If you were eagerly planning to fete the rumored Halloween elopement of T-Mobile and Sprint, you might want to hold on to your candy corn. The corporate nuptials may now be delayed a few weeks, with the telecom lovebirds announcing their “I do”s closer to Thanksgiving. [More]
regulators
T-Mobile & Sprint May Have To Delay Their Halloween Wedding Until Closer To Thanksgiving
By 10.20.17
The 5 Best Parts From John Oliver’s Report On Corporate Mergers
By 9.25.17
You don’t have to read the business pages to know that recent decades have resulted in massive corporate consolidation. Whether it’s air travel, wireless service, internet, banking, or eyeglasses, a number of industries have enjoyed such merger mania that only a few national competitors remain. [More]
Some Marijuana Dispensaries Pull Pot Possibly Contaminated With Pesticides
By 4.19.17
Following reports that a variety of products sold at California medical marijuana dispensaries may be contaminated with potentially dangerous pesticides, a number of pot shops in the state have begun to stop selling these items. [More]
Santander Bank To Pay $26M Over Subprime Auto Loan Practices
By 3.29.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
One of the nation’s largest providers of automobile financing, Santander Bank, has agreed to pay $26 million to end a two-state investigation into the financial institution’s alleged violation of state consumer protection laws related to its auto loan underwriting practices. [More]
Sprint Reportedly Talking To White House About Possible Merger With Comcast Or T-Mobile
By 3.6.17
In recent weeks, President Trump has repeatedly mentioned promised investments and jobs from Sprint and its parent company Softbank. Now the wireless provider is reportedly hoping to eventually turn that goodwill — and the Trump administration’s light-touch approach to regulation — into a mega merger, possibly with T-Mobile, Comcast, or others. [More]
18 Attorneys General Ask Education Secretary DeVos To Not Go Soft On For-Profit Colleges
By 2.22.17 — Updated: 2.23.17
A number of high-profile for-profit educators shut down or scaled back operations in recent years, among accusations of overcharging and under-educating students, and new rules intended to hold schools accountable. However, these companies’ fortunes began to turn after the election of Donald Trump and his naming of pro-industry Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. That’s why a group of 18 state attorneys general is calling on the administration to not ease up on these controversial schools. [More]
South African Regulators Give Green Light To $107B Anheuser-Busch, SABMiller Merger
By 5.31.16
Anheuser-Busch InBev has one more regulatory body to mark off on its “Places To Get Approval For $107 Billion Takeover Of SABMiller” checklist: South Africa’s Competition Commission gave its blessing to the mega-beer merger Tuesday after placing several conditions on the approval. [More]
Anheuser-Busch, SABMiller’s $107B Merger Passes Major Hurdle, Gains European Approval
By 5.24.16
When you’re trying to combine a Belgian-Brazilian beer giant (that loves to pass itself off as American) with a huge London-based beer company whose roots trace back to South Africa and Wisconsin, you’re going to need to shed some overlapping businesses to get all the approvals you need. It looks like Anheuser-Busch’s plan to sell off some SABMiller brands overseas has helped gain approval from European Union regulators who have given the green light to the $107 billion merger of the two companies.
[More]
Mitsubishi Admits Falsifying Fuel Data On Some Vehicles For Nearly 25 Years
By 4.26.16
Automaker Mitsubishi recently admitted to fudging fuel mileage data for more than 600,000 vehicles sold in Japan, leading to an ongoing probe by U.S. regulators. Those investigators may now have a lot more paperwork to sift through, after Mitsubishi’s latest revelation. [More]
Microsoft & Google Continue Lovefest, Agree To Drop Regulatory Complaints Against Each Other
By 4.22.16
Google and Microsoft are building off the new lovey-dovey relationship they embarked last year on when they agreed to stop suing each other over patents: the two best friends you ever did meet are not promising to drop all pending regulatory complaints against each other across the globe. [More]
Would $5,000 Make You Forget That Your VW Car Exceeds Emission Standards?
By 4.20.16
With only one day to go before Volkswagen is supposed to present a workable fix for more than 500,000 diesel vehicles equipped with “defeat devices” designed to cheat emission standards, the carmaker has reportedly reached a deal with U.S. regulators that includes the company paying billions of dollars to compensate owners. [More]
Mega-Beer Merger Clears Hurdle: SABMiller Officially Sells Peroni, Grolsch Brands For $2.9B
By 4.19.16
In order to grease the wheels for the mammoth $107 billion merger of beer giants Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller, a number of Miller’s brew brands are being sold off as quickly as possible. Only a week after announcing that Miller might sell a number of premium labels — including Peroni, Grolsch, and Meantime — to Japan’s Asahi Group, the $2.9 billion deal is now official.
Nearly One-In-10 Takata Airbag Ruptures Results In Death
By 10.22.15
Nearly one-in-10 driver’s side Takata airbag ruptures results in a death, federal regulators revealed during a meeting to discuss the massive recall of shrapnel-shooting devices. [More]
Under-Investigation Educators Still Received $8.1B In Federal Funds Last Year
By 10.13.15
The federal government has ramped up its efforts to protect consumers from unfair and deceptive for-profit colleges in recent years: implementing so-called gainful employment rules this summer, discharging millions of dollars in student loans for students who were defrauded by Corinthian Colleges and restricting the University of Phoenix’s ability to participate in tuition-assistance programs for active-duty servicemembers. Still, these steps appear to have done little to keep questionable for-profit colleges from getting their hands on billions of dollars in funding straight from the government. [More]
Regulators Holding Yet Another Takata Airbag Meeting, Could Finally Coordinate The Messy Recall
By 9.9.15
Back in June, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it was considering options to speed up replacement of defective shrapnel-shooting Takata-produced airbags linked to eight deaths and hundreds of injuries. Today, the agency announced it will hold yet another public meeting next month, a move that signals the agency’s latest step in taking control of the massive recall effort. [More]
Sallie Mae Spinoff Navient Could Face CFPB Lawsuit Over Student Loans
By 8.25.15
In the short time since Navient – the nation’s largest student loan servicing company – spun off from Sallie Mae, the company has come under scrutiny for it allegedly unfair practices of overcharging and imposing excessive fees on consumers’ loans. While those practices resulted in a $97 million settlement with the Depts. of Education and Justice, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, they could soon lead to a lawsuit from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. [More]
Risk Evaluation Report Finds Mobile Banking Leaves Some Banks More Vulnerable to Cyber Attacks
By 7.1.15
While mobile banking is no doubt convenient for customers – and banks – there’s a significant downside to the fact that more and more financial institutions are using the technology: an increased risk that your personal information will fall in the hands of a cyber criminal. [More]
Another Report Finds NHTSA Failed To Hold Automakers Responsible For Defects, Other Issues
By 6.22.15
The hits keep on coming for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Less than a month after internal reports determined the agency failed to adequately address the General Motors ignition switch defect that has been linked to more than 100 deaths, an audit from the U.S. Department of Transportation identified a plethora of shortcomings within the auto-safety regulator’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) that prevent it from properly protecting consumers from vehicle defects. [More]
