Date | Title | Description |
05.09.2024 |
The (not so) radical changes needed to make FHA buyers competitive? | The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) is calling for policy changes that would help alleviate the difficulties for homebuyers using Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans when competing in tight markets.
Buyers using FHA loans often ... |
22.08.2024 |
Opinion: A rebuttal to Steve Broebeck and the CFA’s anticompetitive price fixing position | I have known Steve for over 40 years and respect him as a leader of a consumer organization that represents consumers on policy issues that impact their financial stability. We worked together during my days on the House Banking Committee, ... |
19.08.2024 | The Economic Tightrope: Navigating Policy Promises and Market Realities | In the ever-shifting landscape of American politics, economic promises often dance on a tightrope. Politicians, like acrobats, make bold claims, hoping to catch the public's eye while balancing on the thin line between feasibility and fanta... |
19.08.2024 |
Opinion: Anticompetitive price fixing in real estate commissions is not the answer to fair and accessible homeownership | Several real estate groups recently criticized the Consumer Federation of America’s support for uncoupled buyer and seller agent real estate commissions, writing in HousingWire that, “CFA has seemingly lost sight of its core purpose advocat... |
13.08.2024 | Business | What home shoppers need to know about the new buyer’s contracts | The agreement can outline a lightweight and short-term relationship with the agent or it can be a longer-term contract — whatever you negotiate.
On the lightweight end of the spectrum, you could sign a touring agreement that lasts a day or ... |
06.08.2024 |
Opinion: The Consumer Federation of America’s stance will harm future homebuyers | The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and its former CEO, Steve Brobeck, have a long history of advocating for policies that protect consumers. However, in recent efforts to curb real estate professionals, the CFA has seemingly lost sigh... |
02.08.2024 | eXp Realty Navigates a New Era in Real Estate Compensation | The landscape of real estate is shifting. eXp Realty stands at the forefront of this change, ready to adapt and thrive. With the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) commission lawsuit settlement looming, eXp is redefining how agents and... |
01.08.2024 |
eXp Realty’s forms leave the choice to offer buyer broker compensation to sellers: Pareja | As brokerage firms fine tune how to handle the business practice changes outlined in the terms of the National Association of Realtors’ nationwide commission lawsuit settlement agreement, which are set to go into effect on August 17, many a... |
31.07.2024 |
eXp Realty focuses on agent value proposition as it looks to grow | With company executives predicting that things will get messy in the U.S. real estate landscape over the next several months due to the business practice changes outlined in the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) commission lawsuit set... |
25.07.2024 | DaVita's Kickback Controversy: A Deep Dive into Healthcare Ethics**
** | ** DaVita Inc., a prominent player in the healthcare landscape, finds itself in a storm of allegations. The company, based in Denver, Colorado, is accused of engaging in a kickback scheme that undermines the integrity of the healthcare syst... |
22.07.2024 |
Dave Liniger discusses AI and the evolution of the real estate industry | Since starting his career in the real estate industry more than five decades ago, Dave Liniger, the co-founder of RE/MAX, has seen and experienced quite a bit of change and innovation.
While the emergence of technology tools is not new to t... |
20.07.2024 | Agent commissions are getting more transparent — but critics still say the real estate industry operates as a ‘cartel’ | As for the cartel allegations, “The statement is not true,” says NAR spokesman Mantill Williams. “NAR is a trade association that provides its members benefits such as educational opportunities, leading economic research, national property ... |
19.07.2024 | Complaints Continue to Rise; 2023 Total Highest Since 2009 | COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs (SCDCA) continues to see an upward trend in the number of complaints filed with the agency. SCDCA received 2,904 complaints between January 1 to June 30, 2024, slightly high... |
18.07.2024 |
Consumer watchdog releases criteria for evaluating buyer agency agreements | After slamming the California Association of Realtors (CAR) for a draft of its buyer representation agreement, the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) on Tuesday released its proposed criteria for evaluating buyer representation agreements... |
02.07.2024 |
What’s the DOJ’s endgame in NAR commission lawsuit settlements? Analysts weigh in | While many had hoped the Department of Justice’s interest in the real estate industry would wane with the business practice changes outlined in the National Association of Realtors’ commission lawsuit settlement agreement, that is clearly n... |
25.06.2024 |
Consumer advocates call California Realtors’ buyer rep agreement ’unreadable’ | A report released Tuesday by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) found that the California Association of Realtors’ (CAR) buyer representation and broker compensation agreement is “virtually unreadable.”
