Current Events in September 2016

Big Pharma can perhaps thank the EpiPen dust-up for delivering a jolt of adrenaline to Congress. Legislation introduced today is being billed as the "first step" in addressing skyrocketing drug prices by requiring more transparency.

“Drug corporations are sticking it to American taxpayers with soaring prescription drug prices,”said Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), one of the bill's sponsors. “This bipartisan reform will require transparency and accountability for drug corporations who are jacking up costs for families in need of affordable lifesaving treatments.

The measure -- dubbed the Fair Accountability and Innovative Research (FAIR) Drug Pricing Act -- would require drug manufacturers to provide more information about planned drug price increases, including research and development costs.

“The American public is demanding to know why life-saving prescription drugs – many developed with their taxpayer dollars – cost so much,” said Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) in a news release. "Congress has sat by while Mylan increased the cost of life-saving EpiPens from $100 to over $600, while Gleevec, a cancer drug that came on the market at $30,000 now costs more than $100,000. The average cost of insulin has gone up 231%.  Now is the time for action."

Meds or mortgage?

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said Americans "should not be forced to choose between filling a prescription or making their monthly mortgage payment."

McCain said the legislation would bring much-needed transparency to prescription drug prices – a policy that 8 in 10 Americans support, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Transparency leads to accountability, and it is past time that mantra applied to the skyrocketing cost of prescription medication, he said.

U.S. prescription drug spending reached a record high of $425 billion in 2015, accounting for almost 16.7 percent of all U.S. health care spending, with expectations that spending will surpass $600 billion by 2020.

AARP support

“It’s abundantly clear that we need to address the unsustainable trend of sky-high prescription drug prices,” said Jo Ann Jenkins, CEO of AARP, which has lined up behind the measure. “The FAIR Drug Pricing Act is an important step in demanding more transparency from pharmaceutical companies when they dramatically raise the prices of their products.”

Nearly 60% of Americans take at least one prescription drug on a regular basis, according to a study published in JAMA, Jenkins noted. The average senior takes four medications on a regular basis. According to an AARP report, retail prices for a combined set of widely used prescription drugs consistently increased faster than general inflation in every year from 2006 to 2013.

The average annual retail cost of widely used specialty prescription drugs was over $53,000 in 2013, more than twice the median income of $23,500 for Medicare beneficiaries.

What it would do

Specifically, the FAIR Drug Pricing Act would require drug manufacturers to notify the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and submit a transparency and justification report 30 days before they increase the price of certain drug products by more than 10 percent.

The report will require manufacturers to provide a justification for each price increase, manufacturing, and research and development cost for the qualifying drug; net profits attributable to the qualifying drug; marketing and advertising spending on the qualifying drug; and other information as deemed appropriate.

The bill will not prohibit manufacturers from increasing prices, but it will for the first time give taxpayers notice of price increases and bring basic transparency to the market for prescription drugs.

The dust has yet to settle from Wells Fargo's admission that thousands of its employees opened bogus checking and credit card accounts in order to hit sales goals.

You might say it is heading into a dust storm.

Various media outlets are citing anonymous sources which say that FBI and federal prosecutors have begun an investigation into the matter, which burst into public view this week with the announcement that Wells Fargo was paying $185 million in fines to federal and Los Angeles regulators.

The bank said it had fired 5,300 employees who allegedly opened hundreds of thousands of deposit and credit card accounts for consumers without those consumers' knowledge or permission, presumably to meet strict sales goals.

Neither the FBI nor the bank would comment on reports of a potential criminal investigation, but that's normal procedure. It would be highly unusual if either party did.

Congress getting into the act

However, the Senate Banking Committee has scheduled a public hearing for next week in which it will press Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf to explain what happened and how. The committee will also hear from officials of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and Los Angeles City Attorney's Office, the agencies that uncovered the activity.

In a bid to limit the fallout from the revelations, Stumph went on CNBC's “Mad Money” this week and apologized to consumers who had accounts opened without their permission. He told host Jim Cramer he takes “personal responsibility” for the scandal, but also said he would not resign because of it.

