Current Events in January 2013

Whether it is due to better preventive care or advances in treatment, fewer Americans are dying of cancer.

An annual report compiled by a number of health organizations shows that overall cancer death rates continued to decline in the United States among both men and women, among all major racial and ethnic groups, and for all of the most common cancer sites, including lung, colon and rectum, female breast and prostate.

However, the news wasn't all good. Death rates continued to increase during the latest time period -- 2000 through 2009 -- for melanoma of the skin, among men only, and for cancers of the liver, pancreas and uterus.

On the rise

The special feature section on human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cancers shows that incidence rates are increasing for HPV-associated oropharyngeal and anal cancers and that vaccination coverage levels in the U.S. during 2008 and 2010 remained low among adolescent girls.

The report, covering the years 1975-2009, is co-authored by researchers from the American Cancer Society (ACS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR).

For 2000-2009, cancer death rates decreased by 1.8 percent per year among men and by 1.4 percent per year among women. Death rates among children up to 14 years of age also continued to decrease by 1.8 percent per year.

Common cancers on the decline

In general, fewer people are dying from the most common forms of cancer: lung, prostate, ovary, breast, colon and rectum, leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, kidney, stomach, myeloma, oral cavity and pharynx, and larynx.

However, deaths are increasing -- for both men and women -- from melanoma and cancer of the pancreas, liver and uterus.

“The continuing drop in cancer mortality over the past two decades is reason to cheer,” said John R. Seffrin, Ph.D., chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society. “The challenge we now face is how to continue those gains in the face of new obstacles, like obesity and HPV infections. We must face these hurdles head on, without distraction, and without delay, by expanding access to proven strategies to prevent and control cancer.”

Worldwide deaths

Worldwide, cancer is a leading cause of death, accounting for 7.6 million deaths in 2008, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) Lung, stomach, liver, colon and breast cancer cause the most cancer deaths each year, according to the WHO data.

About 30 percent of cancer deaths are due to the five leading behavioral and dietary risks: high body mass index, low fruit and vegetable intake, lack of physical activity, tobacco use and alcohol use.

Having digested the changes in the tax law made by Congress's New Year's Day fiscal cliff legislation and sent the form changes to the printer, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) says it will be ready to receive and process your tax return Jan. 30.

That shortens the tax preparation window by a month, but since most taxpayers don't get started until they receive their w-2 forms, it might not make a lot of difference to most people. Then again, early filers who want to get their hands on their refund as quickly as possible might be frustrated.

Some filers must wait longer

The announcement means the vast majority of tax filers -- more than 120 million households -- should be able to start filing tax returns starting Jan 30. But not everyone.

The IRS estimates that remaining households will be able to start filing in late February or into March because of the need for more extensive form and processing systems changes. This group includes people claiming residential energy credits, depreciation of property or general business credits. Most of those in this group file more complex tax returns and typically file closer to the April 15 deadline or obtain an extension, the IRS said.

Takes time to update and test systems

“We have worked hard to open tax season as soon as possible,” IRS Acting Commissioner Steven T. Miller said. “This date ensures we have the time we need to update and test our processing systems.”

The IRS will not process paper tax returns before the anticipated Jan. 30 opening date. There is no advantage to filing on paper before the opening date, and taxpayers will receive their tax refunds much faster by using e-file with direct deposit.

“The best option for taxpayers is to file electronically,” Miller said.

This is the second straight year the IRS has delayed the opening of tax season. In 2012 the agency said it made extensive changes to its systems in an effort to thwart identity theft, which it said is a growing problem.

If identity thieves get access to your Social Security number, they can file a fake return in your name, receiving a refund they aren't entitled to. Changes to the IRS systems are designed to help the agency identify fraudulent returns more easily.

Because of the threat of identity theft, it's beneficial to file early. If you file early and receive your rightful refund, an identity thief can be easily spotted if he files a fake return, using your Social Security number.

Who Can File Starting Jan. 30?

The IRS anticipates that the vast majority of all taxpayers can file starting Jan. 30, regardless of whether they file electronically or on paper. The IRS will be able to accept tax returns affected by the late Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) patch as well as the three major “extender” provisions for people claiming the state and local sales tax deduction, higher education tuition and fees deduction and educator expenses deduction.

Who Can’t File Until Later?

There are several forms affected by the late legislation that require more extensive programming and testing of IRS systems. The IRS hopes to begin accepting tax returns including these tax forms between late February and into March; a specific date will be announced in the near future.

The key forms that require more extensive programming changes include Form 5695 (Residential Energy Credits), Form 4562 (Depreciation and Amortization) and Form 3800 (General Business Credit). A full listing of the forms that won’t be accepted until later is available on IRS.gov.

If you use an off-the-shelf tax preparation software, keep in mind these changes will affect it as well. Check with your vendor as to when updates for the 2012 tax year will be available.

California has some of the toughest environmental laws in the nation and California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris claims Phillips 66 and ConocoPhillips violated one of them.

Harris has sued the two oil companies on charges of failing to properly inspect and maintain underground tanks used to store gasoline for retail sale at more than 560 gas stations in the state.

"The state's hazardous waste laws help protect our residents from contaminated groundwater," Harris said. "This lawsuit safeguards public health by ensuring proper maintenance of the tanks that store fuel beneath many California communities."

Several counties, including Alameda, El Dorado, Merced, Nevada, Placer, San Bernardino and Stanislaus, joined the state in the litigation. The suit alleges that since November 2006, Phillips 66 and ConocoPhillips have improperly monitored, inspected and maintained underground storage tanks used to store gasoline for retail sale.

Accused of tampering with safeguards

In addition, the complaint accused the defendants of tampering with and disabling leak detection devices and failing to test secondary containment systems, conduct monthly inspections, train employees in proper protocol and maintain operational alarm systems, among other violations.

The lawsuit also alleges that the defendants improperly handled and disposed of hazardous wastes and materials associated with the underground storage tanks at retail gas stations throughout the state.

Harris said her investigators turned up violations at gas stations in 34 California counties.

Widespread issue

Other states have wrestled with the problem of contamination from underground storage tanks as gas stations. A study by the U.S. Geological Survey, which randomly sampled 225 water supply wells in Rockingham County, NH, in 2003, detected the gasoline additive MtBE in 40 percent of public wells, and found a correlation between MtBE concentration and proximity to underground storage tanks.

Abandoned gasoline stations perhaps pose the greatest environmental risk. As the tanks sit unused and deteriorate, remaining petroleum product can leak into the soil and groundwater. According to the National Association of Convenience Stores, more than 50,000 gas stations have shut down since 1991.

