Author: Brian Lund
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First-time jobless claims fell to 197,000 in the week ending Oct. 3
Fewer people filed for the first time for unemployment benefits last week, and the count landed under 200,000 again. The Labor Department reported Thursday, Oct. 8, that initial claims were 197,000 in the week ending Oct. 3, down 2,000 from the prior week’s revised 199,000, according to its weekly claims release. The figure is seasonally…
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HUD is investigating Wells Fargo’s $60 billion pledge to add 250,000 Black homeowners
The federal housing department has opened an investigation into one of the biggest bank pledges ever made on Black homeownership. The Department of Housing and Urban Development said on Oct. 7, 2026, that it is looking at whether Wells Fargo’s program to add 250,000 Black homeowners by 2027, part of a $60 billion lending commitment,…
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Missouri returned nearly $61 million in unclaimed property in fiscal 2026 and still holds more than $1.5 billion
Missouri handed back nearly $61 million in unclaimed property during fiscal 2026, the most the state treasurer’s office has ever returned in one year. The office still holds more than $1.5 billion in more than 10 million accounts that nobody has claimed. State Treasurer Vivek Malek says about 1 in 10 Missourians has money waiting,…
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BMO checking customers will generally get mobile check deposits the next business day starting Nov. 7, while savings deposits take up to two business days
Photographing a check with a phone and depositing it through the BMO app is about to come with a firmer clock. Starting Nov. 7, 2026, mobile deposits into BMO checking accounts will generally be available the next business day, and deposits into savings accounts will generally be available by the second business day. The bank…
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Fannie Mae now lets mortgage servicers contact homeowners who may be able to drop private mortgage insurance based on their home’s current value
Homeowners who pay private mortgage insurance may start hearing from their loan servicer about getting rid of it. On Sept. 16, 2026, Fannie Mae told the companies that collect mortgage payments that they may now reach out on their own to borrowers who could be eligible to end that insurance because their home is worth…
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A former Indianapolis letter carrier admitted stealing checks from the mail on his route in a $34 million bank fraud with about 6,500 victims
Destinee Ruffin, 29, a former letter carrier at the Bacon Station Post Office in Indianapolis, pleaded guilty on Oct. 9, 2026, to running a $34 million conspiracy to commit bank fraud by stealing checks from the mail. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana says in its plea announcement that about 6,500…
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Indiana disaster victims in 24 counties have until Oct. 25 to apply for FEMA aid and those in 21 of those counties have until Oct. 27 for disaster unemployment benefits
Hoosiers whose homes or jobs were hit by the severe storms of mid-August have two deadlines coming up. The Indiana Department of Homeland Security says people in 24 counties have until Oct. 25, 2026, to apply for FEMA Individual Assistance. The Indiana Department of Workforce Development says people in 21 of those counties have until…
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A Visa and Mastercard settlement up for approval Nov. 16 would let stores add a surcharge for credit cards and turn away premium cards
A swipe-fee settlement now before a federal judge would let stores charge extra when a customer pays with a Visa or Mastercard credit card. It would also let them refuse some of those cards outright. Nothing has taken effect yet, because the court has given only preliminary approval. A fairness hearing is set for Nov.…
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Apple Cash users who have not verified their identity lose the ability to add money from a debit card starting Nov. 9, on a rolling basis
Apple Cash customers who have never verified their identity are about to lose a way to put money on the card. Green Dot Bank, which holds Apple Cash balances, says in its Apple Cash terms that starting Nov. 9, 2026, and on a rolling basis after that, an unverified account can no longer load its…
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The Labor Department’s inspector general flagged $45.6 billion in potentially fraudulent jobless benefits in four high-risk areas
The Labor Department’s inspector general flagged $45.6 billion in unemployment benefits as potentially fraudulent, and a new federal rule built on that number will open state jobless-claim files to federal investigators. The figure comes from a September 21, 2022 alert memo signed by Carolyn R. Hantz, the inspector general’s Assistant Inspector General for Audit. It…