There has been some speculation that Stumph might be forced out over the revelations, but Joe Morford, an analyst with RBC Capital Markets, told the San Francisco Examiner he believes Stumph will survive.

"I'm a little surprised that the issue has become as big as it has,” Morford told the newspaper. “But this is the kind of story that does well with politicians and the press — not to diminish what happened."

Another takeaway from all of this, at least for allies of the CFPB, is the role of the watchdog in exposing Wells Fargo's activity. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew says, if not for the often-criticized agency, along with other regulators, the scandal would not have come to light.

Debt collection company iQor, along with its subsidiary Allied Interstate LLC, have been sued for $10 million by four district attorneys in California. The state officials said that the companies violated a number of consumer protection acts when they used automatic dialing systems to harass consumers with robocalls.

The complaint states that consumers were hounded by these calls for months, even when they owed no money. Prosecutors say that one consumer from San Jose received 126 calls in less than a month, while another man from Sunnyvale received 88 calls over a three-month period until he finally blocked the number.

iQor has defended its actions, and the actions of its subsidiaries, saying that the district attorneys were too quick to “suspend productive dialogue” centered around Allied’s “long-retired debt collection practices in favor of protracted litigation.”

“Allied enjoys an A-plus rating from the Better Business Bureau, is currently under no material regulatory restrictions at the federal or state level and is committed to consumer protection both within the state of California as well as the rest of the country,” said iQor officials in a statement. “Allied looks forward to defending this matter and continuing to improve its collection practices as industry expectations evolve.”

Violations

The charges do not look favorable for either of the companies, though. Prosecutors say that both firms violated a number of provisions from California’s Rosenthal Act, the state’s constitutional right to privacy, and the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act – which forbids companies from using automatic dialing systems to call consumer cell phone numbers without consent.

The district attorneys also charged that the companies violated established consumer protections by calling before 8 a.m. and after 9 p.m. The companies also allegedly tried to collect debts that had previously been discharged during bankruptcy.

It isn’t the first time that Allied has faced regulatory scrutiny. From 2004 to 2011, the company was embroiled in several legal battles with state agencies across the country, including cases in Minnesota, Arizona, West Virginia, Maryland, Oregon, California, Florida, and Ohio. The company also paid $1.75 million to the FTC in 2010 for harassing consumers and trying to collect debts from the wrong people.

If bath time is synonymous with a struggle in your house, you may feel relieved to find out that your child may not need to be bathed as often as you think.

Getting suds-up every day isn’t necessary for most kids. In fact, dermatologists from the American Academy of Dermatology say a little dirt and grime may actually be good for growing bodies.

“For children, a few germs here and there are healthy, as this is how their bodies learn to fight off bacteria and build stronger immune systems,” said dermatologist Robert Sidbury, MD, MPH, FAAD.

Sidbury says most children only need a bath a few times a week, but bath time frequency is largely contingent on your child’s age and activity level.

Factors to consider  

When determining how often your child should bathe and wash their hair, parents should consider the following factors:

• Age. Children ages 6 to 11 generally only need to bathe two to three times per week, says Dr. Sidbury.

• Hair type. Before puberty, 6- to- 11-year olds only need to shampoo their hair once or twice each week. However, kids of African descent or kids with dry or curly hair can go seven to 10 days between washes.

• Activity level. While a few germs may be healthy, a body caked in dirt or mud is neither healthy nor house-friendly. Kids should always bathe after playing in the mud, sweating heavily, or swimming.

• Puberty. Daily showers and twice-daily face washing should begin when puberty does, around age 12. Hair can be shampooed either daily or every other day, although children of African descent and kids with dry or curly hair can go longer between lathers (hair can be shampooed every seven to 10 days).

Making bath time fun 

When bath day does roll around, not every child will be excited. Active young children may not find sitting in a tub to be an activity worthy of eager anticipation. 

