Millions of Americans in Puerto Rico are without power, water, or homes in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Some of us who want to help with the effort to provide for these victims and to rebuild their lives may be overwhelmed by trying to figure out the best way to do so, and how to not get taken in by scams. [More]
relief
CitiFinancial, CitiMortgage To Pay $28.8M Over Mortgage Servicing Issues
By 1.24.17
Millions of consumers lost their homes when the housing market bubble burst. But federal regulators say some of those people may have been able to stay in their homes had mortgage lenders fulfilled their requirements. To that end, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has ordered two Citigroup subsidiaries to pay $28.8 million to resolve allegations that some of its mortgage units harmed home borrowers. [More]
Debt Relief Scammer Will Spend Two Years In Prison, Pay $1.2M In Refunds
By 11.21.16
Four years after federal regulators shut down a debt relief operation that promised to help customers pay down credit card debt, but in reality only relieved customers of their cash, a man who worked for the scheme has been ordered to spend two years in prison and to refund $1.2 million to his victims. [More]
ITT Tech Students: Don’t Pay For Loan Consolidation, Discharge, Or Transfer Help
By 9.7.16
They say one person’s misfortune is another’s gain, but the Department of Education doesn’t want that to be the case for tens of thousands of students affected by ITT Educational Services’ closure of 130 ITT Technical Institute campuses, no matter how good the deal sounds. [More]
Operation That Illegally Debited Consumers’ Bank Accounts Must Repay $43M
By 3.9.16
Months after federal regulators ordered a data broker to pay $7.1 million for selling consumers’ sensitive information to scammers, a court ordered one of those alleged scammers and its subsidiaries and operators to provide $43 million in relief to victims. [More]
Corinthian College’s Misleading Job-Placement Info Could Result In Faster Debt Relief For Students
By 11.17.15
Thousands of students affected by the abrupt closure of for-profit college educator Corinthian Colleges’ Wyotech, Heald College and Everest University campuses could soon have more options when it comes to receiving debt relief after a joint investigation by the California Attorney General’s office and the Department of Education found additional evidence that the schools misrepresented job placement rates for several programs in order to enroll students. [More]
Former Corinthian College Students Seek To File $2.5B Claim Against Bankrupt For-Profit Operator
By 7.23.15
Former students of now-defunct for-profit education chain Corinthian Colleges continued their fight to recoup the money they spent on classes at the company’s Heald College, WyoTech or Everest University campuses, filing a $2.5 billion claim against the bankrupt educator.
[More]
Agreement Could Temporarily Halt Legal Action On Loans For Some Former Corinthian College Students
By 7.14.15
Former Corinthian College students left with piles of debt after the company closed its Heald College, Everest University and WyoTech campuses earlier this year are getting a bit more relief, as the Department of Education announced it would temporarily suspend some legal actions related to borrower’s defaulted loans. [More]
Medical Debt Collector Must Pay Consumers $5.4M For Improperly Handling Disputes
By 6.18.15
What happens when you combine expensive — and often unanticipated — medical bills and overzealous debt collectors? An environment ripe for abusive, unfair collection practices. At least that appears to be the case for an operation that must pay $5.4 million in relief to consumers for allegedly mishandling credit reporting disputes and preventing individuals from exercising their debt collection rights. [More]
Want To Help With Chile Earthquake Relief? Here Are Some Ideas
By 2.28.10
Are you looking for ways to help out the groups providing relief after the massive earthquake that hit Chile? Yahoo has made a nice list of groups that have confirmed that they are sending teams to Chile, and you can also donate by text message. [More]
Wal-Mart's Katrina Heroism: "Above All, Do The Right Thing," CEO Told Managers Before Katrina Struck
By 4.2.08
A paper written by Steven Horwitz, an Austrian-school economist (we’re still not quite sure what that means, other than it’s considered slightly controversial), recounts Wal-Mart’s relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina (PDF) and points out that private businesses, along with the Coast Guard, did far more than any “official” government agency in providing immediate, on-the-ground assistance to victims. His argument is that something as complex as a relief effort is more efficient when it’s decentralized and involves private businesses. Horwitz has also, separately, supported the idea that Wal-Mart should win the Nobel Peace Price. Hey, we told you his school of economics was controversial.