It's getting easier to find information about Social Security when you go online

The Social Security Administration is expanding the services available with a “my Social Security account,” a personalized online account that people can use beginning in their working years and continuing throughout the time they receive Social Security benefits.

More than 60 million Social Security beneficiaries and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients can now access their benefit verification letter, payment history and earnings record instantly using their online account. Beneficiaries also can change their address and start or change direct deposit information online.

“We are making it even easier for people to do their business with us from the comfort of their home, office, or library,” said Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security. “I encourage people of all ages to take advantage of our award-winning online services and check out the new features available through an online 'my Social Security account'.”

Getting needed documentation

Social Security beneficiaries and SSI recipients with a “my Social Security account” can go online and get an official benefit verification letter instantly. The benefit verification letter serves as proof of income to secure loans, mortgages and other housing, and state or local benefits. Additionally, people use the letter to prove current Medicare health insurance coverage, retirement or disability status, and age. People can print or save a customized letter.

Social Security processed nearly nine million requests for benefit verification letters in the past year. This new online service allows people to conduct business with Social Security without having to visit an office or make a phone call, and very often wait for a letter to arrive in the mail. It also will reduce the time spent by employees completing these requests and free them to focus on other workloads.

Signing up

People age 18 and older can sign up for an account at here. Once there, they must be able to provide information about themselves and answers to questions that only they are likely to know. After completing the secure verification process, people can create a “my Social Security account” with a unique user name and password to access their information.

People age 18 and older who are not receiving benefits can sign up for a “my Social Security account” to get a personalized online Social Security statement. The online statement provides eligible workers with secure and convenient access to their Social Security earnings and benefit information, and estimates of future benefits they can use to plan for their retirement. In addition, the portal includes links to information about other online services, such as applications for retirement, disability and Medicare.

“Given our significantly reduced funding, we have to find innovative ways to continue to meet the needs of the American people without compromising service,” said Astrue. “These new enhancements will allow us to provide faster service to more people in more places.”

Among the types of medication people take for high blood pressure are beta blockers, which are a class of drugs that reduce stress levels within the body.

If you take one, you might be reducing your risk of Alzheimer's disease. A study involving autopsies of 774 elderly Japanese-American men, most of whom had suffered from high blood pressure, yielded interesting results.

Only 15 percent of the men had been taking beta blockers for their high blood pressure. Their autopsies revealed they suffered the least amount of brain damage.

The researchers found that all types of blood pressure treatments were clearly better than no treatment. However, men who had received beta blockers as their only blood pressure medication had fewer abnormalities in their brains compared with those who had not been treated for their hypertension, or who had received other blood pressure medications.

Less brain shrinkage

The brains of participants who had received beta blockers plus other medications showed an intermediate reduction in numbers of brain abnormalities. Study participants who had taken beta blockers alone or in combination with another blood pressure medication had significantly less shrinkage in their brains.

“With the number of people with Alzheimer’s disease expected to grow significantly as our population ages, it is increasingly important to identify factors that could delay or prevent the disease,” said study author Lon White, MD, of the Pacific Health Research and Education Institute in Honolulu. “These results are exciting, especially since beta blockers are a common treatment for high blood pressure.”

Beta blockers questioned as blood pressure treatment

In October researchers at the NYU Langone Medical Center questioned whether beta blockers were an effective means of combating high blood pressure. They studied patients taking the drugs and concluded they weren't helping -- at least they weren't lowering blood pressure.

Sripal Bangalore, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Medicine and leader of the research team, suggested the current use of beta blockers to treat high blood pressure is based on old studies.

“Our results found none of the patient populations studied showed benefit from taking beta-blockers, including patients with a history of heart attack,” Bangalore said in October, when his study was released. “This is concerning in light of current treatment patterns and reveals a need for more education among practitioners who treat patients at risk for heart attack and stroke.”

This latest study, however, supported by the National Institutes of Health, might have found an additional use for the drugs. But beta blockers are known to have side effects, which include increases in cholesterol levels, weight gain, upset stomach and headaches.

If you think you are at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease you should discuss beta blockers with your doctor to determine if it is medication you should be taking.

New federal food safety regulations may make food safer for humans in a few years but what about pet food? Well, in theory, it's already regulated as tightly as food processed for human consumption, which may be part of the problem.

There is a long history of pet food recalls and reports of pet deaths attributed to salmonella, molds and other contaminants in pet food but most cases are never solved, in large part because the evidence -- the sick animal and the suspect food -- are long gone by the time investigators begin their work.

The latest pet food to enrage pet owners is Purina's Beneful. A spurt of complaints over the last few months has been accompanied by a large increase in the number of people reading the Beneful reviews posted by ConsumerAffairs readers.

"I switched to Beneful about two months ago. Two weeks ago my maltipoo Buster stopped eating and started throwing up, followed by bloody diarrhea. He died within a week," said one angry reader. "Then my maltese Layla had the same symptoms everytime she ate Beneful dog food. I started feeding her home-cooked food like boiled chicken and she is 100 percent better. Buster is dead because of beneful."

Purina did not respond to a request for its response to the consumers' reports.

It's not just pet owners who are concerned. The Dog Food Advisor website gives dry Beneful its lowest rating and lists it as "not recommended." Although the site's editor, Mike Sagman, is not a veterinarian, he is a graduate of the Medical College of Virginia with a doctoral degree in dental surgery and an undergraduate degree in chemistry. Sagman says he has published more than 700 dog food reviews.

Action required

But the problems pet owners are reporting are even more serious than Sagman's review might indicate -- and, in fact, are so serious that pet owners whose pets become ill after eating Beneful should see their veterinarian quickly.

LaShanda of Silver Spring, Md., did just that when her dog became ill in November and she credits reviews posted on ConsumerAffairs by other pet owners with spurring her to take action.

"I have been feeding my dog, a 4-year-old, 10-lb Havanese, Purina Beneful dog food for over the past year. I began noticing changes in my dog’s behavior after opening the new bag and feeding it to her. During the course of the week she was on the new bag of dog food, she was listless, barely eating her food and vomited twice," LaShanda said. Things deteriorated from there, as she tells it:

"Her stomach was very upset and she refused to eat her dog food and attempted to eat grass when she was outside to induce vomiting. Her skin felt extremely hot to the touch and she was lethargic. On Tuesday, November 20th, I arrived home to find diarrhea in the bathroom and one of her eyes swollen shut. I rushed her to the emergency medical clinic where blood work was done. ... 