If your child isn't a fan of bath time, try infusing it with some fun. Here are a few ideas that can make bath time more fun, without getting kids too riled up before bed: 

• Listen to favorite stories. While kids are soaking, parents can be reading to them from one of their favorite books.
• Play with a favorite toy. Let your child bring one of their waterproof toys in the tub, or purchase a few toys made especially for bath time. 
• Read a special bath book. Read waterproof bath books designed to be brought into the tub.
• Think up an adventure. Parents can tap into their imaginations to create an adventure that can make bath time fun.
• Let kids use bath tub crayons. Bath tubs crayons can keep kids entertained while they're getting clean. You can even make them yourself. 

House-flipping is as popular and as profitable as it has ever been, according to new research from ATTOM Data Solutions, the new parent company of RealtyTrac.

In the second quarter of this year, it counted 51,434 house flips in monitored U.S. markets, up 14% from the first quarter and up 3% from the second quarter of 2015. It's the largest number of flips since the second quarter of 2010, when the housing crisis flooded the market with foreclosures.

A flip is defined as a property sold for the second time within a 12-month period. To be included in the RealtyTrac report, it had to occur in one of more than 950 counties that account for more than 80% of the U.S. population.

Deja vu?

Flipping houses was all the rage during the housing bubble, which might cause some to view the report with alarm. But things are a little different from 2006, when house-flipping peaked, just before the crash.

RealtyTrac reports flips made up 5.5% of all residential real estate transactions in the second quarter, and has pretty much kept that pace since the housing market crash. In some ways flippers have been a positive force in the real estate market.

By and large, the homes that are flipped are foreclosures, or other run-down properties that can be purchased at a significant discount. Homes that are damaged will not qualify for most financing, meaning they can't be sold unless a buyer comes to the table with cash.

After a flipper renovates a property, with updated kitchen, new flooring, and fresh paint, the house easily qualifies for financing and will sell at a price that is comparable to other houses in the neighborhood.

Providing inventory

Without flippers, real estate inventory would be even tighter, since these homes might not be accessible to buyers. Since builders aren't putting up nearly as many new homes as in the past, flippers are providing much needed inventory that keeps prices from rising even faster.

Nearly 40,000 investors carried out flips in the second quarter, the largest number since 2007.

“Home flipping is becoming more accessible for smaller operators thanks to an increasingly competitive lending environment with more loan options for real estate investors, who are also benefitting from the historically low mortgage interest rates,” said Daren Blomquist, senior vice president at ATTOM Data Solutions. “That favorable lending environment for flippers has helped to fuel the recent flipping frenzy we’ve seen over the past five quarters.

Flipping, which carries obvious risk, is also highly profitable. The report shows the average return on investment (ROI) in the first two quarters of 2016 was 49%, compared to 27% in 2006.

In recent years there have been studies that have addressed the question of whether a college education is still worth the massive cost. These studies almost always conclude that it is.

New research from Public Agenda, a public policy organization, suggests these previous studies may have been talking to the wrong people.

While policymakers overwhelmingly agree that a college degree is the most reliable path to prosperity, consumers are not so sure. The survey found only 42% of Americans believe a college degree is necessary. Over half – 59% – say there are many ways to succeed without one.

“I think there's declining confidence in the direct relationship between a college credential of some kind and a job that pays a family a living wage,” Alison Kadlec, Public Agenda’s Director of Higher Education and Workforce Development, told ConsumerAffairs.

But wait a minute. Isn't the unemployment rate below 5%? Yes, but there is also a record number of American adults not working. If they aren't actively looking for a job, they aren't counted as unemployed.

Can't find skilled people

At the same time, American employers are complaining they can't find enough skilled workers to fill all their slots.

Kadlec says it's not a case that colleges aren't teaching useful skills. Employers say they want people who have critical thinking skills, communication, writing, problem solving, and the ability to deal with diverse audiences. She says these are the kinds of skills that are the bedrock of a liberal arts education. Or at least, they once were.

When college graduates can't find jobs and employers complain they can't find people with skills, it may mean the path to the middle class is about to change.

“I think what it's signaling is that the traditional credential structure isn't reflecting either the realities of the workplace, or the realities of the modern student,” Kadlec said. “There are disconnects all over the place.”

All about money

Kadlec says the research also finds a growing disenchantment with the college system. Fifty-nine percent of those questioned said colleges are too focused on money and not enough on educating.

