Headline News Archive

2010

September

02

• US Treasury to offer low-cost bank accounts. Some U.S. taxpayers will soon be able to have their tax refunds directly deposited into a low-cost bank account, under a new pilot program the…

01

• Target to sell Facebook Credits gift cards. Facebook is coming to a Target (TGT) store near you. The social-network giant is getting into the gift card business, starting Sunday, with Facebook Credits…

• Tax cuts that make a difference. It’s time to start talking about a tax cut. The economy is struggling mightily. Some 15 million people remain unemployed. The Federal Reserve has been…

August

31

• Be skeptical of health-care credit cards. These days, you may leave your dentist's office with more than a toothbrush and dental floss in your bag. Thousands of dentists are offering patients…

29

• New rules slash card fees. Don't look now but a funny thing is happening to the plastic in your wallet: It's getting safer and easier to understand and use —…

27

• For a 'free gift card,' simply give away your personal information. You've probably heard it a thousand times: There's no free lunch. But sometimes it helps to get a little reminder. And so we turn our…

• Back-to-schoolers who put off shopping rewarded with deals. Many folks back-burnered this year's back-to-school shopping until they could almost hear the clang of the first school bell. Now comes their payoff: deals. This…

• Credit card reform has companies treading lightly on campus. Credit card reform came too late for 20-year-old Tamaira Shaw. The junior at the University of the District of Columbia got a preapproved credit card…

26

• Quest for the perfect credit score. A major league pitcher dreams of throwing a perfect game. High schoolers eyeing the Ivy League study furiously in hopes of earning 2400 on the…

• U.S. credit card debt drops to 8 year low. The amount consumers owed on their credit cards in this year's second quarter dropped to the lowest level in more than eight years as cardholders…

25

• The best cash-back card around. Do you pay off your credit card balances in full every month? Do you like tax-free income? Then I have a deal for you: the…

• 100-plus tax breaks on the line. When it comes to putting off assignments, college students have nothing on Congress. Case in point: Lawmakers have yet to decide the fate of more…

24

• Cable companies make comparison shopping ridiculously tough. Santa Monica resident Dan Sanders was interested in a fully monogamous relationship with Verizon Communications. He already received phone and Internet service from the company.…

• State tax hikes could go too far. Some U.S. states facing steep budget gaps have resorted to tax policies that could be harmful over the long term, a non-profit research group said…

• New credit card rules can help, but don't get complacent. In the past, making a late credit card payment was like forgetting your mother's birthday. Repairing the damage could take months. Sometimes, years. Now, though,…

23

• Basic lessons for students and credit cards. To open a credit card account if you are under 21, you will need to show that you have the income to make required payments…

• 'Cash for clunkers' car dealers investigated. WASHINGTON — The government is investigating at least 20 car dealerships it claims violated the rules of last year's cash-for-clunkers program. Government auditors say up…

22

• Hardship 401(k) withdrawals set record in second quarter. In the wake of news about a spike in new applications for unemployment benefits comes another potentially troubling sign: A record number of workers made…

• Final phase of credit card law begins. he final phase of the landmark federal legislation that placed new restrictions on credit card interest rates and fees takes effect Sunday. Though the bulk…

• Income inequality and financial crises. David A. Moss, an economic and policy historian at the Harvard Business School, has spent years studying income inequality. While he has long believed that…

• More overdraft protections may be coming. Last week, Federal Reserve rules went into effect that barred banks from automatically charging existing account holders overdraft fees on ATM and debit card transactions.…

• Money tips to make back-to-school affordable. The start of the school year doesn't have to break the bank. Here are tips for saving money this season: SHOPPING When buying school supplies…

• Small investors flee stock market. Renewed economic uncertainty is testing Americans’ generation-long love affair with the stock market. Investors withdrew a staggering $33.12 billion from domestic stock market mutual funds…

21

• US mortgage relief effort falling short. The Obama administration’s mortgage relief program, originally intended to shield three million households from foreclosure, now looks as if it will permanently help as few…

• Consumers clamoring for a leader in Warren. So it turns out that the Elizabeth Warren rap video that went “viral” this week is actually a made-in-Hollywood production. You know the video, don’t…