…is the question raised by a New York Times expose this week. The Times reports that the U.S. Department of Education, despite a crackdown against what it calls “bad actors,” continues to hand over tens of millions of dollars every month to other for-profit schools that have been accused of predatory behavior, substandard practices or illegal […]
The CFPB announced today that it finalized a rule to improve information reported about the residential mortgage market. The rule will shed more light on consumers’ access to mortgage credit by updating the reporting requirements of the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) regulation. The Bureau is working with other federal agencies to streamline the reporting […]
The New York Times reports: A large new study by the federal government found that injuries caused by dietary supplements lead to more than 20,000 emergency room visits a year, many involving young adults with cardiovascular problems after taking supplements marketed for weight loss and energy enhancement. The study is the first to document the […]
One of the issues at stake in Campbell-Ewald v. Gomez, argued yesterday, is whether a defendant can moot a case (and thereby "pick off" a plaintiff who hopes to represent a class before the class has been certified) by offering the plaintiff complete relief even if the offer is not accepted. The issue, which is […]
On Tuesday, Scott posted a N.Y. Times op-ed describing a worsening U.S. student-loan debt problem. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is also concerned. Yesterday, it posted a piece entitled New signs of trouble for student loan borrowers, focusing not only on debt burden and default rates, but also on problems student-loan debtors have with loan servicers — […]
"The Federal Trade Commission and consumer protection agencies in 33 other countries that are part of the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN) unveiled an updated version of ICPEN’s econsumer.gov to help law enforcement authorities gather and share cross border consumer complaints that can be used to investigate and take action against international scams. […]
October 6, 2015: Government Files Enforcement Actions against Two California Companies and Three Individuals to Stop Importation of Dangerous Children's Products October 6, 2015: Two Sentenced for Roles in Prescription Drug Smuggling Ring October 1, 2015: Former Peanut Company Officials Sentenced to Prison for Their Roles in Salmonella-Tainted Peanut Product Outbreak September 25, 2015: District […]
A Times op-ed observes: [T]wo weeks ago, the Education Department released a trove of new data suggesting that the system is failing and that, at some colleges, the saddling of students with loans they cannot afford to pay down is far more dire than anyone knew. The loan crisis hits hardest at colleges enrolling large […]
Our country had a financial transaction tax for half a century, the report recounts, but it was repealed in 1965 even though it wasn't hindering growth. Reinstating such a tax would slow down the type of quick-trading speculation that caused the 2010 "flash crash" and it would have provided $22 billion in revenue per year […]
Read here the surprising story of a blogger who showed up at the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC), having let the Commission know he was coming, to conduct an interview regarding the IOGCC's position on climate change. The only interview he got was with the police, as the result of a 9-1-1 call.