Kadlec says part of this cynicism may stem from what she called a “dysfunctional” college transfer system, in which students transferring from one institution to another find many credits earned at one institution don't transfer to another, requiring them to take the courses again, adding to tuition bills.

While student loan debt tends to get most of the attention from policymakers, Kadlec believes there will be increasing focus on what students are actually getting for their money.

College completion

“For the last couple of years, the most important marker has been college completion,” she said. “What happens to students after they graduate is the place most people understand they need to be looking.”

For-profit colleges are already getting that scrutiny from the Department of Education, but so far most non-profit colleges have gotten a pass, at least from the government. The market, however, may be judging them differently.

Alternatives to college

There are new kinds of credentials that can be obtained faster and more cheaply and that are highly valued by employers. An example is a “coding academy,” which provides intensive training in writing code over a short period of time, and whose graduates easily find lucrative jobs.

As a result, she says employers may soon show wider flexibility in demanding a bachelor's degree for entry level jobs.

Kadlec says it's an issue public colleges and universities will need to address, because as people become more suspicious of higher education's motives, they will become more savvy consumers and look for education and credentials that will actually do them some good in the real world.

Retail sales dipped in August -- the first decline in five months.

According to the Commerce Department, sales were off 0.3% last month at $456.3 billion. As it released the report for last month, the government revised its July figures to show a sales gain of 0.1%. The previous months sales had been reported as showing virtually no change.

On a year-over-year basis, sales in August were up 1.9%.

The biggest positive influences came from food services & drinking places (+0.9%) and clothing & clothing accessories stores (+0.7%). Sales declines were posted by miscellaneous store retailers (-2.4%), sporting goods, hobby, book & music stores (-1.4%), building material, garden equipment & supplies dealers (-1.4%), and gas stations (-0.8%)

The complete report is available on the Commerce Department website.

Initial jobless claims

A small uptick last week in initial jobless claims.

From the Department of Labor (DOL), word that first-time applications for state unemployment benefits totaled 260,000 in the week ending September 10 -- an increase of 1,000 from the previous week's unrevised level.

It's now 80 weeks in a row that the claims level has stayed below 300,000 -- the longest streak since 1970.

The four-week moving average, considered a better gauge of the labor market due to its relative lack of volatility, dipped by 500 to 260,750.

The full report may be found on the DOL website.

Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 has acquired quite a reputation as a firebug, but it's not the only Samsung device that is being blamed for starting fires. Consumers in the United States and Australia are incensed by blazes that have broken out in their Samsung washers.

Soojung of Sacramento, Calif., recounted a recent incident with her Samsung washer in a ConsumerAffairs review: "About seven fire trucks came with two police officers and 21 firemen. It took 50 minutes to extinguish the fire. The fire department says that a faulty part in Samsung washer caused the fire."

Soojung complained that Samsung did not respond to her complaints about the fire. In Australia, Samsung has recalled 144,000 washing machines because of a defect that can cause a fire. But some consumers there say the recall has not gone far enough, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph. 

Samsung did not immediately respond to a request for comment on this story.

One Australian homeowner, Phoebe Teitzel, said Samsung had assured her in writing that her machine had been modified before being sold and did not pose a fire hazard. It burst into flames anyway, the 30th such case reported in Australia, according to the newspaper.

The "fix" in Australia amounts to using a plastic bag and tape to keep condensation from building up on electrical connections.

Earlier this month, Samsung recalled its new Galaxy Note 7 smartphone and said it will replace every device that has been sold since its introduction on August 19. It also suspended sales of the smartphone. The extraordinary moves followed 35 reports of exploding batteries, mostly in Korea. 

"Just completely exploded"

U.S. consumers have so far been stymied in their attempts to identify the cause of the washer problem and to get their machines repaired or replaced. 

"My two-year-old Samsung washing machine just completely exploded the other day," said Kim of Muscatine, Iowa. "I had the company where I bought the machine from say it is repairable. How can you repair something made of metal that is not even a square anymore -- and even think that it will work properly?"