The release notes that the CFA ... |
11.06.2024 | Automakers, Insurance Companies, And Apps Are Non-Transparently Spying On Your Driving Habits And Hiking Your Insurance Rates | In 2023, Mozilla released a report noting that modern cars had the worst security and privacy standards of any major technology industry the organization tracks. That was followed by a great NYT report by Kashmir Hill earlier this year show... |
04.06.2024 | Should I wait until August to sell my home to save on commission? | For decades, and up to Aug. 17, MLS listings have been required to advertise how much commission the seller is offering to buyer’s agents. The information wasn’t visible to home buyers but could be viewed in agent-only fields of the MLS.
Wh... |
30.05.2024 | Business | How to get the best car insurance | 2. Check customer satisfaction ratings and reviews
Not every insurer is customer-first. That’s why it’s important to research the customer satisfaction of insurers you’re considering.
You can turn to surveys from companies like J.D. Power t... |
29.03.2024 |
Opinion: What is the public actually getting for $7.3B in housing subsidies? | Federal Home Loan Bank reform is in the air in Washington D.C.
The White House recently endorsed a plan to double FHLBanks’ mandatory contributions to affordable housing programs from 10 to 20% of their net income, following a recommendatio... |
22.03.2024 |
Washington state could provide guidance for others on buyer broker agreements | There is no doubt that the cooperative compensation structure changes outlined in the National Association of Realtors’ commission lawsuits settlement agreement will generate massive changes in the real estate industry, but those are not th... |
21.03.2024 | How DOJ paved the way for the NAR home-selling settlement | For decades, the Department of Justice pushed for more competition in the real estate market — now the agency might be getting its way.
Why it matters: Pressure from the DOJ's antitrust division likely played a role in getting to the game-c... |
19.03.2024 | Business | What the big realtors settlement means for home buyers and sellers | By Holden Lewis | NerdWallet
A landmark legal settlement between home sellers and the real estate industry could cause a shakeup in the way homes are bought and sold, beginning this summer.
The National Association of Realtors announced Fri... |
13.03.2024 | Business | Health insurance CEOs rake in millions. Here’s the top 10 list. | Health insurance premiums keep rising and many employees carry high-deductible plans that mean bills of $100 or more for a visit to the doctor.
Meanwhile, the CEOs of the top 10 health insurance companies were paid between $13 million and $... |
11.03.2024 | Colorado car insurance rates among fastest rising in country and more increases expected | Kyle Shirley put off a marketing plan for his roofing company after insurance premiums for his work trucks shot up 55%. Becky Brinkerhoff’s insurance bill has doubled and she is checking with other companies for a better deal. Stephanie Ran... |
28.02.2024 |
Consumer advocacy group: Buyer agency agreements often contain “unfair” terms | As brokerages across the country have begun implementing buyer agency contracts into their business practices in the wake of the Sitzer/Burnett commission lawsuit verdict, the Consumer Federation of America is warning consumers that they ma... |
25.01.2024 |
Recruiting real estate agents: A complete roadmap for 2024 | If you’re a new broker or team leader you might not realize just how competitive recruiting was in 2023. The data are sobering: The Agent Movement Index, the number of experienced Realtors switching brokerages each month, was at its lowest ... |
10.01.2024 |
DataDigest: Study shows agents are aplenty, most with few or no sales | Most agents seldom sell homes, according to a new study published by the Consumer Federation of America last week.
