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In response to the widespread violation of New York consumers' rights by debt collections agency, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo sued 35 debt collection firms who improperly obtained default judgements against consumers.  From the Office of the Attorney General: Default Judgment Lawsuit . Read Full Story

A law firm at the center of the foreclosure crisis is closing due to scrutiny of their unfair business practices.  From the NY Times : Mr. Baum and his colleagues have come under fire for their foreclosure-related legal work. They are one of numerous firms across the country that represent banks and services in trying to foreclose on the millions of homeowners who have defaulted on their loans. Some of these firms’ aggressive, and, in some cases, duplicitous practices, have earned them the... Read Full Story

According to ChicagoBusiness.com , "the practice of shorting overtime, skirting minimum wage or forcing employees to work off the clock has been the subject of an increasing number of lawsuits."  Two of the Illinois staffing firms that are facing lawsuits are accused of paying employees less than minimum wage, including one situation where an employee was paid $57 for 21 hours of work, when minimum wage in Illinois is $8.25 an hour.  Read more: Chicago Business: Wal-Mart Warehouse... Read Full Story

A woman in Florida is suing for the harassment she endured while she was grieving the loss of her husband, over her late husband's debt.  Here's the story: " + __flash__argumentsToXML(arguments,0) + "")); }" hibernateplayer="function () { return eval(instance.CallFunction("" + __flash__argumentsToXML(arguments,0) + "")); }" playvideo="function () { return eval(instance.CallFunction("" + __flash__argumentsToXML(arguments,0) + "")); }"> Woman sues debt collector and bank... Read Full Story

Several Brooklyn residents entered an unpaid internship program that promised union membership after several months of hard labor.  Instead of landing the jobs they thought they were training for, they discovered their hard work was for nothing.  Now, they are suing to recover unpaid wages.  Read the full story here:  NY Times: Brooklyn Residents File Lawsuit to Recover Unpaid Wages Read Full Story

According to Bankrate.com , nearly 80% of credit reports contain some error, and at least 25% have errors serious enough to lead to loan and credit denials.  Mistakes can range from misspelled names and inaccurate birth dates to listing "closed" accounts as "open",  or even listing the same loan twice.   To ensure that your credit report is free from errors, you should order a free copy once a year.  If you notice an error or inaccurate information on your credit report, dispute it... Read Full Story

The National Employment Law Project reports " Illegal Job-Screening Practices Worsen Unemployment Among African Americans ": "As the use of background checks expands, many employers are routinely excluding all job applicants with criminal records from consideration, no matter how minor or dated their offenses," said Maurice Emsellem, policy co-director of the National Employment Law Project. "Background checks are meant to ensure a safe work environment, but many employers have gone way too... Read Full Story

Employers are relying on background checks with increasing frequency to make their hiring decisions. However, many background checks reveal false, inaccurate or out-of-date information that can negatively impact the job seeker. Here are some of the many stories of job searches damaged by background report errors: Christian Science Monitor: Who Is Checking The Background Checkers? ABC News: Advocates Complain About Background Check Errors Wired: Bad Data Fouls Background Checks Philly.com... Read Full Story

As more and more consumers fall behind on bills due to the economy, debt collection tactics are becoming more aggressive.  Consumers have been called names, threatened with jail, or even threatened with bodily harm.  These tactics are illegal, but occur frequently.  According to USA Today : The Federal Trade Commission reports that the number of complaints about debt collectors rose from 104,766 a year in 2008 to 140,036 in 2010, says Tom Pahl, assistant director of the FTC's division of... Read Full Story

From ABC News:   Read Full Story