My veterinarian believes that there is a direct relationship between Purina’s Beneful dog food and my pet’s onset of health problems. Additionally, the symptoms that he originally believed to be as a reaction to seasonal allergies, is a result of this dog food. He notated the name of the dog food, lot number, and the place of purchase for future reference for his other patients.

Fortunately, due to my quick response in seeking medical attention, after receiving medication and being on a bland diet for approximately 6 days, my dog is in recovery and seems to be stable.In the past week, two of my friends that also feed their dogs Beneful, have had to rush their dogs to the emergency vet (one had a seizure and the other couldn't stop vomiting...also they live on completely different sides of the country).

This site is what actually made me rush to the emergency vet myself and seek medical care (and could single-handly be responsible for why she is still alive). I STRONGLY urge everyone here to file a formal complaint with the FDA: http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealth/ReportaProblem/ucm182403.htm

Report problems

LaShanda is right that pet owners should report suspected problems to the FDA (and to ConsumerAffairs) and they should also ask their vets to do the same. Many readers have also noted the batch number of the food involved in their pet's illness. That's good but even better is to save a sample of the suspect food as well, so that it's available for investigators if and when they show up.

What's a dog owner to do? Realistically, it's not practical for most dog owners to cook meals for their dogs or to buy only the highest-priced specialty feeds. But what everyone can do is keep a careful eye on their animal pals and be quick to bundle a sick dog off to the vet. Switching to boiled chicken and white rice for a few days may do the trick sometimes but seeking professional help can't hurt.

One further piece of advice offered by one of our readers a month or so ago: Listen to your dog.

My dog, an 8-year old American Dingo mix, has been eating Beneful products for nearly 5 years. Just this week I noticed she wasn't finishing her food. The next day it sat untouched. She began to look very thin and lethargic. Try as I might, I couldn't get her to eat. Even poured gravy on it. She lapped up the gravy and left the food. The next day she picked out a piece of food and dropped it near my foot. I got the message.

Remember not too long ago, when Netflix seemed to stand alone in the area of home entertainment and movie streaming?

When Netflix first came into prominence a few years ago, by creating what seemed to be the perfect idea of allowing customers to receive movies through the mail or by streaming, it didn’t seem like anyone could compete with the compay.

But those days have passed, and today Netflix isn’t the stand-alone Goliath it was just a couple of years ago. For example, Verizon and Redbox teamed up not too long ago to offer video streaming and DVDs for a lower monthly price than Netflix.

And the fact that Verizon and Redbox have secured the proper deals with Hollywood film studios to get content that Netflix won’t be able to access, there’s a good chance that many consumers will flock to Redbox’s Instant by Verizon, because the company is offering newer and better movies.

It seems that more and more companies are coming together that could lead customers away from Netflix, as many consumers feel the California-based company just doesn’t offer the kind of movies for streaming that it used to, as newer released films are usually on DVD only, which tends to frustrate many consumers.

And with deals being made between home entertainment companies and Hollywood film studios, it seems that Netflix is getting fewer newly-released movies, which is why many people signed up with the company in the first place.

Fewer movies

HBO is another company that just made this kind of deal, as the cable channel just finalized an agreement with Universal, and its movie division Universal Films to show exclusive content that Netflix won’t be able to access.

The deal will also allow HBO to carry Universal’s art house film division Focus Features, which consumers can access on TV or on their mobile devices.

The exclusive deal also means that Netflix will have even fewer movies for DVD and streaming, as Universal makes a significant amount of movies each year that Netflix won’t be able to touch. This may cause even more customers to jump off the Netflix ship, as many have complained the company just doesn’t offer the type of movie variety that it used to.

“In the last few years, Netflix has really gone downhill from being an industry leader and innovator to a joke of marketing incompetence,” wrote Greg of Texas in a ConsumerAffairs posting. “I’ve been a member since 2002 and have been very satisfied for most of that time, even choosing to remain patient and loyal during the whole ‘Qwikster’ debacle.”

“But in recent months, three changes I’ve noticed are really making it hard for me to remain a customer: (1) Fewer and fewer streaming options, despite gearing the website to make it more difficult to add DVDs; (2) more ‘long wait’ delays for many DVDs, and (3) longer turnaround times to receive DVDs by mail,” wrote Greg.

In his comment, Greg agreed with another reader named Barry, who shared a similar view about Netflix.

“I’ve subscribed to Netflix for more than a decade and for a number of years, I was very happy with the service, even giving it as a gift to others,” wrote Barry in his ConsumerAffairs posting.

“Thanks to what’s been going on for the past 6 months or more, my enthusiasm has completely vanished and turned to anger. I can no longer get the new releases at the top of my list—for many, many months.”

“I certainly hope others enter this market and become what Netflix used to be. I’ve already cut way back on what the number of discs I have at one time because they refuse to provide what I want, and I expect I may cut off the service altogether very soon. From a great company, it has turned to one of the worst.” 

Ten years

The HBO deal is rumored to be for ten years, which means it will be at least a full decade before Netflix can get its hands on Universal’s films and other content.

And if you consider the movies that Netflix won’t be able to show based on the exclusive deal that Redbox and Verizon signed with Hollywood studios in 2012, it seems that Netflix will only have a very limited movie pool to draw from and offer its customers.

Vice chairman and COO of Universal and Focus Features films Rick Finkelstein said his company is extremely eager to provide HBO with exclusive content that will already add to the company’s huge library of movies.

“With HBO’s far-reaching network of premium services, ranging from the traditional in-home experience to its mobile applications, we are pleased to continue this relationship and bring Universal and Focus Features’ films to HBO subscribers for many years to come,” said Finkelstein.

“With our upcoming slate of films, HBO will continue to offer outstanding film content to their already vast library of movies, specials and award-winning original programming.”

Until recently, the car was something of a refuge from the distractions of everyday life. Oh sure, you could listen to the radio or even pop in a CD or maybe plug your iPod into the auxilary jack, all while keeping an eye on the GPS, propping up the phone and occasionally glancing out the windshield.

It's about to get even harder to stay focused, as automakers rush to add entertainment and electronics gadgets to cars, many of them being previewed at this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Examples:

• Ford says it will offer the Internet music service Rhapsody in more than 1 million Ford and Lincoln vehicles. Rhapsody says 40% of its subscribers are already listening in the car. By integrating Rhapsody with Ford Sync's voice commands and steering wheel buttons, the listening experience may become a bit safer.
• Rhapsody rival Pandora says it is already available in 75 vehicle models. More are likely to be announced soon.
• Slacker Radio will be bringing its 200 “expert-programmed” stations of news, talk, sports, and music to selected Chrysler models equipped with the Uconnect system, similar to Ford Sync.
• Giant radio station owner Clear Channel will integrate its iHeart Radio into Chrysler and General Motors vehicles. It also introduced iHeartRadio for Auto, a version of its app that will be offered through after-market radio vendors.
• Not to be left behind, Greater Media is bringing 16 of its terrestrial radio stations to the mobile Web and Ford vehicles via Ford Sync. Drivers can listen to their favorite radio stations from places like Boston, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Detroit and New Jersey wherever they are driving – all without touching their smartphone.
• News junkies, meanwhile, will be able to access, navigate, search and listen to morning and evening editions of the USA TODAY headline content, again via Ford Sync.

