Category Archives: Latest In Consumer News
Report: Student Loan Debt Isn’t Just An Issue For Young Americans
by Ashlee Kieler, Consumerist
A new report from the Government Accountability Office found that 3 percent of households headed by those ages 65 years or older carry student loan debt, totaling $18.2 billion in 2013. Nearly a quarter of older Americans’ loans are in default – which often leaves the retirees living below the poverty threshold. One California resident told a recent Senate Aging Committee hearing she might be well into her 80s before she pays off her student loans, and she now worries that her Social Security benefits will decline to make payments on the debt. Read More ›
Home Depot Data Breach Could Be the Largest Yet
by Nicole Perlroth, The New York Times
The total number of credit card numbers stolen at Home Depot could top 60 million. The breach may have affected any customer at Home Depot stores in the United States and Canada from April to early last week; the attack went unnoticed for as long as five months. The federal government recently estimated that more than 1,000 businesses in the United States had been infected with malware that is programmed to siphon payment card details from cash registers in stores, possibly including UPS, P.F. Chang’s, Michael’s and Neiman Marcus. Read More ›
Bracing for New Challenges in Year 2 of Health Care Law
by Reed Abelson, The New York Times
In California, the state exchange is trying to get a step ahead by allowing people to begin renewing their plans Oct. 1. But anyone who wants to switch plans will still have to wait until Nov. 15, and many individuals may well want to shop around. In the Sacramento area, someone who selected an HMO plan from Anthem for 2014 faces a possible increase of nearly 17 percent, compared with a 2 percent increase for an HMO plan from Kaiser Permanente in the same area. Read More ›
PG&E Faces $1.4 Billion in Penalties for San Bruno Blast
by Jaxon Van Derbeken, San Francisco Chronicle
The CPUC judges levied a $950 million fine for keeping shoddy pipeline records, violating safety rules and failing to make legally required gas-system adjustments before the September 2010 blast that killed eight people and destroyed 38 homes. They also ordered the company to refund $400 million it received from customers but failed to spend on safety improvements. “We want to see a lot more to rate relief and fixing the pipes,” said Mark Toney, executive director of The Utility Reform Network. “The bottom line is ratepayers shouldn’t be left holding the bag.” Read More ›
Promised Care-Home Reform Laws Lose Momentum
by Melody Gutierrez, San Francisco Chronicle
Myriad bills were proposed at the beginning of the year to increase transparency and accountability in residential care facilities, which were under intense scrutiny last year following several reports detailing widespread failings in the state’s management of residential care facilities. By the time the legislative session ended Saturday, the most sweeping changes to the system had been either killed in committee or amended to the point that some advocates considered pulling their support. Still, 12 bills were sent to Gov. Jerry Brown, who has already signed two of them. Four were killed in committee. Read More ›
Lyft, Uber back insurance measure
by Carolyn Said, San Francisco Chronicle
Until two days ago, Uber and Lyft had campaigned ferociously against the bill. The last-minute deal to lower insurance coverage won both companies’ support. The Consumer Attorneys of California, which originally backed the bill, said the new version is too watered-down. A UC San Diego political science professor said the process showed Uber and Lyft flexing new PR and lobbying muscles – successfully. “They had an ability to mobilize grassroots support that’s almost unparalleled because of the digital reach of their consumer network. If I buy a Coke, Coke doesn’t have my e-mail. If I ride Uber, Uber does have my e-mail.” Read More ›
JPMorgan and Other Banks Struck by Hackers
by Nicole Perlroth, The New York Times
Hackers struck a number of U.S. banks in coordinated attacks this month that siphoned off gigabytes of data, including checking and savings account information, in what security experts described as a sophisticated cyberattack. Aside from JPMorgan, it was not clear which other banks were infiltrated. A security firm had warned companies that they should be prepared for cyberattacks from Russia in retaliation for Western economic sanctions. The American banking sector has been a frequent target for hackers in recent years, with the vast majority of attacks motivated by financial theft. Read More ›
Chemical industry fights for flame retardants
by Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune
A leading manufacturer of flame retardants is suing California to block a new flammability standard that starting next year will allow furniture manufacturers to eliminate the chemicals from new upholstered sofas and chairs sold nationwide. Backers of the lawsuit also lobbied fiercely to thwart a California bill [SB 1019] that would require labels on any new furniture that still contains flame retardants. But much like earlier tactics embraced by the chemical industry, the latest legal and political maneuvers rely on flawed data and questionable claims about the effectiveness of flame retardants. Read More ›
Bill Requiring Public Access To Care Facility Inspection Reports Passes
by Katie Nelson, San Jose Mercury News
SB 895 would mandate care facilities to fix within 10 days – unless otherwise directed – any deficiencies found during inspections. It’s part of a larger legislative package to force the Department of Social Services to revise several of its practices, prompted in part by the abandonment of 19 residents at Valley Springs Manor in Castro Valley in late October when the department abruptly shuttered the facility. SB 895 is the first of the package to see any major success. Last week, two of the package’s bills were killed in the state’s senate appropriations committee due to “fiscal reasons.” Read More ›
Bank Fees Survey Mid-2014: Fees Hit New Highs
by Richard Barrington, MoneyRates.com
A new survey of checking account fees finds that average fees rose to new heights across a number of categories so far in 2014. However, it’s a notably different world if you look at online-based checking accounts and those serviced by a traditional branch network. The average monthly fee for an online account is $8.61, compared to $12.95 for a traditional checking account – and online banks are far less likely to even charge such fees. Big banks are where customers are likely to find the highest costs. Read More ›
Flame retardant bill wins important industry support
by Gary Cohn, Capital & Main
Furniture makers switched sides on SB 1019 after state Sen. Mark Leno agreed to clarify the definition of flame retardants. It’s still bitterly opposed by the chemical industry, whose campaign against regulation and public disclosure of flame-retardant chemicals is reminiscent of Big Tobacco’s fight against government controls. “The fact is that flame retardants have not been found to improve fire safety in our furniture and SB 1019 would provide consumers with truth-in-labeling for the first time,” said Judy Levin, pollution prevention co-director at the Oakland-based Center for Environmental Health. Read More ›
DOJ finally confirms record-setting $16.65B settlement with BofA
by Chris Morran, Consumerist
The settlement coming out of BofA’s involvement in the housing market’s collapse exceeds last year’s deal with JPMorgan Chase as the largest in U.S. history. Consumers will see $7 billion in relief, including principal reduction loan modifications; new loans to credit-worthy borrowers struggling to get a loan; assistance to communities recovering from the financial crisis; and financing for affordable rental housing. The settlement also required BofA to concede that it originated risky mortgage loans and made misrepresentations about the quality of those loans. Read More ›
NHTSA launches online search tool so consumers can find out for themselves if a vehicle has been recalled
by Ashlee Kieler, Consumerist
A new online search tool from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration aims to help consumers determine if their vehicles are among the more than 46 million recalled so far this year. Rosemary Shahan, president of Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety, encourages consumers to use the tool before purchasing a vehicle, but she notes the system is only in English and only available online. It’s illegal to sell recalled products like microwaves and blenders, but there’s no similar law for recalled vehicles. Read More ›