Shari of La Verne, Calif., said Samsung charged her $65 to have a technician come and look at her machine after it caught fire, then refused to replace it.

"The technician found that because my unit caught fire and I now needed to replace my motor, motherboard, valves and all the wiring, that it was a complete loss and too much to fix. Then when they submitted the order to Samsung, they denied it," she said.

In Tempe, Ariz., Rehta said she had eight years of problems with her Samsung washer, finally ending when the machine caught fire after a service visit.

"My experience ended with my washing machine STARTING ON FIRE. I had to unplug it, move it to the middle of a room, smother the fire to keep it from burning down my house."

At the service visit just before the fire, Rehta said the technician told her the machine needed $1,200 worth of work but was safe to use. "That was only one load before it started on fire," she said.

What to do

Consumers who experience safety problems with appliances, furniture, toys or other products should report their experience to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which can order a recall, using the CPSC's online complaint form. It's also a good idea to post reviews at ConsumerAffairs and other review sites. 

Being an independent contractor in the gig economy can come with its own pros and cons. While many like the flexibility of being able to work where and when they want, many more are wary to engage in a job that doesn’t give much stability or the generous benefits plan that many larger companies provide.

Now, one company has taken steps towards providing its contract workers with some breathing room. In a new plan announced today, Care.com has said it will provide its caregivers $500 per year to use on health care, transportation, and education expenses. It marks one of the earliest company commitments towards providing contract workers with employee benefits in the gig economy.

“Caregivers constitute one of the largest segments of the gig economy and the fastest growing large job category in our country. Caregivers frequently work for multiple families and almost always work without access to professional benefits,” said Sheila Marcelo, founder and chief executive of Care.com.

“The Care.com Benefits platform not only provides that access but now makes these benefits more affordable through the help of employer contribution to the program. Pooled, portable, peer-to-peer benefits represent a new model for household employment and an innovative step forward in professionalizing caregivers.”

An important step

The new plan stands in stark contrast to the support that many contract employees have enjoyed over the past few years. While several initiatives have been started to provide contract workers with benefits, more often than not they end up falling flat.

Take, for instance, the attempt by the New York Taxi Workers Alliance. In 2012, a labor organization moved to have taxi medallion owners deduct six cents from every cab fare to fund portable health and disability insurance for drivers. It lasted for a little while, but the New York Supreme Court shut down the regulation in 2014.

Cases like these tend to pervade the culture of the gig economy, so Care.com’s new plan may end up being influential towards similar causes. “We’re starting to see the first signs of life, where companies see it as in their interest to collect money for workers to get benefits. It’s a really important step,” said Sara Horowitz of the Freelancers Union.

“A strong care workforce is critical to our economy and the well-being of families, yet we lack a scalable solution to provide benefits for these workers who support us all,” said Marcelo. “As freelance labor moves to work for different people, their benefits should move with them. We haven’t seen anyone do what we’re doing. We think it’s groundbreaking.”

It used to be that the release of a new iPhone was greeted by insane levels of enthusiasm by faithful consumers. While lines at the Apple store no longer extend outside and around the block, there are still those who scramble to pick up the latest iteration of the popular smartphone.

However, some of these consumers feel jilted by Apple and are voicing their displeasure in the form of a lawsuit. They allege that Apple showed preferential treatment to new customers during the recent preorder process for the iPhone 7, leaving members of Apple’s Upgrade Program without a new phone when the products were released. This is especially egregious, the complainants say, because being a part of the program is supposed to guarantee an upgrade every year.

“While scores of customers signed up for the program and were ready to take advantage of the every-year upgrade with the release of the new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, Apple had a different plan in mind. It allowed non-iPhone Upgrade Program customers to snap up the limited inventory of the new devices while telling countless iPhone Upgrade Program customers to ‘check back later,’” the lawsuit stated.

Preferential treatment

Consumers who sign up for the iPhone Upgrade Program are usually sold new iPhones by Apple when they’re released. The payments for the phones are divided up into 24 monthly installments, and consumers who pay at least 12 of the 24 payments are eligible to trade in their existing iPhone when a new one comes out, or after six months.

