The White House is backing a proposed rule that would require brokers handling retirement accounts to put the interest of their clients ahead of their own, a so-called fiduciary standard long required of lawyers, doctors and some financial professionals like registered investment advisers.
Read More »Authorities go after crooked car deals in national crackdown
A nationwide crackdown on auto dealers has turned up widespread evidence of false ads, deceptive loans and fake odometer readings, the government said Thursday.
Read More »How gov’t aims to protect low-income users of ‘payday’ loans
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed rules Thursday to protect Americans from stumbling into what it calls a "debt trap."
Read More »Abolish the IRS? Easy to say, but awfully hard to do
Promising to abolish the Internal Revenue Service is a good talking point for political candidates who are looking to fire up the Republicans' most conservative voters. It's also unlikely to ever happen, no matter how easy folks such as Sen. Ted Cruz like to make it sound.
Read More »High court limits securities suits over deceptive comments
A unanimous Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that investors can’t sue companies for making misleading statements of opinion prior to a public stock offering just because those statements ultimately turn out to be wrong.
Read More »Tax refund advances appeal to more cash-strapped Americans
Cash-strapped Americans anxious for tax refunds are increasingly turning to payment advances, prepaid cards or other costly services when getting tax preparation help, according to new federal data raising concerns among regulators about whether consumers are fully informed about the fees.
Read More »Why Fed won’t have a big impact on your loans anytime soon
With the economy still growing slowly and inflation minuscule, rates will likely hover near historic lows. The Fed doesn't want to ratchet up the monthly payments on your credit card. It's in no rush.
Read More »Average U.S. rate on 30-year mortgage falls to 3.78 percent
Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates fell this week, remaining near historically low levels at the start of the spring home-buying season.
Read More »Judge OKs $10 million settlement in Target data breach
A Minnesota judge has endorsed a settlement in which Target Corp. will pay $10 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over a massive data breach in 2013.
Tagged with: data breach Target
Read More »Health care law paperwork costs small businesses thousands
Complying with the health care law is costing small businesses thousands of dollars that they didn’t have to spend before the new regulations went into effect.
Tagged with: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act small business
Read More »Fed: No rate hike until job market improves, inflation rises
The Federal Reserve signaled Wednesday that it needs to see further improvement in the job market and higher inflation before it raises interest rates from record lows.
Tagged with: Federal Reserve
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