The study, CFA’s third of three on this topic, suggests that a significant portion of agents in the U.S. sell at most five ho... |
23.08.2023 | Amazon, eBay, Meta, and Others Face House Scrutiny for Allowing Sales of Recalled Products | Inno Flores, Tech Times 23 August 2023, 04:08 am
Online retail giants are now under scrutiny. The House Energy and Commerce Committee has already sent letters to online shopping portals like Amazon, eBay, Meta, and Walmart, inquiring about ... |
02.08.2023 | There are way too many real-estate agents | Redeem now
Bret Weinstein, a longtime real-estate broker in Denver, wants to love his industry. At its best, the business helps people find the homes of their dreams or secure financial freedom. But lately, he's been having trouble squaring... |
12.07.2023 |
DataDigest: There are too many real estate agents and LOs. It’s a problem | You know what loan officers and real estate agents love almost as much as cashing a commission check? Complaining about other loan officers and real estate agents. And they have good reasons to do so.
Talk to a top producer in either field ... |
25.04.2023 | Credit Crash? Expect To Pay Sky-High Car Insurance Rates | Drivers having low scores can face car insurance rates that are up to 61 percent higher than for ... [+] those having excellent credit. Getty |
25.04.2023 | USDA gets closer to officially designating salmonella a contaminant | USDA is moving closer to formally declaring salmonella as a contaminant in breaded stuffed raw chicken products.
The department is publishing a proposal in the Federal Register that would consider any breaded stuffed raw chicken product con... |
19.02.2023 | Bad credit would cost Americans as much as $93 billion to borrow money this year | The first step in building good credit is knowing your credit score. Oscar Wong/Getty
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Our experts answer readers' personal loan questions and write unbiased product reviews (here's how we assess personal loans). In some cases, we... |
02.08.2022 | New USDA policy will reject some salmonella-contaminated poultry products | Dive Brief:
The USDA will start testing for salmonella in breaded and stuffed raw chicken products, and will not allow them to be sold if they are found to be contaminated by significant amounts of the bacteria, the department announced on ... |
27.04.2022 | Incandescent light bulbs to get switched off in 2023 under new Biden rules | The Biden administration is pulling the plug on incandescent light bulbs in favor of energy-efficient light-emitting diodes, or LEDs. The phaseout of the old-fashioned bulbs is aimed at reducing utility bills and conserving energy.
The U.S.... |
24.01.2022 | Put In The Work To Increase Your Credit Score | All adults need to keep a close eye on their credit score, and do everything they can to increase it. |
31.08.2021 | Scammers have bilked consumers out of $545 million in Covid-related fraud | Consumers have lost $545 million to Covid-related fraud since the beginning of 2020, according to FTC data.
Online shopping scams have impacted the largest number of people, while vacation and travel scams have been the most costly, accordi... |
26.08.2021 | SEC boss taps Wall Street critic Barbara Roper as senior adviser | More On: securities and exchange commission
Elon Musk lied about taking Tesla private: lawsuit ‘Crazy Elon’ Musk making major push in Twitter bid — but now he’s facing federal heat Elon Musk broke the law when buying up Twitter shares: expe... |
26.07.2021 | Consumer losses due to Covid-related fraud top $500 million | Consumers have reported losing more than $500 million to Covid-related fraud since the beginning of 2020, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
Meanwhile, price gouging was the most common pandemic-related complaint reported to state a... |
26.06.2021 | Here are 8 easy ways to save money by going green | The U.S. has the highest per-capita greenhouse gas emissions of any other country, according to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions.
Americans can take easy steps to cut planet-warming emissions like carbon dioxide and simultaneousl... |
16.04.2021 | Big Tech’s funding of weak state data privacy laws may help it secure a favorable federal standard down the line | Big Tech lobbyists are pushing to advance weak privacy laws in states across the US, according to The Markup. The report investigated proposed privacy bills in 20 states and found evidence of “industry-backed frameworks” in 14, including th... |
18.02.2021 | Investigation Finds Used Cars Are Routinely Sold with Known, Life-Threatening Safety Defects — Sen. Blumenthal Weighs In | Checkbook.org researchers looked at 600 used cars for sale and found 227 of them had at least one unaddressed safety recall. "This investigation’s frightening findings show that urgent action is needed to ensure the safety of used cars... |
17.02.2021 | Three regtech developments to expect under Biden | Over the last decade, a raft of new financial regulations and the digitization of financial services fueled the growth of the regulatory technology (“regtech”) industry. Under Trump, regtech firms continued to attract VC capital and scale t... |
02.02.2021 | Getting your financial advice from TikTok and Reddit? That could backfire | More people are getting their financial advice from platforms like TikTok and Reddit.