Time to fill

If all this sounds a little far-fetched, consider for a moment that the average American who drives to work spent 46 minutes per day on the road. That's a lot of time to fill, and listening to music or news/talk is the obvious solution.

The question for automakers is whether there's a way for them to cash in on any of this, over and above what they get for the hardware and software that's installed in the car.

Roomsful of MBAs are no doubt running scenarios at this very moment, looking for ways that carmakers can get their fingers into the pot somehow. Could it be that someday the likes of Ford and VW will be producing entertainment, information and data-processing services for the drivers and passengers in their well-connected cars?

It might sound outlandish but not long ago, it was considered foolish to think Americans would pay more than $30 a month for cable TV service.

If you haven’t noticed yet, headphones have gotten pretty big in size lately.

There seems to be a new correlation that has developed between high-quality listening devices and their size, because several companies like Beats by Dre and Soul by Ludacris, have released some pretty well-received headphones that are big  and cover the ears from top to bottom.

The big headphone craze is a total departure from the earbuds that really came onto the scene when Apple made the average consumer want to listen to music on the go rather than at home through huge house speakers.

That’s certainly not to say that people don’t crank up the old home stereo anymore, it’s just that the new generation of music fans would rather access a digital music catalogue--that contains thousands of songs--rather than buy an album and soak it up on their living room couch.

And because of this shift in the way folks listen to music, the electronic music device became the common way people access their favorite songs, and headphones, which weren’t really on the minds of consumers that much before, became the common accessory for people who wanted to maximize the power of their mp3 player or smartphone.

Buds to cups

And just when you thought consumers would stick with that skinny white chord to listen to their devices, you slowly but surely saw more people replacing earbuds with colossal-sized ear cups, which many people associate with a better and more powerful sound.

But why haven’t more companies developed circular headphones that are smaller in size but still pack a serious musical punch?  Since lighter headphones are easier to stick in your bag and wear around your neck between listens, you'd think they'd be more popular.   

The RHA SA950i headphones are in this category of smaller headphones, as the British company that designed them created a pair of listening tools that are much smaller in size compared to other brands. And for that very reason, I was interested to see how they would measure up.

I wanted to compare the RHAs to some of the better headphones that we reviewed over the course of 2012 like the Sennheiser HD 558s and the Bose Audios, just to see where they fit in terms of design, overall power and sound clarity when a device is played at maximum volume.

Applecentric

But first a little bit about the RHA SA950i headphones:

The company says the headphones are designed and engineered at RHA’s research and development center in Glasgow, United Kingdom, which suggests that some sort of science and research has been put into making the headphones, as opposed to just slapping them together with a cool look and average sound.

The SA950i comes in jet black and the outside of the cups are coated in a smooth titanium material that gives the listening device a sleek fiberglass look.

The cable is made of braided fabric and looks like a thin string rather than a wire, and on the cable sits a sliding remote control that allows you to manipulate the volume, forward a song, rewind it, pause it or play it.

The tiny remote control also lets you use the headphones as a microphone to record your voice or capture your surroundings.

But the remote can only be used with iPhones, iPods and iPads, as the headphones are really made to be used with Apple products, but you can still use them on other devices--including your laptop and home computer--but in these instances you won’t be able to use the remote control.

One of the best features of the headphones is their light weight and extreme portability, as I noticed the cups sat comfortably on my ears without creating an annoying heaviness. They also didn’t cause my ears to feel suffocated or overheated like a lot of bigger headphones can do.

The overall design of the RHAs is pretty spiffy too, so if you’re into a stylish  headphone that’s not too teenage-looking they may be right up your alley.

Compared to the Sennheisers for example, the RHA headphones win in the design category as they are more pleasant to look at and the foam padding inside the ear cups make for a much more comfortable fit.  

Half the size

The SA950i model is about half the size of Beats by Dre headphones and easier to carry, which comes in handy if you’re a person that stays on the go and has to shuffle headphones in and out of a bag during travels.

And how did the RHAs compare to the better headphones that we reviewed this year in terms of power and clarity?

When played against the Sennheisers, I can’t say the RHAs beat out the German headphones in fullness of sound, as it appears the Sennheiser company really made the type of headphones that are worn in music studios and by studio engineers.

But that’s not to say the RHA headphones lacked power, as each song that was played thumped very strongly without losing detail of sound or removing the richness of each tune.

And although the UK-made headphones didn’t exceed the clarity levels of Beats by Dre or Bose models, they still held their own for such a small and portable listening device. 

This power was evident when I played songs with a lot of alternating highs and lows, as string instruments were heard with a shrieking crispness and I was able to hear the clear sound of thumbs being used on bass guitars.

Now mind you, the RHA SA950i headphones at around $60 on Amazon are far less expensive than the other headphones mentioned in this review, so comparing them to brands that are hundreds of dollars more isn’t truly fair.

But the best way to gauge a product regardless of the price is to compare it to the industry’s best, just to see where it falls on the overall quality meter.

And just where does it fall?

The RHA SA950i is ideal for the consumer who wants a solid pair of headphones but doesn’t want to upset the wallet.  Also, the small size and light weight makes the headphones easy to carry without that cumbersome feeling that many other bigger and less powerful circular headphones have.

RHA did a pretty good job of making a headphone that plays more powerfully than its size and for the inexpensive price of $60 consumers should be able to get their money’s worth.

Now just how long the headphones will last without breaking or losing some of its above-average sound remains to be seen, as I’ve been using the RHAs for a little over a week, but so far so good.

Back in October, with the holiday shopping season closing in fast, Target joined the move to match online prices. Its “Holiday Price Match” pledged to meet prices of Amazon.com, Walmart.com, BestBuy.com and ToysRus.com. The campaign extended from Nov 1 through Dec. 24.

Apparently it worked out pretty well because Target has announced plans to make it a year-round promotion. Target stores will even price match items found on Target.com.

The new policy takes effect immediately and works this way: If a consumer buys a qualifying item at a Target store, then finds the identical item for less in the following week’s Target circular or within seven days on Target.com, Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Bestbuy.com or Toysrus.com or in a local competitor’s printed ad, Target will match the price.

