Author: Brian Lund
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Significant credit-card rate or fee changes generally require 45 days’ advance notice
A credit-card issuer generally cannot make a significant account-term change effective tomorrow without warning. Federal rules usually require at least 45 days’ advance notice for major changes such as certain interest-rate or fee increases, a higher minimum payment, or changes to a grace period or interest calculation. The word “generally” is essential. Rewards changes, properly…
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FTC-covered funeral homes must quote prices by phone and give visitors an itemized price list
Funeral decisions often arrive when a family has little time and even less appetite for comparison shopping. The Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule gives consumers dealing with covered funeral homes the right to request price information by phone and to receive an itemized General Price List when they visit in person. Those rights make it…
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Denied a checking account based on a report? You can request a free copy of the report the bank used
A bank’s refusal to open a checking account can come from a specialty consumer report rather than the familiar credit score people usually watch. When the bank relied on that report, the denial notice should identify the reporting company, and the applicant can request a free copy of the report that was used. That copy…
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The Labor Department’s wage tool lets workers search by employer for unclaimed back pay
The U.S. Labor Department may already be holding back wages for a worker it could not locate after an investigation. Its free Workers Owed Wages tool lets people search by current or former employer to see whether money connected to a Wage and Hour Division case may be waiting. This is narrower than a general…
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Public-service workers may qualify to erase remaining Direct Loan balances after 120 qualifying payments
Public-service work can lead to cancellation of a borrower’s remaining federal Direct Loan balance, but the result is not automatic after ten calendar years on the job. Public Service Loan Forgiveness requires 120 qualifying monthly payments, eligible loans, an eligible repayment plan, and qualifying full-time employment. That combination makes routine verification important. A worker can…
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Five dealership workers will share $925,000 under a court-approved harassment and retaliation settlement
Five workers at three affiliated Austin car dealerships will share $925,000 under a federal court-approved settlement of sexual-harassment and retaliation claims. The money and the dealerships’ required workplace changes resolve the case before trial, so the alleged conduct should not be described as a final court finding. For employees elsewhere, the case is a reminder…
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Six deli workers received about $83,000 each after being paid $100 for 11-hour days
Six workers at a San Diego deli have now received roughly $83,000 apiece after a federal investigation found they were paid a flat $100 for days that often lasted 11 hours. The recovery shows how quickly unpaid minimum wages and overtime can grow when a pay practice continues week after week. The payment is specific…
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Self-employed drivers can deduct 76 cents per business mile for trips after June 30.
Every business trip in a personal vehicle now carries a slightly different tax value than it did earlier in the year. For eligible self-employed workers, the federal optional mileage rate is 76 cents for each business mile driven from July 1 through December 31, 2026. The rate does not turn commuting or personal errands into…
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Forty-six restaurant workers recovered $613,037 after investigators found minimum-wage and overtime violations.
A federal wage investigation has put more than $613,000 back in the hands of 46 restaurant workers in Minnesota. The recovery matters beyond one workplace because restaurant pay can combine hourly wages, tips, deductions and overtime in ways that make a short paycheck hard to spot. Basic records can help workers identify the gap. What…
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A credit-card error disputed in writing within 60 days triggers federal protections.
A wrong charge on a credit-card statement is more than an annoyance when it affects the balance, minimum payment or available credit. Federal billing-error rules provide a formal process, but the strongest protections depend on a written notice sent on time and to the right address. The 60-day clock starts with the statement The key…