But it can be hard to verify whom you’re listening to and if you should be. |
30.01.2021 | Covid, payday loans, student debt — here are the issues Biden’s consumer bureau may tackle | The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is expected to become a more aggressive consumer watchdog under the Biden administration.
Consumer advocates say the bureau was almost entirely declawed under former president Donald Trump. Biden nom... |
23.12.2020 | How To Develop Thought Leadership Topics For Fintech SaaS | CEO of iResearch Services, a global end-to-end thought leadership company that focuses on evidence-based research and insight-led content. |
12.12.2020 | America’s Consumer Credit Reporting System Desperately Needs Reform | Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, introduced H.R. 3621, the Comprehensive Credit Reporting ... [+] Enhancement, Disclosure, Innovation, and Transparency Act of 2020; the bill passed January 2020 and is now before the Senate. Getty Images for S... |
09.11.2020 | Oklahoma plans to use Rekor’s AI to track down uninsured drivers, despite discrimination concerns | Did you miss a session from GamesBeat Summit 2022? All sessions are available to stream now. Learn more.
Rekor, which provides controversial license plate-scanning technology, today announced that the state of Oklahoma will use its software... |
09.11.2020 | Oklahoma plans to use Rekor’s AI to track down uninsured drivers, despite discrimination concerns | Rekor, which provides controversial license plate-scanning technology, today announced that the state of Oklahoma will use its software to spot uninsured motorists on the road. Oklahoma’s Uninsured Vehicle Enforcement Diversion Program enco... |
22.10.2020 | How To Get Better Car Insurance Rates During The Pandemic | Sa El is the Co-Founder of Simply Insurance and specializes in Life & Health Insurance, and he is certified in Long Term Care Insurance. |
23.07.2020 | Insurance Regulators Pledge To Address Racism And Discrimination Within The Industry | The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has announced the formation of a special committee focused on Race and Insurance. |
17.08.2019 | Scary Alert: Is Your Uber Driver Giving You a Lift in a Recalled Vehicle? | In New York and Seattle, one in six one in six Uber and Lyft drivers are on the road in recalled automobiles. Robert Alexander/Getty Images
Why is a car recalled? Well, it occurs when the manufacturer has determined that the vehicle model h... |
30.04.2019 | Angie's List favors its own advertisers, consumer group warns | The Consumer Federation of America says online rating service Angie's List gives preferential treatment to businesses that advertise with the site.
Angie's List presents consumers with a list of "top-rated pros" that consist solel... |
16.08.2018 | These are the 20 best-selling sedans in America in 2018 | Toyota
A 2018 Toyota Camry LE.
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Kelley Blue Book has released data showing the best-selling sedans in America through the first half of 2018.
Passengers cars such as sedans have, on a whole, been less popular with consumers.
Th... |
25.10.2017 | Google, Facebook & Comcast Jointly Lied to California Lawmakers To Scuttle Broadband Privacy Bill | Earlier this year the GOP and Trump administration rushed to kill consumer broadband privacy rules. While the broadband industry cried like a colicky toddler when the rules were originally proposed, they were relatively modest — simply requ... |
12.10.2017 | Groups Battle Trump FCC's Claim That One ISP In A Market Means There's Effective Competition | While the lack of competition in residential broadband gets plenty of well-deserved attention, the business broadband market in the United States may be even worse. Just one of three companies (Verizon, AT&T, or CenturyLink) dominate wh... |
10.10.2017 | FCC’s claim that one ISP counts as “competition” faces scrutiny in court | Enlarge
Getty Images | Dimitri Otis reader comments 63 with 49 posters participating, including story author
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19.09.2017 | California Sides With Comcast, Votes To Kill Broadband Privacy Law Favored By EFF | You’ll recall that earlier this year, AT&T, Verizon and Comcast successfully lobbied the GOP and Trump administration to kill consumer broadband privacy protections that were supposed to take effect last March. While big ISPs engaged in... |
19.07.2017 | EFF Highlights How ISPs Are Lying To Californians To Try And Kill New Broadband Privacy Protections | When AT&T, Verizon and Comcast convinced lawmakers to kill broadband consumer privacy rules earlier this year, everybody in this chain of campaign-cash dysfunction got notably more than they bargained for. As with net neutrality, the re... |
26.06.2017 | Ringless voicemail spam won’t be exempt from anti-robocall rules | Enlarge / The FCC was asked to decide whether this ringless voicemail technology should be subject to anti-robocall rules.