“Guests can confidently shop at Target every day for the best value in retail,” said Gregg Steinhafel, Target chairman, president and CEO. “We know that our guests often compare prices online. With our new Price Match Policy and the additional five percent savings guests receive when they use their REDcard, Target provides an unbeatable value.”

Terms and conditions

There are some terms and conditions that shoppers should get familiar with:

• The item must be the identical item, brand name, size, weight, color, quantity and model number.
• Limit of one competitor online price match per identical item, per guest.
• Price must be valid at the time the price match is requested.
• Retail price must be shown on the Website or print ad. Online prices will be validated by a Target team member.
• Competitor online items must be in stock at the time a price match is requested.
• Competitor catalogs can be matched as long as the catalog displays a current date, retail price and meets all other competitor ad match qualifications.
• If item is not available in a Target store, a rain check will not be issued to match the online price or competitor’s print ad.
• Target reserves the right to verify a competitor’s advertised price and the availability of the item.

Won't match itself

“I was at the Warrenville, IL, Target this morning and saw a convertible sofa on clearance for $114.68 or $114.98, and they had no more left,” Jenn wrote in a ConsumerAffairs post. “I went to Wheaton and they not only had none but it was $160.98.”

Price match may be requested at Target’s Guest Services prior to a purchase with proof of current price or by bringing the original Target receipt and proof of current price.

The statement from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) last week was short and to the point.

“The IRS is currently reviewing the details of this week's tax legislation and assessing what impact it will have on this year's filing season,” the statement read. “The IRS will soon make available additional information on when taxpayers can start filing 2012 tax returns.”

The last-minute fiscal cliff legislation did more than keep world financial markets on the edge of their seats; it's also held up the IRS as it prepares to start receiving 2012.

But how could tax legislation that affects the future have any bearing on 2012 taxes? Because a few other items were slipped into the fiscal cliff bill. Some of those items have a retroactive start date, meaning they will affect the 2012 tax year.

AMT reform

For example, if you were unfortunate enough in 2011 to pay the alternative minimum tax (AMT) there's a chance you can avoid it in 2012. The tax, which was devised to make sure high income earners paid at least some tax, was never indexed for inflation. Each year more and more people found themselves paying it.

Included in the January 1 tax bill is a fix to the AMT law, raising the threshold. Millions of people who would have paid it now will not. For the IRS, that means reprinting some tax forms.

Another retroactive tax break is a broadening of the tax break for people who ride mass transit. The measure increases the tax break for commuters and makes it retroactive for 2012. That, too, requires some form changes.

Some expired tax deductions have been brought back to life and made retroactive to last year. If you are a teacher and spend some of your own money for school supplies, that deduction is returning, allowing you to write off up to $250. Tuition and fee deductions will also be available to 2012 filers.

Now is the time to prepare

While the IRS gets its duck in a row, tax filers should as well. You probably won't receive W-2 or 1099 forms until the end of January but you can spend the time gathering receipts and putting together an income statement.

If you don't already have someone to do your taxes you can begin looking around for a tax preparer. Ask relatives and friends for a referral and try to find someone who has been working in your community for a while and will probably be around for a few more years. The more familiar your preparer becomes with your situation the better job she can do for you. In this case, consistency can work in your favor.

If you are eager to get your hands on your refunds, bypass the refund anticipation loans (RAL) and instead file early and electronically. Those who do stand a good chance of getting their refunds within two weeks.

In 2012 the trend was smaller tablets. Apple introduced its seven-inch iPad Mini to compete with Nexus 7, Kindle Fire and a host of smaller tablets. This year the trend could be larger tablets.

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Panasonic has taken the wraps off a new tablet computer that features a 20-inch IPS Alpha LCD panel that it says more than four times the resolution of Full High Definition, as well as a high precision digital pen.

The company has a prototype on display at CES with plans to go into production later this year. It says the tablet has many of the characteristics of printed media that existing personal or tablet computers cannot provide, such as texture rich rendering, natural hand-writing and a light weight and thinness for easy mobility.

Designed to display newspapers

Panasonic says the 20-inch LCD panel delivers "4k" resolution (3840 x 2560, 9.83 million pixels), more than twice the horizontal and vertical resolutions of Full HD (1920 x 1080) and has a density of 230 pixels per inch. With a unique aspect ratio of 15:10 – normal widescreen is 12x9 -- it can display an A3-size paper in almost full size. Company officials say that makes it an ideal way to show content such as newspapers and magazines, as well as pictures with the same aspect ratio.

The pen input, with a resolution as high as the panel itself, enables natural handwriting on the tablet, the company said. It weighs 5.3 pounds and is 10.8 mm thick, making it easy to carry. It's based on the Windows 8 operating system, which enables the user to continue to use applications developed for business documents created on older versions of Windows.

TV upgrades

In addition to the larger tablet, Panasonic also introduced new models of the Panasonic Smart VIERA TVs, which it promises “will offer its customers a whole new experience.” The new TVs are said to be more user-friendly and provide a personalized interface thanks to new features such as the "Home Screen" and face and voice recognition functions.

The company is also displaying its latest digital AV equipment, such as a sound system featuring wireless functions, and prototypes of the 56-inch 4k2k organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display – what it says is the world's largest OLED panel produced using the RGB all printing method.

Panasonic has also introduced an Internet-based TV service, calling it "The next generation TV experience," that it says will give users a new TV experience in the network era.

Downsize Fitness is an exclusive fitness center. People with six-pack abs need not apply. This club only takes members who are at least 50 pounds overweight.

The club currently has locations in Chicago, Las Vegas and Dallas but has plans to take the concept nationwide. It was developed specifically with chronically overweight and obese individuals in mind. The idea is to provide an environment where overweight consumers don't feel self-conscious, because they are no different from any of the other members.

Owner Francis Wisniewski says the center is modeled after hit TV show,"The Biggest Loser," but he says it's structured to be more realistic -- both from a financial and time perspective. Unlike a traditional health club, every Downsize Fitness member works with a trainer every time he comes to the gym. The trainers put members through their workouts and hold them accountable for their diet.

"Our goal is to help members change their lifestyle," Wisniewski said. "It's not just about following a diet or working out; it's about teaching members new habits they will embrace in and outside of the gym. Our goal is to give our members a new quality of life and we have the resources and unique trainer support to do that for everyone who walks through our door."

Personal experience

The motivation for the gym comes from Wisniewski who himself lost over 60 pounds in the last year. Wisniewski says he had success but always felt uncomfortable working out in the gym, where everyone else seemed to be in much better shape than he was.

