In April 2020, as the nation began to shut down because of the COVID pandemic, the three national credit bureaus—Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion—jointly announced they would allow Americans to get free credit reports every week. However, there are indications that the bureaus may end the policy by the end of this year. Consumer advocates are […]
Category Archives: Mixed Case File
On January 3, 2023, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a new report assessing the state of the nation’s credit reporting system, particularly the work of the three national credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. Compared to last year’s dismal report, the results are encouraging. While there is still a ton of work to be […]
Scott Stallings, a Georgia real estate agent, was amazed to open his mail and discover that he’d been invited to play in the Masters, one of the world’s most prestigious golf tournaments. While Stallings is an amateur golfer, once he’d recovered from the shock of receiving the invitation, he and his wife Jennifer realized the […]
It wasn’t yet Groundhog Day, but news at the end of January felt all too familiar. T-Mobile announced that it has been investigating yet another major data breach. Initial reports are that this hack has potentially compromised the information relating to 37 million accounts, roughly a third of T-Mobile’s customers. This is the second time […]
A little-known governmental entity—the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)—plays a significant, if unnoticed, role in American consumers’ lives. And it could get even bigger. That’s because one of the CFPB’s chief responsibilities is tracking, analyzing, and investigating consumers’ complaints against the national credit reporting agencies. It’s becoming increasingly clear there’s a concern with credit reporting, […]
It was clear from the stunning news footage and other coverage that Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Fiona caused enormous physical damage to their communities. Houses were leveled, businesses were left in rubble, and streets became rivers. But, as people lose their homes and jobs or have to wait until insurance checks arrive, the bills somehow […]
Last year, a 91-year-old Marylander had the shock of her life. She discovered that, according to the Social Security Administration, she was already dead. This wasn’t just comical. It immediately impacted her life because, since she was “dead,” she was no longer eligible for the retirement benefits that she lived on. And she isn’t the […]
Last year, a 91-year-old Marylander had the shock of her life. She discovered that, according to the Social Security Administration, she was already dead. This wasn’t just comical. It immediately impacted her life because, since she was “dead,” she was no longer eligible for the retirement benefits that she lived on. And she isn’t the […]
Recently, the Wall Street Journal had an article about married couples who wound up having the same name. And this issue may become more common as names previously considered male or female become gender-neutral. For example, in November of 2022, movie star Taylor Lautner married Taylor Dome, who became Mrs. Taylor Lautner. While the article […]
A person’s surname can reveal a lot of information about them, particularly their ethnicity or ancestry—but it’s not always safe to assume that you know who someone is because of their last name. Plenty of folks get their name from marriage; others take the name of their adoptive family. Some people make up their name […]