CA News & Special Reports Archive

2016

October

31

• Consumer Action INSIDER - November 2016.
  The October 2016 issue of Consumer Action's monthly newsletter brings you news of newlegislation impacting consumers in the state of California, information on our work to educate servicemembers and veterans across the country, advice for what to do when online deals disappoint and more.

03

• Consumer Action INSIDER - October 2016.
  The October 2016 issue of Consumer Action's monthly newsletter brings you news of a Los Angeles event in support of strong rules to protect payday borrowers, advice for those impacted by for-profit vocational school closures, information about how to file a class action lawsuit, and more.

September

01

• Consumer Action INSIDER - September 2016.
  The September issue of the Consumer Action INSIDER offers information on CFPB activities and class action lawsuits as well as updates on coalition activities. This month we also update you on our "Economic survival guide for servicemembers and veterans" trainings; explore the value (or lack thereof) of super cheap auto insurance; introduce our new report on the CFPB's consumer complaint database; and detail a couple of upcoming financial and retirement planning webinars.

August

30

• CFPB Complaint Database Issue (Fall 2016).
  Consumer Action presents a new study of the public complaint database established by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). This report breaks down the most common types of complaints, explains how to access and filter the data from existing complaints, examines the ways companies respond to consumers and provides tips on filing a complaint with the CFPB.

01

• Consumer Action INSIDER - August 2016.
  The August issue of the Consumer Action INSIDER offers information on CFPB activities and class action lawsuits as well as updates on coalition activities. This month we also introduce a new guide to finding the right job training school; send you a "Save the date" for our upcoming 45th anniversary in Washington, DC; tell the tale of a consumer outraged by Uber's "surge pricing"; update you on our efforts to restore your right to join class action lawsuits; and take a look back at our Healthy Children project to prevent lead poisoning and other environmental threats to children’s health.

January

04

• Consumer Action INSIDER - January 2016.
  The January issue of the Consumer Action INSIDER offers information on CFPB activities and class action lawsuits as well as updates on coalition activities. This month we also highlight our recent National Consumer Empowerment Conference; offer a guide for consumers on how to act when a collector calls; tell of one consumer's tale of woe after he signed up for Match.com; and give an update on a series of workshops that we've held on new phone networks and Internet safety.

2015

December

16

• Credit Reporting Issue - Winter 2015.
  The credit reporting issue of Consumer Action News covers some welcome changes in reporting rules and the dispute resolution process, explains how consumers can access free credit scores and deal with delinquent debt on their reports, and throws light on the rights and challenges for job seekers and data breach victims.

01

• Consumer Action INSIDER - December 2015.
  The December issue of the Consumer Action INSIDER offers information on CFPB activities and class action lawsuits as well as updates on coalition activities. This month we also feature stories on saving money during the holiday season; avoiding bad auto loans; protecting your Internet privacy; choosing the right prepaid card; and family money management. Finally, we give an update on our recently held 44th anniversary celebration.

November

• Consumer Action INSIDER - November 2015.
  The November issue of the Consumer Action INSIDER offers information on CFPB activities and class action lawsuits as well as updates on the many coalitions we’re involved in (including the newest, created in the wake of the massive Experian/T-Mobile data breach). We also fill you in on the latest happenings, including an open house at our new SF office; the National Consumer League’s Trumpeter Awards event, and a public discussion on postal banking. Finally, we provide a recap of our auto insurance trainings and introduce recent updates to our guide to the Lifeline discounted phone program for underserved individuals. This month, Hotline Chronicles explores a consumer'r problem with not-so-speedy Internet service.

October

• Consumer Action INSIDER - October 2015.
  The October issue of the Consumer Action INSIDER offers information on CFPB activities and updates on coalition efforts and class action lawsuits. It also tells the tale of one woman's journey to understanding long-term care in the midst of her aging mother's ailing health; offers up the truth about prescription discount cards; gives updates on our education and advocacy work, and invites readers to our 44th anniversary celebration in Washington, DC.

August

30

• Consumer Action INSIDER - September 2015.
  The September issue of the Consumer Action INSIDER offers information on CFPB activities and updates on coalition efforts and class action lawsuits. It also provides new and improved publications to help consumers shop for and choose the best auto loan (and exercise their rights should their auto purchase prove to be a lemon). In addition, the newsletter features stories on excessive and unfair car rental taxes; charity scams; Consumer Action's upcoming national conference; a fascinating new book on watchdogs and whistleblowers; and Consumer Action's recent homeownership workshop.

01

• Consumer Action INSIDER - August 2015.
  The August issue of the Consumer Action INSIDER offers updates on CFPB activities and information on coalition efforts, legislative actions and amicus briefs in which Consumer Action has participated. It also features a story about a man who escaped a predatory auto loan; an update on a number of mini-grants designed to financially educate underserved consumers; information on how credit card payments are applied; an introduction to the U.S. Treasury’s public retirement program; and a summary of our new SCAM GRAM e-newsletter.