By favoring new customers and not following through on upgrades for members, the complainants say that Apple failed to deliver on its promise of an upgrade “every year.” Now members will have to wait weeks or months for a new batch of phones to become available. Additionally, the lawsuit says that forcing members to wait now will inevitably lead to them having to wait again next year or pay extra to secure the latest phone.

The lawsuit is seeking reimbursements for any payments made on 2015 iPhone models while members of the iPhone Upgrade Program wait for their new phones. It also demands that Apple allow members to be eligible for the 2017 iPhone next September, even if they’re delayed in purchasing the iPhone 7 this year. The complainants also require that the company not restrict availability of supplies to upgrade members in the future.

There are some places you simply don't use a debit card. A restaurant, for example, if the server takes the payment from the table to the cash register. A good rule of thumb is to never pay with a debit card if you can't see the card at all times.

It may be time to add gas stations where you pay at the pump to the list of places where you should not use a debit card. Scammers are able to use two different techniques to steal card data and both are increasingly difficult for consumers to detect, until they look at their next statement.

What's happening in Wisconsin provides a good illustration. The state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has issued a consumer alert, warning that “skimmers” have been founded at numerous gas stations across the state.

Two types of skimmers

The department said its inspectors have found two types of skimmers. External devices fit over the actual card reader on the gas pump. When the consumer swipes a debit card, it can steal the data and record the PIN.

Internal skimmers can be even harder to detect. They typically are made of a simple cable with an in-line recording device that runs between the card reader and the main board. It records the card data, which is later retrieved.

"A consumer may likely have no indication that they used an altered dispenser until they find a discrepancy on their bank statements," said Frank Frassetto, Division Administrator of Trade and Consumer Protection.

Playing defense

Frassetto says the best defense is to closely monitor bank and credit card statements, looking for discrepancies. However, only using a credit card, rather than a debit card at pay-at-the-pump stations, will provide an extra level of protection.

Fraudulent charges on your credit card are usually limited to no more than $50 if promptly reported. But a thief with access to your debit card data can clean out your bank account. Some banks have policies that limit consumer losses in the event of this kind of fraud, but policies vary from bank to bank.

Meanwhile, it's best to avoid getting entangled in this kind of fraud, regardless of the payment type you are using. Wisconsin consumer authorities say you should quickly inspect a gas pump's card reader before sliding your card in the slot.

First, lightly wiggle the keypad. External skimmers may feel loose, or even fall off with pressure. Internal skimmers are harder to spot, but check to see if any security seals have been broken on the dispenser cabinet. That's a sign of tampering.

And just because this rash of skimmers was uncovered in Wisconsin doesn't mean you can relax if you live in Ohio. Scams are not limited by geography. This fraud was exposed in Wisconsin only because inspectors there found it. It could easily be happening where you live, but it just hasn't been uncovered yet.

Hackers and cybercriminals keep getting smarter and more sophisticated, making government and private IT professionals scramble to keep up. Perversely, it's also creating job opportunities.

Increasingly, vulnerable organizations don't have the people they need to defend themselves. That's the takeaway from a study by Foote Partners, which tracks IT jobs across all skill levels.

Its report estimates the demand for cybersecurity professionals will climb to six million by 2019, with an anticipated shortfall of about 1.5 million.

The reason, the report argues, is a skills gap. There aren't enough people trained to defend databases and networks from attack, or who have the latest skills required to do so. Some of the people who are in place aren't the right people, the study argues, since the whole field has rapidly changed with the mushrooming threat.

“They may have good technical people who can fix firewalls and implement basic perimeter solutions,” the authors write. “But what’s missing are enough of the sort of people who can make the case for cybersecurity being linked to business challenges and business developments.”

Job opportunities

While this is perceived as a weakness for organizations, it could present opportunities for people considering a career, or career change. A check of job site Monster.com showed more than 1,000 cybersecurity job openings.

“Government and the private sector haven’t brought enough urgency to solving the cybersecurity talent shortage” said Chris Young, senior vice president and general manager of Intel Security Group.