Stratics Networks reader comments 72 with 57 posters participating
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23.03.2016 | As FCC considers new broadband privacy rules, report urges wider user data safeguards | A new report from U.S. consumer rights and privacy advocacy group, the Center for Digital Democracy, has set out the case for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to tighten data protection rules around how ISPs and telcos collect an... |
19.01.2016 | FCC Urged To Rein In Broadband Providers On Privacy Grounds | More than 50 U.S. consumer and privacy organizations including the Center for Digital Democracy and the Electronic Frontier Foundation have co-signed a letter to FCC chairman Tom Wheeler calling for “strong rules” to protect the privacy of ... |
21.08.2014 | Perspective: Investors and Markets Could Benefit from Revising the Accredited Investor Definition | When Congress passed the JOBS Act lifting the ban on general solicitation in offerings under Rule 506 of Regulation D, it turned these so-called “private” offerings into potentially very public ones. Since Reg D offerings involving general ... |
09.08.2013 | The battle over Obamacare navigators: Insurance industry lobbies for state laws | Promoted
Covid-19’s terrible toll on diabetes patients. What can be done?
The public health crisis has undermined the economy and made people with chronic conditions more vulnerable and stressed. Learn more with a new report from Omada Heal... |
17.06.2013 | Regulators Wrangle Over How to Protect Crowdfunding Investors | June 17, 2013 4 min read
At the heart of the debate over how to write the rules for the next generation of crowdfunding is how much regulators should seek to protect small investors.
Under the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act, known as t... |
10.01.2011 | Database for consumer complaints to launch | A federal database will launch in March to publish consumer complaints about defective products
The federal government is gearing up to roll out a new website that’s already stirring up controversy. The website, a database of consumer compl... |
- | Covid-related scams have bilked Americans out of $586 million | Scams linked to the Covid-19 pandemic have cost Americans $586 million since the beginning of 2020, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
The typical victim lost $392, as measured by the median fraud loss. Online shopping scams were th... |
- | ‘It’s a work in progress.’ How Covid has changed the life insurance marketplace | Individual U.S life insurance application activity increased by 3.4% in 2021, following a record-breaking year-over-year growth of 3.9% in 2020.
The industry is still wrestling with mortality assumptions related to Covid-19, and how shifts ... |
- | Supreme Court case may gut the CFPB: Consumer watchdog’s ‘future is on the line,’ group says | The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Tuesday in Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v. Community Financial Services Association of America.
The plaintiff alleges CFPB funding is unconstitutional because it’s not subject to annual app... |
- | Consumer protection agency cracks down on mortgage servicers that don’t assist struggling homeowners | The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau expects mortgage servicers to offer homeowners options before foreclosing on them.
Here’s what it means for you. |
- | Just 30% of the poorest families have a savings account | The median account had $1,010.
Account ownership among all U.S. households increased over the last 15 years. More than half have an account. |
- | Motor Trend takes a Bolt to a Tesla meetup, finds out GM should be shopping it to ICE customers | On a recent Saturday afternoon, Kim Reynolds from Motor Trend brought a Chevy Bolt to a Tesla meetup in Orange County, California, to see what a group of local Tesla owners thought about Chevy’s new entry into the market.
This longtime EV d... |
- | The battle over Obamacare navigators: Insurance industry lobbies for state laws | Early in the summer of 2009, when lawmakers were starting work on what would become the largest health care overhaul in decades, the industry associations that represent insurance agents and brokers caught wind of an obscure provision.
The ... |
- | Landmark $418 million settlement could slash homebuying costs by tens of thousands of dollars—here’s how it works | A groundbreaking settlement on real estate commission fees could potentially save Americans tens of thousands of dollars when they buy or sell a home.
On Friday, the National Association of Realtors announced the settlement of various lawsu... |