June

30

• Consumer Action INSIDER - July 2015.
  The July issue of the Consumer Action INSIDER offers updates on CFPB activities, class action lawsuits under which you might be eligible to make a claim, coalition efforts in which Consumer Action has participated, and the FCC’s recent decision regarding robocalls. It also contains part two of a series on retirement planning that began in the May issue, and an announcement about Consumer Action’s move to a new office in San Francisco’s Civic Center area.

May

31

• Consumer Action INSIDER - June 2015.
  The June issue of the INSIDER features articles on the L.A. premiere of a documentary about the ill effects on consumers of binding mandatory arbitration clauses, the increased scrutiny of for-profit colleges by the U.S. Department of Education, California legislation that would establish a state earned income tax credit for low income working individuals and families, and financial inclusion train-the-trainer events recently hosted by Consumer Action. Hotline Chronicles features a complaint about a third-party installment plan offered by some major retail chains.

April

30

• Consumer Action INSIDER - May 2015.
  This month's Consumer Action INSIDER brings you articles about Consumer Action's recognition as an innovative consumer advocacy group, a financial fraud toolkit for advocates, our San Francisco office move, recent actions at the CFPB and a run-down on what we've been working on in coalitions. In this issue, a series on planning for retirement begins, and Hotline Chronicles looks at technical college degrees that don't help students find jobs.

March

31

• Consumer Action INSIDER - April 2015.
  This month's INSIDER brings you stories on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau plan to allow complainants to share their "stories" with the public, how people without Social Security numbers can still request free annual credit reports, a new class action open for claims, and a new educational package on automobile insurance released by Consumer Action. Hotline Chronicles looks at a case of a disgruntled mortgage holder who paid on time but is still being hounded for his payments.

February

28

• Consumer Action INSIDER - March 2015.
  The March 2015 issue of Consumer Action INSIDER features stories about our work on California legislative issues, new class actions and a look at credit scores and medical debt discussed at the most recent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau consumer advisory board meeting. Hotline Chronicles tells the tale of two consumers who had trouble getting their cell phones unlocked—a new option that major wireless carriers have agreed to provide to subscribers who are no longer under contracts.

01

• Consumer Action INSIDER - February 2015.
  This month’s INSIDER includes 2014 complaint statistics for our free consumer hotline, the latest additions to the Class Action Database, the announcement of our just-published FY2014 annual report, and a summary of Consumer Action’s comments to the CFPB on its language access plan. Hotline Chronicles offers timely tips for avoiding a bad tax preparer and expensive tax refund products.

January

05

• Consumer Action INSIDER - January 2015.
  This month's INSIDER features the fifth annual Consumer Action's National Conference, forced arbitration and the Hotline Chronicles. The Hotline Chronicles reviews bill collectors contacting family members.

2014

November

01

• Consumer Action INSIDER - November 2014.
  This month's INSIDER brings you articles about our annual fundraiser and awards ceremony, new MoneyWi$e webinars, our recent coalition efforts to push back efforts by title insurers to roll back regulations, and recent train-the-trainer events, among other topics. Hotline Chronicles looks at why consumers find themselves paying equipment leasing fees to cable companies.

September

• Consumer Action INSIDER - September 2014.
  This month's INSIDER brings you article on a new consumer educational resource for service members and veterans, efforts to end mandatory arbitration clauses in consumer contracts that keep customers from bringing disputes in court, and a campaign to ensure that used cars at a major dealer have all recalled issues repaired before sale. In addition, Hotline Chronicles features a cautionary tale about a scam in which callers pretend to be from the Internal Revenue Service to scare you into giving them bank and credit card information and we explain Consumer Action's translation services for government, non-profits and corporations.

August

• Consumer Action INSIDER - August 2014.
  The August issue of Consumer Action INSIDER brings you news of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's field hearing in El Paso, TX last month, at which it introduced a proposal to allow consumers to publicly share the stories behind the complaints they submit to the consumer watchdog agency. Other items in the issue include an update on work we are doing to protect and strengthen the rights of career education student loan borrowers, an account of the series of trainings we conducted on financial inclusion and an introduction to a program that leverages a myriad of stakeholders to lead people out of poverty. Hotline Chronicles presents information on whether Social Security numbers are a requirement to get a credit card.

June

30

• Consumer Action INSIDER - July 2014.
  The July issue of Consumer Action INSIDER brings you stories about our Financial Inclusion trainings, employee volunteerism, a roundup of our coalition efforts, a new class action settlement in a case brought against Ticketmaster over excessive fees, and a Hotline Chronicles case of entrapment in the "jewelry of the month club." And that's not all!

02

• Consumer Action INSIDER - June 2014.
  This month's INSIDER features stories, among others, about our new Corporate Advisory Board, addressing complaints with the Post Office, Consumer Action's recent and upcoming privacy-related activities and an action alert to press the Department of Education to ensure that vocational colleges really prepare students for "gainful employment."

February

• Consumer Action INSIDER - February 2014.
  This month’s INSIDER unveils our newly designed Class Action Database and features a Hotline Chronicles piece on stop payments. It also contains articles about what happened at our National Consumer Empowerment Conference in November, a look back at how our MoneyWi$e financial literacy program has evolved over the years, and our newly updated publication on sending money abroad (remittances). We’ve also added a periodic “CFPB Watch” feature to monitor all the great work being done by our colleagues at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.