However, some clearly have. Microsoft has taken a leading role in pushing development of cybersecurity in the Internet of Things (IoT) and globally-relevant IoT standards. Microsoft recently advocated government action to help protect IoT, including a private-public partnership to pursue guidelines for cybersecurity.

New challenges and vulnerabilities

IoT presents new challenges and vulnerabilities. As more things become connected to networks, there is greater opportunity to break into them. Once inside, a hacker might be able to access other connected devices or even networks.

Analysts at Gartner think that within just four years, more than a quarter of hacking attacks on organizations will involve IoT. That will require more spending than is currently allocated, and it will require more people, they say.

According to the Foote study, Cisco System is ramping up its cybersecurity training efforts. It recently said it would invest $10 million in a two-year scholarship program to help close the skills gap.

For people interested in pursing these career opportunities, the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies might be a good resource.

Employment experts aren't expecting much in the way of hiring in the retail sector for this year's Christmas shopping season.

Outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas predicts hiring by retailers will show little change from last year when seasonal employment in the sector increased by 738,800 during the final three months of the year. That was down 1.4% from 2014, according to employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

That doesn't mean nobody's hiring though.

“While seasonal retail jobs remain flat or shrink, there has been a marked increase in seasonal job gains in other sectors,” said John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas. “The sector with the biggest increase in holiday hiring in recent years has been transportation and warehousing, as more and more holiday shopping is done online.”

Transportation and warehousing hiring

Target has already announced plans to add 70,000 retail workers -- about the same as a year ago. But, it also said it'll be adding 7,500 people in its distribution facilities, which ship online orders and send products to stores.

Last year, transportation and warehousing employment increased by a non-seasonally adjusted 200,500 workers in November and December. A decade ago, the seasonal job gains measured just 42,400.

FedEx and UPS hired 150,000 extra holiday workers last year, and both are expected to add the same number this season.

Distribution and call center operator Radial reportedly plans to increase its global payrolls by 20,000 for the upcoming holiday season

Even more hiring

“Seasonal hiring is not limited to retail or retail-related industries,” said Challenger. "More and more Americans are giving friends and families experiences instead of material items. The increase in this type of gift-giving means that there are more seasonal employment opportunities at theaters, restaurants, amusement parks, and other entertainment venues.”

Last week, Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee, announced that it will be hiring 300 seasonal workers for its annual holiday attraction, which features two million pounds of ice sculptures.

Going nowhere fast. That's what happened on some of the nation's airport runways during July.

Airlines reported 11 tarmac delays of more than three hours on domestic flights and 10 delays of more than four hours on international flights in July. All are being investigated by the Department of Transportation (DOT).

Additionally, the government received 1,963 consumer complaints about airline service. While that's a decline of 9.4% from the same time a year ago, it's up 31.6% from June 2016.

The DOT's Air Travel Consumer Report includes information on on-time performance, cancellations, chronically delayed flights, and the causes of such delays. Also included are statistics on mishandled baggage reports, oversales, and information about the number of animals that died, were injured, or were lost during air transport in.

The full report is available on the DOT website.

From the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), word that mortgage applications rose for a third consecutive week.

According to the MBA's weekly survey, applications jumped 4.2% in the week ending September 9 -- including an adjustment for the Labor Day holiday.

The Refinance Index was up 2%, although the refinance share of mortgage activity fell to 62.9% of total applications from 64.0% the previous week.

The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity came in at 4.6% of total applications, the FHA share went from 9.5% to 9.6%, the VA share rose to 12.0% from 11.9% and the USDA share of total applications increased to 0.7% from 0.6% a week earlier.

Contract interest rates

• The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages (FRMs) with conforming loan balances ($417,000 or less) dipped one basis point -- to 3.67% from 3.68% -- with points decreasing to 0.36 from 0.37 (including the origination fee) for 80% loan-to-value ratio (LTV) loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.
• The average contract interest rate for 30-year FRMs with jumbo loan balances (greater than $417,000) dropped to 3.64% from 3.66%, with points increasing to 0.36 from 0.30 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.
• The average contract interest rate for 30-year FRMs backed by the FHA was down two basis points to 3.50%, with points decreasing to 0.27 from 0.35 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.
• The average contract interest rate for 15-year FRMs inched up from 2.96% to 2.97%, with points unchanged at 0.34 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate increased from last week.
• The average contract interest rate for 5/1 ARMs was unchanged at 2.87%, with points increasing to 0.37 from 0.30 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate increased from last week.

