| Volume 131 Number 12 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
Should you buy an extended warranty with your next purchase? Most studies show they are not worth it. Also, check out your credit card agreement. Some, like American Express offer free extended warranty protection. Click here for more.
CFPB Orders Citi Subsidiaries to Pay $28.8 Million for Giving the Runaround to Borrowers Trying to Save Their Homes
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) took separate actions this week against CitiFinancial Servicing and CitiMortgage, Inc. for giving the runaround to struggling homeowners seeking options to save their homes. The mortgage servicers kept borrowers in the dark about options to avoid foreclosure or burdened them with excessive paperwork demands in applying for foreclosure relief. The CFPB is requiring CitiMortgage to pay an estimated $17 million to compensate wronged consumers, and pay a civil penalty of $3 million; and requiring CitiFinancial Services to refund approximately $4.4 million to consumers, and pay a civil penalty of $4.4 million.
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Your Money
4 Ways to Save Money With Shopping Apps. There are many couponing and discount-hunting apps offered retailers, you can download them to see the coupons and promotions they offer. This is useful, but a possibly more convenient way to go about couponing is to download a single app that compiles a massive list of retailers' coupons. Price-comparison apps like RedLaser and ShopSavvy, you scan an in-store item's bar code, and it will tell you how much that item costs at different online retailers. What's more, these apps also tells you if there are special deals on the item at nearby stores. PriceJump, available for the iPhone or as a Chrome browser extension, is another contender. Its "best" price column tells you exactly where to find the best price in each of three categories: local, Amazon and online. Grocery savings apps like Grocery Pal lets you browse for coupons digitally, then save and print them. It will also tell you what's on sale at nearby stores and allow you to create shopping lists based on those coupons and sales. Rewards apps like Shopkick rewards you with gift cards when you "check in" at various retailers. There's no need to buy anything, either. You're rewarded for visiting the store, not spending money. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Standing under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The Third Circuit held that a violation of the FCRA gives rise to an injury sufficient for Article III standing purposes. The case involved plaintiffs who sued after two laptops, containing sensitive personal information about them and others, were stolen from health insurer Horizon Healthcare Services, Inc. The plaintiffs alleged willful and negligent violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, as well as violations of state law, premised on the claim that Horizon inadequately protected their personal information. The district court dismissed the suit for lack of Article III standing. The district court reasoned that none of the plaintiffs claimed a cognizable injury because, although their personal information had been stolen, none of them had adequately alleged that the information was actually used to their detriment. The Third Circuit Court of Appeals vacated and remanded the case back to the district court. “In light of the congressional decision to create a remedy for the unauthorized transfer of personal information, a violation of FCRA gives rise to an injury sufficient for Article III standing purposes. Even without evidence that the Plaintiffs’ information was in fact used improperly, the alleged disclosure of their personal information created a de facto injury. Accordingly, all of the Plaintiffs suffered a cognizable injury, and the Complaint should not have been dismissed.” In re Horizon Healthcare Services Inc. Data Breach Litigation. Click here for more.