The long list of restaurant chains filing for bankruptcy amid slower sales added another name today: Romano’s Macaroni Grill. [More]
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Joe’s Crab Shack Owner Files For Bankruptcy, Preps For Sale Of Chain
By 6.7.17 — Updated: 6.9.17
A year after its failed no-tipping policy experiment and a month after rumors began swirling that Joe’s Crab Shack parent company Ignite Restaurants was prepping for bankruptcy, the company has done just that and revealed plans to sell itself to a private equity firm. [More]
Gordmans Files For Bankruptcy, Will Liquidate
By 3.13.17 — Updated: 3.31.17
A week after reports suggested that midwest retailer Gordmans was preparing to file for bankruptcy, the off-price retailer has done so and revealed plans to liquidate assets. [More]
Payday Lenders Go To Court In Attempt To Keep Working With Banks
By 11.28.16
The payday lending industry claims that recent regulatory efforts to rein in short-term, high-interest loans have severely restricted their access to traditional banks. Now a trade organization representing the controversial lenders has asked for a federal court to intervene. [More]
Snapchat Quietly Files For $25B Initial Public Offering
By 11.16.16
A month after the rumor mill began swirling with ideas that Snap — the parent company of quick-photo messaging app Snapchat — would file for an initial public offering, the tech company has officially filed papers to go public to the tune of $25 billion. [More]
Lawmakers: Wells Fargo Employee Files Show Bank Knew Of Fake Account Fiasco
By 11.4.16
Under federal law, when brokers or other registered representatives leave a position with a banking institution, that company is required to notify the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) with a form that includes a field that describes why the worker was leaving. It’s those filings that lawmakers are pointing to now, claiming that Wells Fargo knew well in advance that its employees were taking part in the now infamous fake account fiasco. [More]
Report: Takata Could File Bankruptcy Of U.S. Assets, But It Won’t Happen Soon
By 11.4.16
Weeks after Japanese parts maker Takata reportedly began mulling the idea of restructuring through a sale that could include a bankruptcy filing amid the prospect of being saddled with billions of dollars in costs the company faces linked to its massive shrapnel-shooting airbag debacle, we’re learning more about what exactly the bankruptcy prospect means. [More]
Texas-Based Retailer Hastings Files For Bankruptcy; Looks To Sell 126 Stores
By 6.14.16
Following in the footsteps of companies like Blockbuster, Borders, and other retailers that sold or rented books, movies, and video games, Hastings Entertainment is bowing to years of faltering sales, filing for bankruptcy on Monday. [More]
Debt Collection Lawsuit Mill Hit With $2.5M Penalty
By 4.25.16
A New Jersey-based law firm that handed out hundreds of thousands of debt-collection lawsuits based on false or nonexistent information must — along with an associated debt buyer — pay $2.5 million in penalties to settle federal accusations that they were operating a lawsuit mill in violation of the law. [More]
Report: Teen Retailer Aeropostale Prepping Bankruptcy Filing
By 4.21.16
The past few years haven’t exactly treated teen retailers well: DEB, Wet Seal, and dELiA*s (although it came back as an online-only store) are just a few of the brands that have filed for bankruptcy. Another once-popular teen-focused retailer is joining that list as Aeropostale is said to be prepping its own bankruptcy filing. [More]
Sen. Elizabeth Warren Proposes Requiring That IRS Offer Free Tax Filing & Prep Services
By 4.13.16
With the clock officially ticking down on the 2016 tax season, lawmakers are already looking for ways to simplify the process next year by introducing legislation that would, among other things, develop a free, online tax preparation and filing service that taxpayers can use to prepare and file their taxes directly with the federal government. [More]
IRS Computer Issues Could Delay Some Tax Returns
By 2.4.16
Consumer trying to get a jump on the tax filing and refund ball may have to wait a bit longer, as the Internal Revenue Service suffered a severe computer crash on Wednesday that prevented it from accepting any taxpayer information for several hours. [More]
What To Do If You Didn't File Your Taxes
By 4.26.10
So you couldn’t pay your taxes and you opted not to file them, or an extension, at all. Don’t sit around worrying about when the IRS will catch on and come after you; file them as soon as possible, writes consumer reporter Iris Taylor, so that you can set up a repayment plan and move on with your life. The sooner you do this, the sooner you can pay them off (you can take up to 5 years to pay them), and the less you’ll end up paying in penalties and fees over the long run. [More]
"What Do I Do When My Lender Isn't Playing Fair With Loan Modification?"
By 9.4.09
Yesterday, the New York Times wrote about a judge in Arizona who forced Wells Fargo to explain why it keeps stalling and being uncooperative with a customer who has been trying to get a loan modification request approved. Sadly, in the past week we’ve gotten two separate emails from homeowners who are also having trouble with getting banks to approve their requests for the government-sponsored loan modifications. “Who can we contact to complain?” asks one frustrated customer.
How To File A Complaint Against Your Insurer
By 8.28.09
After our post yesterday ended up crashing the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ consumer information website, we received an email from them. They said they wanted to explain how the site works to address some reader questions, as well as point out that you too can contribute to the rankings by filing complaints when your insurer does something objectionable.
The IRS Isn't Sure Who They Hired Or Why Your Sensitive Tax Documents Are Filed In Dumpsters
By 5.24.09
Here are three things you didn’t want to know: 1) The IRS doesn’t always conduct background checks on the employees contracted to handle your sensitive tax documents; 2) Those contracted employees regularly toss your sensitive tax documents into dumpsters without first shedding them; 3) The IRS doesn’t really know who’s in charge of conducting background checks on contracted employees, or who’s responsible for keeping your sensitive tax documents shredded and out of dumpsters. At least that’s what the Treasury Inspector General‘s office uncovered when it audited everyone’s favorite auditors.
Turbo Tax Tells You To Print An "Extra Form" But Won't Say Which One
By 2.22.09
Turbo Tax told reader I’m A Super that he needed to fill out an extra form to complete his state tax return, but wouldn’t tell him which form. Just to be safe, I’m A Super re-downloaded Turbo Tax only to get the same error message. When he called Intuit to ask about the mysterious form, he was that it was solely his responsibility to call the State Tax commission and to review his tax forms to make sure nothing was missing.
Everyone Can Now File Their Taxes Electronically For Free
By 1.26.09
This year the IRS is letting each and every one of us file our taxes electronically free of charge. Didn’t the IRS already let all of us eFile our taxes for free, you ask? No. The IRS has a program called Free File, which provides free commercial tax help to anyone making less than $56,000 per year. This program, enticingly known as Free File Fillable Tax Forms, is different…
