We've been covering the serious health hazards associated with dietary supplements (for instance, here, here, and here). We've noted that although dietary supplements have drug-like effects and supplement makers market their products by trumpeting those effects, the products are not regulated like drugs by the FDA. In fact, unlike drugs, they are marketed without governmental pre-approval. […]
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The CFPB, 49 states, and the District of Columbia have entered into an agreement with Ocwen Financial Corp. the largest nonbank mortgage servicer in the country, that requires Ocwen to provide more than $2 billion in relief to homeowners. The relief will be in the form of principal reduction and refunds to customers whose homes […]
by Paul Alan Levy Whatever happens as a result of Judge Leon's decision this week and whatever comes of today's recommendations from the intelligence review panel, we cannot forget who it was who helped our country get to the stage of having this debate, not to speak of the personal price he has had to […]
The blogosphere has been humming with concern about a subpoena from the Attorney General of New York seeking to identify AirBnB users who are likely renting out their apartments in violation of local law. It appears, however, that the AG isn't the only one concerned — note this letter from a co-op board warning its […]
You may recall the story of John Palmer of Utah, from whom online retailer KlearGear.com demanded $3500 after John’s wife Jen posted an online review discussing the couple's bad experience with KlearGear’s customer service. When John refused to pay the outrageous demand, KlearGear reported the $3500 alleged “debt” to the credit reporting agencies and wrecked […]
The auto industry was dying. The 2008-2009 crash was not the cause but would accelerate it. And perhaps the government-funded bailout was a waste. But, wait …. Listen to this IPR report on the U.S. auto industry rebound, which says not only that sales are up 50% from its 2009 low point, but that the […]
Paul Kiel of ProPublica has written When Lenders Sue, Quick Cash Can Turn Into a Lifetime of Debt, which describes how a $1,000 payday loan at 400% interest can become a $40,000 debt. The investigative report not only looks at the plight of individual borrowers but provides a comprehensive review of payday loan court enforcement […]
This front-page Washington Post investigative report, well worth a read, documents the troubling effect of election-year politics on important regulatory actions. The lede summarizes: The White House systematically delayed enacting a series of rules on the environment, worker safety and health care to prevent them from becoming points of contention before the 2012 election, according […]
Despite that pesky First Amendment, state bars around the country often have tried to limit what lawyers can say in advertising to prospective clients. The Florida Bar has always been a leader in this area. And, now, in rules that went into effect earlier this year, the Florida Bar had decided that ordinary promotional techniques […]
Check out this excellent and gutwrenching Post story, which explains more clearly than most sequester reporting how — and why — the sequester affected different federal programs differently, and tells the story of how four-year-old Kentuckian Carli Hopkins got kicked out of preschool by a federal budget plan adopted because of inertia and accident.