Items in the news
By: Jeffrey Lapin Cities and states have or are considering laws beyond just no texting and driving. One city, Huron, South Dakota, has adopted an ordinance that prohibits driver’s from activities that could be distracting, such as eating while driving. This is a good first step in trying to reduce distracted driving although enforcement could
By: Jeffrey Lapin The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 141, which would require hybrid and electric vehicles meet minimum sound standards (volume) in order to help make all pedestrians and bicyclists more aware of these vehicles. These types of vehicles pose more danger at low speeds because
The forecast for eastern Nebraska, including Lincoln, calls for snow and winter weather. So far, Lincoln has been spared any snow or ice on the roadway. There are a lot more accidents the first snow and ice of the season as drivers forget the differences in driving on dry and ice and snow-packed roadways. Last
By: Jeffrey Lapin As the holiday season is upon us consumers are decorating and buying gifts for family and friends. At the same time, scammers are preparing their holiday scams to “deck their halls” with your money, privacy or identity. Below are 12 common holiday scams as well as ways to make sure the scammers, and not
By: Jeffrey Lapin The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) regulates consumer financial products and services, such as mortgages and credit cards. Here are some of the more noteworthy actions and announcements by the CFPB from November 2012:
By: Jeffrey Lapin The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it pulled the plug on five companies allegedly responsible for millions of illegal robocalls calls from “Rachel” and others from “Cardholder Services.” The FTC estimates that five companies collected approximately $30 million from “Rachel” robocalls by “allegedly deceived consumers” by making phony claims that they
By: Jeffrey Lapin On October 18, 2012, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it will be launching a challenge, the FTC Robocall Challenge, with a $50,000 cash prize for the best technical solution. The Challenge is free and open to the public. The FTC is offering the Challenge as part of its ongoing campaign to
By: Jeffrey Lapin Michael Collier, a disabled Army veteran, and his wife, Kim, recently sued Gurstel Chargo, P.A., a Minnesota-based law firm and debt collector, in Arizona for violations of the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA) as well as for other claims based on the law firm’s attempt to collect a debt. The Colliers
By: Jeffrey Lapin The Nebraska State Bar Association (NSBA) released its biennial evaluation of Nebraska judges. Nebraska attorneys anonymously rated both state and federal judges in a number of different categories. The attorneys completing the evaluations gave high marks to the majority of Nebraska judges and recommended that all but two judges should be retained
By: Jeffey B. Lapin The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) along with other federal agencies announced on October 1, 2012, that American Express Co. (AMEX) will pay $112.5 million in refunds and fines. These agencies alleged that three AMEX subsidiaries violated a number of federal laws with regard to credit cards, credit reporting and debt