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  • April 16, 2012

    Industry Groups Seek Broad 'Qualified Mortgage' Definition

    A wide coalition of industry groups and consumer and community activists on Monday told the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that a broad definition of “qualified mortgage” was necessary to boost the collapsed housing market.

  • April 16, 2012

    Hearst Says Consumers Lack Standing In Data-Sharing Suit

    Hearst Communications Inc. asked a California federal court Friday to dismiss a consumer's putative class action alleging the publishing behemoth violated the state's Shine the Light law by failing to make data-sharing practice disclosures, saying the plaintiff misread the law and has no standing.

  • April 16, 2012

    FCC Fines Google For Blocking Street View Probe

    The Federal Communications Commission on Friday fined Google Inc. $25,000 for hindering the agency’s investigation of the company’s collection of personal data sent over unsecured Wi-Fi networks as part of its Street View service, but stopped short of calling the practice unlawful.

  • April 16, 2012

    Debit Card Fee Rule Is Legal Under Dodd-Frank, Fed Says

    The Federal Reserve on Friday urged a judge to toss a suit by retailers challenging the level at which it has set debit card transaction fees, saying the level was reasonable and didn't overstep the Fed's authority to set the limits granted by the Dodd-Frank Act.

  • April 13, 2012

    Calif. Panels Set To Take Up Homeowner Protection Bills

    California lawmakers are on deck to consider several pieces of legislation beginning Monday that propose to safeguard homeowners from unfair mortgage and foreclosure practices.

  • April 13, 2012

    ABA Panel Finds Electronic Search Decisions Lacking

    Courts are struggling to apply the Constitution's Fourth Amendment prohibition on unreasonable searches and seizures to new technologies like GPS tracking and smartphones — and coming up short — a panel at an American Bar Association conference on e-discovery in government investigations agreed Friday.

  • April 13, 2012

    Technical Glitch Reveals Private Info To ICANN Applicants

    The Internet Corp. for Assigned Names and Numbers admitted Thursday that its domain registration system had suffered a glitch that allowed some users to view private information about one another, which could give competitors an edge in the domain-bidding process that has now been pushed back a week.

  • April 13, 2012

    Muscle Milk Maker Can't Crush False Ad Class Action

    A California federal judge ruled Wednesday that a proposed class action against CytoSport Inc. accusing the creators of the Muscle Milk brand of misrepresenting the nutritional value of its ready-to-drink products and protein bars could proceed on one factual claim.

  • April 13, 2012

    Public Health Co. Reveals Data Breach Affecting Thousands

    Florida-based Memorial Healthcare System has fired two employees who could face criminal charges for inappropriately accessing confidential details on about 9,500 patients to file phony tax returns, a spokeswoman for the system said Friday.

  • April 13, 2012

    Seafood Buyers Sue Over Bumble Bee's Fishy Omega-3 Claims

    Seafood company Bumble Bee Foods LLC was hit with a proposed class action Thursday in California federal court accusing it of misleading consumers about the health benefits of its products containing omega-3.

  • April 13, 2012

    French Group Unveils Guidance For Targeted Ad Cookies

    The French direct marketing association on Tuesday weighed in on how website operators should implement challenging new rules to gain user consent for cookies, updating previous guidance to address how companies should inform users about targeted advertising cookies.

  • April 13, 2012

    No Class Cert. In Arizona Beverage 'All Natural' Labeling Suit

    A New Jersey federal judge on Wednesday refused to certify a class of consumers seeking to block Arizona Beverage Co. and others from touting that nearly 30 Arizona brand beverages were "all natural," finding the named plaintiff could not represent the group.

  • April 13, 2012

    Collection Co. Seeks Probe Of Movie Gallery

    Credit Control Services Inc., hired by bankrupt Movie Gallery Inc. to collect overdue late fees, asked a judge Thursday for permission to investigate the onetime video rental giant and its liquidating trustee over an alleged breach of contract and possible smear campaign against the collector.

  • April 12, 2012

    Canadian Official Seeks Data Breach Reporting Requirement

    British Columbia's privacy commissioner pushed provincial lawmakers on Wednesday to require companies to disclose data breaches to the government, as the federal legislature considers a privacy bill with a similar mandate.

  • April 12, 2012

    Criminal Background Checks Often Botched, Report Says

    Screening companies frequently include incorrect and misleading information in criminal background reports that employers often use when evaluating job applicants, according to a Wednesday report urging the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission to take action.

  • April 12, 2012

    NJ Civil Enforcement Efforts Racked Up $150M In 2011

    New Jersey civil enforcement efforts amassed $150 million in settlements and judgments last year in disputes related to consumer and securities fraud, environmental damage and debt recovery, the state announced Thursday.

  • April 12, 2012

    FTC Tells Alcohol Cos. To Turn Over Digital Ad Data

    The Federal Trade Commission has for the first time requested information on Internet marketing and data collection practices from Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc., MillerCoors LLC and a dozen other companies as it reviews voluntary industry guidelines for curbing alcohol advertising to underage consumers, the agency announced Thursday.

  • April 12, 2012

    CFPB To Hold Banks Accountable For Vendor Violations

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Thursday said that banks and other institutions it regulates will be held responsible when companies they contract with violate consumer protection laws.

  • April 12, 2012

    False Ad Suit Says Jos. A. Bank Clothes Always 'On Sale'

    Two consumers have filed a proposed class action made public Wednesday, accusing fine clothing retailer Jos. A. Bank of engaging in widespread deceptive advertising by perpetually marketing its products as “on sale” when in fact they are always offered at a discount rate.

  • April 12, 2012

    Facebook Expands Users' Access To Stored Data

    Facebook Inc. said Wednesday it would allow users to retrieve more of the information the company keeps about them, adopting a recommendation made by Ireland's data protection agency following an audit of the site's privacy practices.