Consumer News & Alerts

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Consumer News & Alerts | February 12, 2012
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It Pays To Carefully Read Your Bank Statements

Banks rely more on automation to save money these days, but when machines begin making account calculations instead of humans, a growing number of customers have begun to question the results.

The New York Times reports some customers using an Apple iPad to access Citibank's online bill pay are being charged twice for some transactions, essentially paying the same bills twice. It apparently stems from a bug in the bank's iPad app, according to a bank official interviewed by the Times.

Automotive

Five Ways Car Ads Mislead Consumers Ads may be technically true but vital details may be missing

Natural Gas Becoming Popular Among Oklahoma Motorists Clean-burning and cheap, CNG is hard to find in most of the country

Gas Prices Rise Three Cents In Last Week Prices rise despite increasing stockpiles of fuel

Gasoline Prices Are High, But U.S. Using Less Imported Oil Could U.S. be on the way to energy independence?

Mitsubishi Electric i-MIEV Takes "Greenest Car" Title Ousts eight-time winner Honda Civic Natural Gas model

Feds Probe Door Fires in 2007 Toyotas Window switch may be to blame for Camry, RAV4 fires

Cell Phones

Do Smartphones Make Shoppers Smarter? Survey shows shoppers rely on their devices

Video: The New Droid 4 Latest Droid smartphone debuts Friday at Verizon

Class Actions

Class-Action Suit Targets Moldy GE Washing Machines Suit says company deceived customers by not revealing the problem

Social & Dating

Report: Little Science Behind Online Dating Sites

Unheard-of just twenty years ago, online dating is now a billion-dollar industry and one of the most common ways for singles to meet potential partners. There are now hundreds of dating sites, all promising to help their clients meet the person of their dreams.

While some people find happiness with an online romance, many more do not.

“My sister paid for a three-month membership for me as birthday gift,” Mary, of Denver, Colo., told ConsumerAffairs.com. “I was co...

Social Media Enhancing Family Ties, Study Finds Grandparents, teens say social media help them understand each other

Pennsylvania Man Charged in Facebook Sex Scams Man from Mars impersonated young surfers to lure girls for sex

Education

Free Online Course Helps Students Plan College Financing Course also offers financial literacy instruction

Electronics

Kodak Shutters Its Camera Business Struggling company says it will concentrate on photo & desktop printing

Entertainment

Verizon, Redbox Team To Take On Netflix Companies separately off video content online and DVD

No More Streaming for Paul McCartney The Yellow Submarine surfaces and decrees it will stream no more

Finance

Bankruptcy Filings Down 14% From Last Year Tennessee, Nevada, Georgia have highest rates

States Reach Agreement With Debt Collector NCO Financial Company agrees to change its policies and provide restitution to some consumers

Banks Lost 600,000 Customers in Fee Protests But report minimizes the effect, calling it relatively modest

Older Homebuyers Showing Slightly More Confidence 55+ crowd still worries about selling existing homes, tighter lending criteria

Texan Sentenced to 20 Years in Oil-Gas Ponzi Scheme Raised $7 million from investors who thought they were buying oil, mineral interests

Health Products

Study Finds Soy Supplements Did Not Protect Against Breast Cancer Findings consistent with earlier studies, researchers say

Men Who Smoke Face More Rapid Cognitive Decline Smoking increasingly recognized as a risk factor for dementia in men

Seniors Group Opposes Pharmacy Merger Worries that it will impact older consumers

Top 10 Sources Of Sodium In Your Diet CDC urges consumers to watch the salt

Walmart Adds Icon to Help Shoppers Choose Healthier Foods "Great For You" icon identifies low-fat, high-fiber products

Trans-Fatty Acid Levels Down Markedly, CDC Reports 58% decline follows requirement that food manufacturers disclosure TFA content

Heart Disease May Be a Risk Factor for Prostate Cancer May be common causes for the two conditions

FDA Urged to Make Oysters Safer Gulf Coast oysters can carry dangerous bacteria

Homeowners

Feds, States Reach $25 Billion Settlement With Mortgage Servicers

Federal and state officials have finalized a landmark $25 billion agreement with the nation’s five largest mortgage servicers over foreclosure abuses and fraud, and unacceptable nationwide mortgage servicing practices.

The deal represents the largest government-industry settlement since a multistate deal with the tobacco industry in 1998. Under the agreement, Bank of America, Citibank, JP Morgan Chase, GMAC and Wells Fargo, have agreed to pay a combined $25 billion.

...

Are You Eligible for Assistance Under the Mortgage Servicers Agreement? The deal is complicated and will take several years to be completed

Bank of America Fined $1 Billion for Mortgage Fraud Feds charged bank defrauded the FHA by underwriting loans to unqualified borrowers

Foreclosure Robo-Settlement To Include 40 States Missouri presses criminal charges against document preparer

Title Company Sued In Foreclosure Probe States continue to put probe allegations of foreclosure irregularities

Refinancing Cash-Out Volume At 16-Year Low More owners choosing to reduce their mortgage amounts

Property Tax 'Consultants' Thrive in a Gloomy Market

Connecticut is the latest state to look into services that claim they can help homeowners save money on their property taxes. Companies that claim to be expert property tax consultants have been doing quite nicely in an era of plunging real estate values but consumer protection officials in several states warn that many of the services do little or nothing to earn their fee.

Texas, California and other states have also cracked down on mass mailings and Internet ads claiming that co...

FTC Warns Mobile Apps May Violate Credit Reporting Laws Agency writes to marketers of six background-screening apps

Shopping & Recreation

Valentine's Day Spending Expected to Average $126 Money may not buy love but it makes a good down payment

Amazon Strikes Back, Plans to Try Its Hand at Bricks-and-Mortar Retailing Report says online giant will experiment with local boutique-style stores

Scams

$1 Million Fine for False Seafood Labeling Was it grouper or was it catfish?

Scammers Now Using Pre-Paid Cards Instead Of Moneygrams But the scheme still leaves victims holding the bag

Tax Preparation

IRS Cracking Down On Refund Fraud Identity theft also victimizes the federal government

Did You Make an IRA Withdrawal Last Year? If so, it has tax implications this year

Who Is Eligible To Use Tax From 1040EZ? Using the short form can save time and money

Beware Of Tax Preparation Scams New York attorney general warns complaints are on the rise

Tax Questions Answered On The Go Mobile App provides answers to tax questions

Sustainability

Sierra Club's Role in Natural Gas, Solar Projects Raises Questions

Environmental organizations portray themselves as being single-minded in their quest to defend the natural environment against harm from human development, but the reality is often far more complex, as recent disclosures about the Sierra Club make clear.

Critics -- and many club members -- are fuming over the disclosure that the Sierra Club took more than $26 million from natural-gas giant Chesapeake Energy Corp. to help fund its campaign against coal-fired power plants at the same...

Travel

TSA Expands Pre-Check Program to More Airports Pre-approved passengers can save a few minutes in the security line

What's On Your Mind?

Suntrust Bank, Sunscape Travel, Discountbooksale.com

State Farm, J.C. Penney, Primatene Mist

AOL, Budget Rent-A-Car, Skype

Regions Bank, Leading Edge Recovery, PODS

Target, Sweepstakes, Starbucks

Safety Recalls

We want to hear from you. If you've had a problem -- or a pleasant experience -- with a company, product or service, please let us know, using our secure complaint form.

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