In a sweet case of karma, a debt relief operation that claimed to wipe away consumers’ debt through an affiliation with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been sued by none other than that exact same agency. [More]
holding them accountable
Farmers To Pay $390K For Charging Renters More Than Homeowners On Car Insurance
Last year, a Consumer Federation of America report found that home renters pay up to 47% more for car insurance than their peers who own their homes. Now, one state is doing something about this: Minnesota has fined insurance giant Farmers $390,000 for charging higher rates to renters. [More]
Four Executives Fired Over Wells Fargo Fake Account Fiasco
The Wells Fargo fake account fiasco has already resulted in the “retirement” of the bank’s CEO, John Stumpf, and Carrie Tolstedt, Wells’ head of retail banking, for allowing employees to open millions of unauthorized accounts in customers’ names. But the bloodletting isn’t done yet, as Wells has dismissed four additional executives without the PR-friendly spin of “retirement.” [More]
Senators Demand Mylan Lower Cost Of Life-Saving Epipens, Call For Congressional Hearing
The cost of a life-saving EpiPen from drug maker Mylan increased as much as 600% in just nine years. That’s simply too much, lawmakers say, with some legislators now calling on the pharmaceutical giant to drop its price immediately, while others are pushing for a congressional hearing on the matter. [More]
Takata Must Pay $70M Fine For Failing To Report Deadly Exploding Airbag Defect, Repairs To Be Made By 2019
UPDATE: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Tuesday ordered Japanese parts maker Takata to pay $70 million – and an additional $130 million if it fails to abide by the agreement – marking the agency’s largest civil penalty in history. The regulator also announced it would use its authority to accelerate recall repairs to millions of vehicles equipped with shrapnel-shooting airbags for the first time. [More]
“Make VW Pay” Campaign Seeks Rebates For Consumers Tricked Into Buying Recalled Clean Diesel Vehicles
While the nearly 500,000 recalled Volkswagen and Audi vehicles may be considered safe to drive, many owners of these cars feel they were tricked into buying them by VW’s “clean diesel” marketing. A new campaign is calling on the carmaker to buy back all of those vehicles — and to refund the owners the full retail price for their cars. [More]