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: 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
By: Jeffrey B. Lapin The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), has now been in existence for fourteen (14) months. It was created as part of the 2010 Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. So far, the CFPB has been praised by consumer advocates and criticized by businesses.
By: Jeffrey B. Lapin As we are about to start another Nebraska Husker football season Lapin Law Offices reminds everyone to be safe and cautious. Here are some tips to make sure you stay safe getting to and from Husker football games:
By: Jeffrey Lapin The Consumer Federation of America (CFA), with assistance from the North American Consumer Protection Investigators (NACPI), has issued its 2011 Consumer Complaint Survey Report, which, among other things, lists the top 10, actually 12, consumer complaints from 2011. In addition, the Report identifies the fastest growing complaints, worst complaints, and newer types of consumer problems.
By: Jeffrey Lapin Lapin Law Offices has updated its website (lapinlawoffices.com) to include definitions of some commonly used consumer protection and other financial words and phrases. It includes words and phrases involving the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA), the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
By: Jeffrey Lapin Lapin Law Offices has updated its website (lapinlawoffices.com) to include definitions of some commonly used Social Security Administration (SSA) Disability words and phrases. This includes words and phrases involving Social Security Disability (SSDI), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), as well as SSA disability benefits for spouses and children. These definitions can be viewed on
By: Jeffrey Lapin The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) launched a Consumer Complaint Database that will provide basic information about complaints made against credit card companies. This is the first time this type of data is available to the public without the filing of a Freedom of Information request. The Database is located on the
By: Jeffrey Lapin Dealing with the death of a relative is hard enough. Family members do not need the additional stress of having to deal with having the identity of their deceased relative stolen. Remember, family members are not responsible for the debts of their deceased relatives, unless they had specifically agreed to be. In
By: Jeffrey Lapin A new report issued by the Consumer Federation of America (“CFA”), Low Ball: An Insider’s Look at How Some Insurers Can Manipulate Computerized Systems to Broadly Underpay Injury Claims, details how major car insurance companies are using computers systems, primarily Colossus, to underpay injury claims. One of the authors of the Report,