The survey covers over 75% of all U.S. retail residential mortgage applications.

Toyota Motor North America is recalling approximately 7,600 model year 2016 Prius vehicles in the U.S.

The recalled vehicles are equipped with a front passenger airbag containing stored, compressed gas in the inflator. A component in the airbag assembly may have been improperly welded and/or misassembled. If this occurs, the stored gas may escape without a deployment signal and result in the partial inflation of the air bag. This has been observed when the vehicle is parked and unoccupied for a period of time.

An airbag that inflates in this manner can, under some circumstances, increase the risk of injury and the possibility of a crash.

What to do

Toyota will notify all known owners of the recalled vehicles by first class mail beginning in November and Toyota dealers will replace the front passenger airbag assembly with a new one at no cost.

Owners may call Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987.  

Net neutrality is supposed to mean that all content on the Internet is treated equally by carriers, but wireless carriers are finding ways to push the envelope.

In the latest example, AT&T is lifting wireless data caps for customers who also subscribe to DirecTV or U-Verse, meaning those customers can watch life or recorded shows on their wireless device without burning up their monthly data ration. 

To take advantage of it, you'll need the latest DirecTV app, already available for iOS and coming soon for Android.

Verizon, meanwhile, has added NFL mobile service to its Go90 short video service on the "zero rating" list. Verizon Wireless customers can watch either without eating into their data cap. But be careful! If you gorge on ESPN or YouTube, it's a different story -- each digit will count against you.

You can thank T-Mobile for starting all this with its Binge On service, which offers zero data usage counts for a long list of video attractions.

It's basically a marketing ploy intended to encourage customers to load up on services from the same provider -- to get both wireless and satellite or cable TV from AT&T or Verizon. 

It's a sore point, though, for consumer activists, who say that while the zero rating deals may be technically legal, they violate the spirit of net neutrality. They're pushing the Federal Communications Commission to clamp down on the practice, but so far the FCC has apparently found nothing actionable about it.

Amazon and Pandora may be looking to up the stakes in the music streaming marketplace. Both companies are reportedly looking to release their own music streaming services in the near future to compete with the likes of Spotify and Apple Music.

Both companies will also be looking to provide versions of their services for under $10 per month – something that is virtually unheard of in the industry today.

New music services

While $10-per-month subscriptions will still be offered by Amazon, users will be able to cut that price to $5 per month if they own the company’s Echo speaker. Subscribers can expect to have access to a wider catalog of music than what is currently available under the company’s Prime membership.

It isn’t yet clear whether Prime members will have automatic access to the new music streaming service, but critics have argued that they will more than likely need to pay the extra $5 or $10 per month.

Pandora made a name for itself by providing easily accessible internet radio to consumers. It plans to expand on its current $5 subscription platform by giving users the ability to block unwanted ads, skip more unwanted songs, and save more online playlists.

The company will also be offering a $10-per-month version of its service that more closely mirrors services provided by Spotify and Apple Music.

Potential for streaming services

The new services provided by Amazon and Pandora should provide a bit of a gut-check to the industry. The lower prices could potentially redefine the value that consumers put on music in the Internet Age, where you can find almost any song for free if you really want to.

The current $10-per-month subscription plans have been likened to the original 99 cents that Apple charged for downloading music when it revealed iTunes back in 2003. However, at an annual cost of $120 per year, many casual music listeners have been unable to justify the price. Some industry experts believe that there is still room for streaming music services to make money, though -- despite the presence of so much free music in the digital space.

“Even with the presence of free, you can still get tens of millions to pay for streaming services – and possibly much more – in the event that you get the price much lower,” said former digital music executive David Pakman.

Whether Amazon or Pandora will find that magical low number remains to be seen. Pandora may launch its service as soon as next week, while Amazon will likely release its own later in September.