Headline News Archive

2012

February

01

• IRS tax fraud crackdown targets identity thieves. Dozens of suspected identity thieves and others pursuing fraudulent tax refunds have been arrested in a nationwide crackdown aimed at reversing a sharp increase in…

January

31

• Claiming an adult child on your taxes. Your children will always remain in your heart. But if you're like most parents, you don't expect them to always remain in your house. With…

• F.T.C. fines debt collector $2.5 Million. The Federal Trade Commission signaled on Monday that it would continue to crack down on debt collectors who harass consumers for money they may not…

• IRS clarifies whether airline miles are taxable. Frequent-flier miles are taxable? Really? That sentiment sums up the reaction from readers — and particularly accountants and lawmakers — to last week's column on…

30

• Scam watch: Consumers conned by would-be lovers. Here is a roundup of alleged cons, frauds and schemes to watch out for.

28

• Wanted: banking app to monitor balances. You haven’t been able to turn around in recent months without hearing about one or another bank adding fees to its checking accounts or making…

26

• How to deal with higher bank fees in 2012. You should expect bank fees to go up again this year. How can that be? Customer outrage just forced Bank of America and several other…

25

• Consumer bureau head Cordray testifies on Hill. Republicans in Congress don't much care for the agency that Richard Cordray heads, and they were downright furious over the way he got his job…

24

• College students face stiff competition for financial aid. f worries about paying for college disrupt your sleep, here's news that will keep you up until dawn: More students than ever are competing for…

• Change.org emerges as influential advocate. Ben Rattray knows that revolution does not always happen spontaneously. The 31-year-old entrepreneur rattles off a list of populist actions over the past year: the…

20

• New rules for international money transfers. Customers who send international money transfers will soon be entitled to clearer cost disclosures. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Friday issued new rules governing…

• Lakers fan claims foul by Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster is no stranger to irate customers. Any company that charges hefty fees to process an automated order and to allow you to pick up…

18

• Options for 401(k) plans get more affordable. As employers prepare for new federal rules requiring them to explain how fees affect 401(k) returns, industry providers are rolling out better, lower-cost plans. The…

• Visa’s digital wallet now available on some smartphones. Good news for people suffering from discomfort caused by sitting on a thick wallet full of credit cards and credit card receipts for a long…

17

• Credit card debt drops. Consumers whacked down credit card debt by 11% last year, and average debt loads dropped in every state. The average credit card balance for 2011…

• AT&T: 'measured' phone rate up; Wells: money transfer fees coming. With bills for pretty much everything steadily rising, some people try to keep a lid on monthly costs by opting for "measured" phone service. What…

• Tips for 2011 tax-filing season. This year, the deadline for filing your federal tax return is April 17. Taxpayers get an extra two days to file because April 15 is…

14

• Financial advice for those with small nest eggs. When Merrill Lynch recently discouraged its thundering herd of brokers from taking on new clients with under $250,000 in assets available for investing, it wasn’t…

13

• Credit score zealots pursue fool’s errand over 800. eff Rose, a 33-year-old financial planner, is trying to improve his credit score even though it’s 780, which is 69 points above the median score.…

• California imposes energy-efficiency standards on battery chargers. California's cellphones, tablet computers, power tools and hundreds of other portable electronic devices will be required to have energy-stingy battery chargers beginning next year. The…

• Consumer bureau chief looks into Buy Here Pay Here auto dealers. The new head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is looking into the practices of Buy Here Pay Here auto dealers and the rapid growth…

• Few options available to help pay off private student loans. Last October, President Obama announced a broad initiative to provide relief for college graduates struggling to repay student loans. In a speech at the University…

12

• 'Hactivists' decried as new breed of censor. Global affairs website Stratfor relaunched Wednesday, three weeks after hacktivists put it in the dark. The Statfor caper serves notice about a troublesome new strain…

11

• January airfares at cheapest levels in 12 months. Need to recover from the holidays? With airfare at its lowest point in a year, now is the best time to get away. Even though…

10

• Suze Orman’s new prepaid card makes questionable claims. Renowned financial advisor and author Suze Orman is the latest in a long line of celebrities to release a branded prepaid debit card. The “Approved…