He made the decision to open a gym for overweight individuals when he realized he was not alone in being uncomfortable at typical gyms. Through a supportive team-oriented environment and trainer-based workout plans, the aim is to get overweight individuals healthy and fit.

Some members who have posted comments online have pointed out the fitness equipment, such as treadmills, are built for heavy people and, unlike most health clubs, the walls are not covered with mirrors.

Curves

Downsize Fitness is not the first health club to set some exclusivity parameters for membership. Curves is a national franchise of health clubs whose membership is open only to women. It opened in 1992 with the premise that some women were intimidated by working out in a health club with men. The company says it now has locations in 85 countries.

Whether Downsize Fitness matches that success is yet to be seen. However, the company could be punished for its success.

Once its members are no longer 50 pounds overweight, they will no longer meet the membership requirements. But with America's obesity epidemic, that would be a problem Downsize Fitness might like to have.

If you purchased any Accelis, nanoSLIM, Cold MD, Germ MD, or Allergy MD product, you may be eligible for a refund.

As part of its continuing efforts to stop bogus health claims, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charged Iovate Health Sciences U.S.A. and two affiliated Canadian companies with deceptively advertising that the supplements named above could help consumers lose weight or could treat and prevent colds, flu, and allergies. In settling with the FTC, Iovate agreed to pay $5.5 million for consumer refunds.

Getting your refund

Consumers who bought any of these five dietary supplements between January 2006 and July 2010 will have until April 1, 2013, to apply for a refund by filing a claim form online or calling 1-877-576-9978 to request a paper claim form in the mail.

Consumers who previously received a refund from a California class action settlement involving Cold MD are not eligible to receive a second payment. Consumers are eligible to submit claims for up to five of a single type of product, and for a total of up to 10 products. The amount of each refund will depend on the number of products purchased and the number of claims submitted by eligible consumers.

Eligible consumers who receive refund checks must cash them within 60 days of when they are issued.

If you were among those looking to land a job in retailing during the Christmas shopping season, you picked a good year.

Despite some year-end uncertainty related to fiscal cliffs, a devastating hurricane and election-year politicking, retailers were confident enough in the final three months of 2012 to ramp up holiday hiring to its highest level in six years, according to an analysis of government employment data released by outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

Big jump in hiring

Employment in the retail sector increased by a net 728,300 jobs, between October 1 and December 31, according to non-seasonally adjusted data, released last week by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is 10.3 percent higher than 2011, when retailers added 660,200 extra workers over the final three months of the year. The nearly 730,000 retail jobs added this year represents the strongest year-end hiring surge since 2006, when employment in the sector increased by 746,900.

The bulk of the 2012 holiday hiring occurred in October and November, when employment grew by 149,600 and 490,400 workers, respectively. Retailers hired just 88,300 additional workers in December, a significant drop from December 2011, when 147,600 workers were added.

A 'remarkable' showing

“The fact that holiday hiring in the retail sector reached pre-recession levels is remarkable for a few reasons, “ said John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas. “More people are working, but many are still under-employed and, as a result, wages have remained stubbornly low. So, spending power this year was not necessarily greater than a year ago. Additionally, more people are shopping online, where increased holiday demand is more easily met without adding a lot of seasonal workers. Yet, despite these factors, brick-and-mortar retailers moved forward with increased hiring.”

Challenger says an early Thanksgiving, which meant earlier Black Friday sales, may have contributed to an earlier hiring surge. “Additionally,” he notes, “a growing number of retailers opened their doors on Thanksgiving Thursday, which may have also boosted the need for extra hiring in order to ensure that enough workers were available to staff these holiday hours.”

Retail sales -- excluding drug stores -- increased 4.8 percent in December, according to Retail Metrics. The International Council of Shopping Centers estimates that its members will show an increase about 4.0 percent total for December. Meanwhile, e-commerce was up 14 percent for the entire holiday season, according to comScore.

Most jobs temporary

“Some industry analysts are expecting retail sales to maintain some momentum into the new year, as consumers spend gift cards,” said Challenger. “However, gift card traffic is unlikely to result retailers holding on to all of the extra holiday workers. Some may stay, but the vast majority will be let go.”

After adding 660,200 seasonal workers over the final three months of 2011, retail employment fell by 789,400 in January and February 2012.  

A long-simmering dispute between Liberty Mutual auto insurance and the state of West Virginia has reached its conclusion.

West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw says a state court has permanently barred Liberty Mutual from using salvaged or aftermarket crash parts to repair motor vehicles that are less than three years old. The court’s order upholds current state law that requires insurance companies and body shops to obtain a consumer’s written authorization before salvaged parts are used for the repair of new vehicles.

A year ago McGraw filed suit after he said an investigation by his Consumer Protection Division revealed that Liberty Mutual had willfully violated state consumer protection laws. He said Liberty Mutual admitted in court documents that it had repaired nearly 200 vehicles using junkyard and aftermarket parts in disregard of the Aftermarket Crash Parts Act.

Illegal policy?

The original suit named both the insurance company and a West Virginia repair shop -- Greg Chandler’s Frame & Body, LLC -- for repairing vehicles with junkyard parts in violation of state law. The suit claimed that Liberty Mutual required body shops to repair vehicles with reconditioned, re-manufactured, and used parts in violation of West Virginia law. In addition, McGraw said Liberty Mutual failed to provide the proper notices and written statements to consumers.

In West Virginia, it is unlawful for an insurance company to require the use of salvaged, used, or reconditioned OEM crash parts when negotiating repairs of motor vehicles within three years of manufacture, without acquiring the motor vehicle owner’s consent.

Despite the state law, Liberty Mutual, McGraw says, continued to defend its surreptitious use of these parts which the attorney general said jeopardized consumers’ safety and diminished the value of consumers’ vehicles.

Restitution to be determined

The court has not yet ruled on the amount of restitution Liberty Mutual will be required to pay to consumers, nor did it rule on the amount of the civil penalties. However, its ruling did send a clear message to the insurance industry that West Virginia courts continue to uphold its laws.

Liberty Mutual is not the only insurance company using aftermarket parts for covered repairs. Nearly all do, or at least write policies that give them that choice, in the case of vehicles that are more than three years old.

If you are concerned about the issue, you can request information from your insurance company about its policy. If you are having a covered repair to your vehicle, check with your state's insurance commissioner about requirements.

According to car repair experts, consumers are entitled to demand original parts when their car is being repaired from an accident, but insurance companies might not pay 100 percent of the bill. Consumers who are leasing vehicles, which are usually less than three years old, must repair using original parts since they are required to return the vehicle in the same condition as they received it.

