The former compliance officer for money transfer company MoneyGram must pay $250,000 — the largest such fine imposed — to settle allegations that he personally failed to stop consumers from becoming victims of fraud. [More]
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Former MoneyGram Executive To Pay Record Personal Fine To Settle Money Laundering Accusations
Volkswagen Reaches $157M ‘Dieselgate’ Settlement; Gets Approval To Sell Diesels Again
Volkswagen is inching closer to putting its “Dieselgate” scandal in the rearview mirror. The automaker has agreed to a $157 million settlement that will end lawsuits in 10 states, and it has been cleared to start selling diesels in the U.S. again. [More]
J. Crew & Nordstrom Enter Into Symbiotic Clothes-Selling Relationship
When you’re a clothing line that also has a retail store, you tend to keep your apparel to your own stores. But when you’re a clothing line that could use some new blood, you might make a deal with a retailer that is also in need of an image boost. [More]
Tesla Buys SolarCity For $2.6B
After working together for years to build and test solar-based batteries for homes and businesses, Tesla has agreed to buy SolarCity — which is already chaired by CEO Elon Musk — for $2.6 billion. [More]
Jimmy John’s To Stop Using Noncompete Clauses In Employee Contracts
While the fast food industry is known for high worker turnover and employees who go from one competitor to the next, the folks at Jimmy John’s apparently thought that the skills they provided to their workers were so special that employees had to sign strict noncompete clauses preventing them from taking their sandwich-craft elsewhere, even if they were fired. Now, as part of a settlement with the New York attorney general, JJ has agreed to stop using these restrictive employment agreements. [More]
Lumber Liquidators Won’t Resume Sale Of Laminate Wood Flooring From China
More than a year after Lumber Liquidators stopped the sale of laminate wood flooring from China that was found to allegedly contain excessive formaldehyde levels, the flooring retailer and federal safety regulators have come to an agreement that the company won’t restart sales of the products and will provide customers who already installed the flooring with testing kits. [More]
Philadelphia Investigating Verizon’s Completion Of FiOS Buildout
The city of Philadelphia gave Verizon until Feb. 25 to complete a seven-year agreement to bring FiOS service to all residents. While the company says it completed the job, the city is double checking the status by enlisting the help of those living within its borders. [More]
Volkswagen Offers To Buy Back Emissions-Cheating “Clean Diesel” Cars
Owners of one of Volkswagen’s 500,000 diesel vehicles equipped with “defeat devices” designed to cheat emission standards will have two options when it comes to fixing their vehicles: allow the carmaker to buy it back or have it modified to meet emissions standards. [More]
Sherwin-Williams Buys Valspar For $11.3B, Will Really Cover The Earth
Simply walking past the paint aisle at your local home improvement store is enough to make many hearts race and palms go sweaty — what with all the choices. But those walls of swatches might belie the fact that many of those paint brands are owned by the same companies — and that industry could consolidate even further now that Sherwin-Williams has agreed to put itself in the mixing stand with Valspar for $11.3 billion. [More]
MoneyGram To Pay $13M, Revamp Policies To Protect Against Wire Transfer Fraud
While advances in technology now allow us to zap money from our bank accounts to our friends and family members with the touch of a button, some people continue to rely on money transfer services. But as we’ve reported several times in the past, these companies are often the service of choice for scammers looking to get their hands on your hard-earned money. One such outfit, MoneyGram, today agreed to revamp its policies and provide $13 million in restitution to consumers who were harmed by fraudsters using the service. [More]
VTech’s Latest User Agreement Lets Company Skirt Liability For Future Hacks
Last year, a data breach of VTech’s Learning Lodge app store exposed personal information for millions of parents and children. While the company claims to have improved its security to prevent future hacks, it also looks like VTech has given itself a way out of liability for anything bad that might happen. [More]
Carmakers, Regulators To Announce Agreement To Improve Vehicle Safety
Federal regulators and automakers from around the world are set to announce an agreement on Friday to reform and improve auto safety following a year of record fines and safety recalls. [More]
Carnival Must Upgrade Ships, Pay $350K After Disability Violations
Ships operated by the world’s largest cruise provider are about to become more easily accessible for passengers with disabilities, as Carnival Corp. and the Department of Justice reached an agreement to resolve an investigation into complaints that the cruise line failed to adequately provide accommodations for those with disabilities. [More]
Lyft To Pay $300,000 To Resolve Claims It Illegally Operated In Some Areas Of New York
Nearly a year after the New York Attorney General’s office and state insurance regulators filed a lawsuit accusing ride-sharing app Lyft of violating state law in certain areas, the company has agreed to pay $300,000 to resolve the complaint. [More]