| Volume 116 Number 11 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
The mortgage process is complex and can be overwhelming. Since this is one of the biggest financial decisions in most people's lives, it makes sense to take your time and make sure you get it right. The good news is that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has a new "Home Loan Toolkit": to walk you through the process. Click here for more.
New York Attorney General Investigating Broadband Internet Providers
The New York Attorney General has launched an investigation into whether Internet providers such as Verizon, Cablevision, and Time Warner are providing consumers the Internet speeds they promised. The office is investigating whether or not technical problems and business disputes over "interconnection agreements" between providers and network carriers are resulting in slower Internet speeds than consumers are paying for. Click here for more.
Your Money
While you can never be sure how much interest most investments will return, you should always try to limit the fees they cost you to buy or own. This link has tips to find out what you're paying in investment fees, and how to lower them. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Phone call was not communication in connection with a debt. Brown owed student loan debt. A collection employee from Van Ru left a voicemail at Brown’s business that stated the caller’s and Van Ru’s names, a return number, and a reference number. The caller asked that someone from the business’s payroll department return her call. Brown sued Van Ru for violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U.S.C. 1692c(b), alleging that the voicemail was a communication “in connection with the collection of any debt” with a third party . The district court granted Van Ru judgment on the pleadings. The Sixth Circuit affirmed. The voicemail left at Brown’s business was not a “communication” as defined in the Act. A communication must “convey . . . information regarding a debt directly or indirectly to any person through any medium,” and the voicemail message did not convey such information. Brown v. Van Ru Credit Corp. Click here for more.