Being able to breastfeed is a big want for many new mothers, although sometimes difficulties arise. In addition to seeing your doctor, one of the ways to help with breastfeeding problems or any other issues that new mothers face, is by speaking with other women who are nursing.

This communal approach to solving problems that surround nursing is done through blogs, social network pages and other avenues, so women can bounce ideas off each other and share solutions to a host of challenges.

Breastfeeding topics commonly discussed by moms include milk production, newborns not drinking breast milk, or women experiencing pain and discomfort while breastfeeding.

To help with these problems, we spoke to Dr. John Schaffir, an OB/GYN from Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, about breastfeeding and the tradition of women sharing ideas with each other to make nursing a little easier.

One of the ideas that many nursing mothers have passed on to each other is using an herbal supplement called fenugreek which increases milk production.

“Fenugreek contains phytoestrogens, which are plant chemicals similar to estrogen,” said Dr. Schaffir in an interview with ConsumerAffairs. “A key compound in this, called diosgenin, has been shown experimentally to increase milk flow. It has been found that fenugreek can increase a nursing mother’s milk supply within 24 to 72 hours after first taking the herb.”

Schaffir also says that although fenugreek and other herbal remedies are used by nursing mothers, natural remedies as a whole aren't generally supported by physicians and regulators.

“The FDA provides only general guidelines on natural herbs, and fenugreek is included in FDA’s list of herbs generally regarded as safe," Schaffir said.

“There was a study in 1945 in Egypt on fenugreek, and there have been some other much smaller ones but they often were met with mixed results. There is an increasing amount of observational and anecdotal evidence that shows it works. Research on pregnant or nursing mothers is always difficult to get through regulatory boards, because it is important to demonstrate safety before starting a randomized or standardized trial, and this data is lacking,” he said.

The Wexner Medical Center recently released an informational video about breastfeeding, and showed that besides using fenugreek for milk production, nursing mothers can also take milk thistle and eat oatmeal.

Home solutions

To help with the pain that surrounds breastfeeding, the video shows that women can  apply cabbage leaves or tea bags to reduce some of the discomfort.

Schaffir says that because a lot of women have gone through nursing a child and have a wealth of information to share, many of these home solutions get passed around from person to person, while the list of remedies seems to grow continually.

Dr. Schaffir also says even though the remedies mentioned in the video have been known to be useful, taking care of new moms is paramount if a woman wants to successfully breastfeed.

“Most importantly, take care of mom,” he said. “That includes a lot of rest, relaxation, drinking fluids and eating a well-balanced diet. “Remove more milk from the breast. Do it frequently, so less milk accumulates in the breast between feedings. Avoid pacifiers and bottles.”

Also, “give the baby only breast milk, do not supplement with formula,” said Dr. Schaffir.

What's best for baby

When it comes to mothers deciding whether to breastfeed or not, they should first consider what’s healthiest for the baby, Schaffir advises.

“There are many health benefits to both mom and baby associated with breastfeeding, so that is often a big factor for women to consider,” says Schaffir. “These benefits include a reduced chance of the baby developing allergies, dying of SIDS, and increasing the baby’s IQ. For mom, benefits include a lower risk of developing certain types of cancer, nursing also helps the uterus heal after birth. Moms also can burn more calories wile breastfeeding.

“Some mothers consider the cost when deciding whether to breastfeed or not. Formula obviously costs money, while the breast milk is free. When breastfeeding there are fewer bottles and nipples to sterilize, and you don’t run the risk of running out in the middle of the night.”

“Mothers who breastfeed often miss fewer days of work because their infants aren’t sick as often. While every patient is different, I would recommend that women at least try to breastfeed."

Of course, there are instances where breastfeeding is ill-advised.

Mothers with HIV should never breastfeed because they can pass the virus on to their babies. Also, mothers taking certain prescription medications should consult with their doctor before breastfeeding, Schaffir notes.

He also says that mothers should take a proactive approach to remedying problems associated with breastfeeding, and many times, problems that are thought to be very serious are actually quite easy to fix.

“Breastfeeding frustrations are common in new moms and nothing that they should feel embarrassed, guilty or sad about, says Schaffir.

“Don’t wait to ask for help. Sometimes the trouble mothers are having can be cleared up in just a couple of visits with their doctor, nurse or lactation consultant.”

If there's one thing we probably don't need more of, it's endless discussions of politics from Washington reporters. On the other hand, if there's one thing we probably do need more of, it's reasonable and informed discussion between "experts" and the rest of us.

While the general pattern in media -- new and old -- is to figure out what has worked for others and then try to do the same thing more cheaply, more quickly or on a bigger scale. True innovation is rare.

Thus, it's interesting to note the approaches being taken to Internet video by two of the bigger names in the old and new media worlds -- the Washington Post and the Huffington Post.

WaPo, as it's known to many of its online followers, is frequently and fairly pilloried for seeing just about everything through the prism of politics -- interpreting the effects of hurricanes, mass murders and jobless data on the fates of political incumbents and challengers.

It thus comes as little surprise that the Post has announced plans for a new "online video channel" (catchy name, no?) that will provide at least 30 hours of programming each month, beginning this summer.

Video is popular with advertisers, the Post noted hopefully.

Gaffes and banality

The idea landed with a thud on the desk of Patrick B. Pexton, the Post's ombudsman -- the poor soul charged with representing the interests of the Post's readers.

"One of the problems of American journalism broadly is that stories about government have retreated while stories on politics and personality have skyrocketed," Pexton wrote last week. Washington coverage increasingly means just the White House, Congress and all politics all the time: the polls, the gaffes, who’s up, who’s down, who’s raising the most money. This coverage increases the banality of U.S. politics, where issues are never discussed beyond sound bites."

It's not as though there's any shortage of politics on the Web and TV, other critics noted. Sometimes, watching the endless jabbering of political reporters and other pundits on Fox, CNN, MSN, et al, one is left to wonder if anybody is out there doing any actual reporting.

And, as Paxton notes, it's not as though these endless discussions of politics actually do anything to inform American voters about the inner workings of government, which are actually a great deal more interesting and significant than the sorry dog-and-pony spectacles that pass for campaigns.

A little bit different

A fresher approach comes from the Huffington Post, a frequent target of old-school scribes who accuse it of being superficial and unoriginal. These are the same scribes who used to complain about TV news until budget cutbacks in TV news departments led to an increasing need for balding, overweight newspaper reporters to fill time cheaply.

