Category Archives: Latest In Consumer News
The final insult for desperate job seekers: Employers doing credit checks
by Jacob Passy, MarketWatch
A new working paper demonstrates how pre-employment credit screenings perpetuate the ‘poverty trap.’ Read More ›
Facebook is letting job advertisers target only men
by Ariana Tobin & Jeremy B. Merrill, Ars Technica (via Propublica)
Hundreds of thousands of Americans drive for Uber. And the company is looking for many more. It runs ads on Facebook that say, for example, “Driving toward something? Make extra money when it works for you and get there faster.” There’s just one catch: Many of those ads are not visible to women. Read More ›
A California Supreme Court case started as a $7,812.03 hospital bill
by Barbara Anderson, Fresno Bee
The Fresno case began after a patient disputed a bill he received for treatment of an injured wrist at the emergency department at Community Regional Medical Center. A couple of X-rays and a splint resulted in a bill totaling $7,812.03. Read More ›
California Supreme Court rules some consumer loans so expensive they break the law
by James Rufus Koren, Los Angeles Times
California’s high court has ruled that interest rates on consumer loans can be so high that they become “unconscionable” and, therefore, illegal — a decision that could call into question the validity of millions of loans and upend the state’s subprime lending market. In a unanimous opinion … Read More ›
Poll: Majority of likely voters support CFPB mission
by Sylvan Lane, The Hill
The results found broad support for the CFPB’s historically aggressive oversight coupled with opposition to changes implemented or proposed by Acting Director Mick Mulvaney. Read More ›
States try to quash robocalls, but they’re worse than ever
by Elaine S. Povich, Philly.com
The calls are not just nuisances — consumers are cheated out of an estimated $350 million a year by phone scams, many involving automatic dialing. States are trying to act. Read More ›
How Kavanaugh could shape the coming “watershed” moment for digital privacy
by Kathyrn Watson, CBS News
Over the course of the next two decades, the Supreme Court will likely undertake some of the most consequential digital privacy cases that will reverberate across generations to come. And Judge Brett Kavanaugh could be a deciding voice. Read More ›
Trump administration moves to make it harder for defrauded students to erase debt
by Laura Meckler, Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, Washington Post
The package is a win for colleges, particularly for-profit ventures. It’s a defeat for consumer advocates who favor a more aggressive posture against colleges that they say routinely take advantage of veterans and older students. Read More ›
Starbucks, others must pay California workers for off the clock tasks
by Daniel Wiessner, Reuters
The court said that under California law, workers must generally be paid for any time they are required to be on their employers’ premises. Read More ›
Report: Wells Fargo charged customers for hidden services
by Associated Press, U.S. News & World Report
Products such as pet insurance, legal services and other add-on services were added to customers’ accounts without their full understanding, a Wall Street Journal report says. Read More ›
Driverless-car makers want Congress to free them from state safety standards
by Eliza Fawcett, Los Angeles Times
Bipartisan legislation now moving through Congress could leave consumers at risk by preventing states from demanding tighter safety regulations. Read More ›
Critics say CFPB nominee Kathy Kraninger lacks experience
by Jim Puzzanghera, Los Angeles Times
For director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, arguably the single-most-powerful financial regulator in Washington, the President has tapped a little-known White House aide with no apparent relevant experience in finance, banking regulation or consumer protection. Read More ›
California Consumer Privacy Act gains support in wake of GDPR
by Xavier Harding, Mic
Though GDPR benefits consumers globally, internet users may not be able to rely on Europe to fight everyone’s privacy battles. The California proposal is different from GDPR in that it would require more transparency from companies on how consumers’ data is utilized and shared. Read More ›