August 14th, 2023 Rita Robison
The Food and Drug Administration has decided that food manufacturers can keep using phthalates, a class of toxic chemicals, in food packaging and food production equipment. It disregarded requests from health and environmental advocates to reconsider that decision based on evidence that phthalates in food are harmful to health. Safer substitutes for these chemicals are […]
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August 12th, 2023 Rita Robison
Recently, I wrote about how private equity firms are buying health providers practices, including my gastroenterologist’s, and how they bleed money from the companies, then sell them for a big profit. In 2021, some of the top industries for private equity investment include healthcare, technology, and consumer products. Now, a new report describes how private […]
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August 11th, 2023 Rita Robison
Another big recall has been announced that deserves your attention. Sensio is recalling about 860,000 electric and stovetop pressure cookers. The pressure cooker’s lid can unlock and be removed during use, causing the hot contents to unexpectedly splash out, posing a burn hazard to consumers. Sensio has received 63 reports of incidents, including 61 burn […]
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August 10th, 2023 Rita Robison
Another maker of inclined sleepers is refusing to recall its dangerous product. Stop using La-La-Me infant loungers because they don’t comply with federal safety standards for infant sleep products and pose a suffocation risk and fall hazard to infants, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warns. The lounger is an unsafe sleeping environment for infants, […]
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August 4th, 2023 Rita Robison
USASF Servicing is being charged with illegal practices that harmed consumers with auto loans including disabling borrowers’ vehicles, improperly repossessing vehicles, double-billing borrowers for insurance premiums, and failing to return millions of dollars in refunds, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday . With its lawsuit, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is seeking to return money […]
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July 28th, 2023 Rita Robison
American companies are using unfair, deceptive, and abusive practices as they sells many consumer financial products, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said in a new report on what it found as it reviews business practices at financial institutions. For example, auto lenders have originated loan balances above the real value of the car being purchased […]
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July 20th, 2023 Rita Robison
To help consumers, the Biden administration is cracking down on junk fees, price-fixing and price gouging on food, and mergers. President Joe Biden announced the actions Wednesday the day before the fifth meeting of White House Competition Council, which he appointed in 2021. The council is made up of 10 cabinet members and the heads […]
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July 19th, 2023 Rita Robison
Another huge recall deserves your attention. Bose is recalling about 884,000 bass modules in the United States, 98,000 in Canada, and 18,300 in Mexico. The company has received 21 reports worldwide of the bass modules igniting or melting, including three fires resulting in damage to carpeting, an entertainment cabinet, and materials surrounding the bass box. […]
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July 16th, 2023 Rita Robison
More than 804,000 borrowers will have $39 billion in federal student loans discharged in the coming weeks, the U.S. Department of Education announced Friday. The discharges are fixes to ensure borrowers have an accurate count of monthly payments that qualify toward forgiveness under income-driven repayment plans. These fixes are part of the department’s actions to address […]
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July 13th, 2023 Rita Robison
Another big bank is being exposed for corporate fraud. Bank of America will pay more than $100 million to customers for double-dipping on fees imposed on customers with insufficient account funds, withholding reward bonuses promised to credit card customers, and misusing personal information to open accounts without customers’ knowledge, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced […]
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