Huffpost's take on video streaming is live.huffingtonpost.com. From 10 a.m. through 10 p.m. Eastern time weekdays, HuffPost Live features lengthy conversations that rotate from visting experts and pundits to viewers sitting in front of their laptops, thus doing as much programming in three days as the Post hopes to do in a month. Viewed on a computer, the screen is divided between the video feed and text comments submitted by viewers. On iPads and other devices, it works a little differently but the idea is the same.

It's really more like a town hall meeting or symposium than the usual shouting match or flash-cards-for-idiots format we've come to expect from broadcast and cable. We have to admit a slight bias here, since ConsumerAffairs got its start 15 years ago thinking that citizen collaboration could be a consumer protection tool almost as powerful as that mounted by government agencies and stodgy non-profits.

Curious about how HuffPost Live came about, we spoke a few weeks ago with HuffPo's founding editor Roy Sekoff, who is now president and co-creator of HuffPost Live, in this lightly-edited interview.

CA: Where did the idea for this originate?

"After we joined AOL, we started thinking about what we could do with that kind of guns, money and steel. I started thinking everything's happening in video, that's where advertisers want to be.

"That was basically the idea behind what we did but as we got into it, we realized that engagement would the differentiation. [On Huffpo[, we just passed our 200 millionth comment, which is insane. We moderate everything, so it's not spamming, trolls, etc.

"As I got deeper, I found out that 70% of all comments on Huffpo are in response to another comment. So I thought, what if we took those conversations and put them front and center on the streaming network. Once we made that decision, all the tumblers clicked into place – to put community front and center, make engagement the differentiator.

CA: Just like that, eh?

"Things have changed a little. We started out with a big screen up top. But when we decided to make engagement the key, that changed everything. At the end of the day, you're not tuning in for the visuals, it's engagement. So we shrunk the video, made room for the social stream and at the same time, we thought – OK, if our users are going to be part of the community, we want them to be as informed as possible. So we created a “resource well” under the video. So if you click on that, it shows you all the things we're using to plan that segment.

"You can come in there and read it, and when you come on the show, you can be as informed as any expert. So then, we said, that's cool. What if you could do that not just for the live segment, but for the one thats coming up. So we created “green rooms” – sort of an interactive program guide. You can scroll through anything for the next day. Click on that and you become immersed in that segment.

"It's really working. People are going there ahead of time, becoming engaged in the topic and getting ahead of the game – put your hand up to be a guest and say, hey, I have something to contribute to this segment.

"So that's how we came to this platform."

CA: Pretty brave, betting on substantive content

"Yes, well, the question is, do people want to do that? Will they want to do this on Huffpost and join us on air? Will they be any good at it? My premise was, I don't think it's that big a leap. Because of where we are with social technology, people are doing many of the things that we were hoping they would do.

"I was a little concerned that we were going to get a lot of bloviating without any depth of opinion. But the thing I find most rewarding is how good the community has been – the articulateness, the insight, the ability to have real conversations instead of just TV talk.

"We let our segments be longer. We wanted to avoid the a-b-a-b. You can sort of see it happening. Even people who are used to being on TV sort of relax when they see they're not going to get rushed out. It feels a little bit more natural and unrushed.

"It's transmedia. Everybody has been talking about the second-screen experience. Now we're doing the two-screen experience on one screen and we've found it really powerful, – people do want to do that. They form a community, they get to know each other. We do 12 hours of live programming and then repeat highlights and even then we get a tremendous amount of comments.

"It took on a new twist during the presidential debates. We got the rights to carry the debates, so we thought why don't we just run them? This is sort of like all the tweets – you're watching and commenting in real time. We ended up creating four different “rooms” – one for political junkies, one for comedy reaction, one for young voters and one for women. It was fun to see how people selected which room they wanted to be in.

"It's sort of created the 24-second news cycle – something fun about the fact that if you're not hip to binders full of women, you're sort of out of the conversation."

CA: Anybody else doing this?

"A lot of people are trying to get into streaming. WSJ Live, The New York Times, Politico TV. They're all kind of trying but for me the differentiator is the engagement and community.

"I kind of have a different view. People have asked me, why do I care about the ordinary person? I sort of have a different definition of expert – if you have skin in the game, then you're an expert. As consumers, we have data coming out of our ears. We don't really need some expert coming on.

"At the end of the day, I'm more interested in narrative, story-telling, putting flesh and blood on the data. Use story-telling and narrative and personal connections to things to put flesh and blood on the data. I think it works even better in some ways when you can actually see the person.

"We had a woman on the other day and it was really powerful. She's homeless but not that long ago had a $100,000 a year job, worked in media and then she got divorced and then got sick. Then she was in the hospital, couldn't work and then had a car accident. Those are the kinds of stories that's what were trying to do.

"Story telling makes for great journalism. Impactful journalism."

An agreement in principle involving ten mortgage servicing companies and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Reserve Board will mean more than $8.5 billion in cash payments and other assistance to help borrowers.

The sum includes $3.3 billion in direct payments to eligible borrowers and $5.2 billion in other assistance, such as loan modifications and forgiveness of deficiency judgments. The payments involve mortgage servicers operating under enforcement actions issued in April 2011 by the OCC, the Federal Reserve, and the Office of Thrift Supervision.

Payout to borrowers

The agreement ensures that more than 3.8 million borrowers whose homes were in foreclosure in 2009 and 2010 with the participating servicers will receive cash compensation in a timely manner.

Eligible borrowers are expected to receive compensation ranging from hundreds of dollars up to $125,000, depending on the type of possible servicer error.

This agreement includes Aurora, Bank of America, Citibank, JPMorgan Chase, MetLife Bank, PNC , Sovereign, SunTrust, U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo. For these participating servicers, fulfillment of the agreement would meet the requirements of the enforcement actions that mandated that the servicers retain independent consultants to conduct an Independent Foreclosure Review.

Consumers to benefit

As a result of this agreement, the participating servicers would cease the Independent Foreclosure Review, which involved case-by-case reviews, and replace it with a broader framework allowing eligible borrowers to receive compensation significantly more quickly. The OCC and the Federal Reserve accepted this agreement because it provides the greatest benefit to consumers subject to unsafe and unsound mortgage servicing and foreclosure practices during the relevant period in a more timely manner than would have occurred under the review process. Eligible borrowers will receive compensation whether or not they filed a request for review form, and borrowers do not need to take further action to be eligible for compensation.

A payment agent will be appointed to administer payments to borrowers on behalf of the servicers. Eligible borrowers are expected to be contacted by the payment agent by the end of March with payment details. Borrowers will not be required to execute a waiver of any legal claims they may have against their servicer as a condition for receiving payment. In addition, the servicers’ internal complaint process will remain available to borrowers.