle against runaway medical costs. But several years after the plans got off to a…
- Top tips for using frequent flier miles. With summer travel season in full swing, many vacation-goers look to make the most out of frequent flier miles. Condé Nast Traveler has advice for anyone with miles to burn — check out their 17…
- Credit card companies under attack. We love our credit cards. Buy now, pay later is mighty convenient. And yet, many cardholders are unhappy with the way they’re being treated by their credit card issuers. Steve, a businessman in Texas, tells…
- Data theft leads to money-laundering scam. ll, 19-year-old Irving Escobar crisscrossed northern and central Florida using counterfeit credit cards to buy stacks of $400 gift cards from Wal-Mart stores, cashing them in to buy TVs, PCs and jewelry from Wal-Mart subsidiary…
10
- Customer confusion can lead to big profits. Do some companies try to take advantage of customers with deliberately unfriendly business practices or a fiesta of fees? A lot of consumers would call this a no-brainer of a question. But Gail McGovern and…
- Bank fees growing more numerous and expensive. The fees kept adding up. First, Sun State Credit Union charged Gainesville [FL] resident Karen Soesbe $2 for coming in more than four times a month. Next came the charge for not having her transaction…
09
- Return of the full real estate commission. The tough market for home sales may be spurring a surprise side effect on real estate commissions: For the first time in years, the average commission rate on closed sales nationwide rose slightly last year.…
08
- Let voters reform health care. Passage of [California] Senate Bill 840 - a bill that would guarantee health coverage for all Californians - by the state Senate this week is a significant victory for all those who believe health care…
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