| Volume 137 Number 2 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
You have won a free iPad! No you didn’t, and don’t respond to the email. Like many other “phishing” scams, this one just wants some of your personal information. Just say no, and delete the email. Click here for more.
What to Buy on Amazon Prime Day 2017
Amazon.com has confirmed the savings event will kick off at 9 a.m. EST on July 10 and run until 3 a.m. EST on July 12. For 30 hours, the e-commerce giant will release "hundreds of thousands of deals exclusively for Prime members," according to a recent press release. To score the biggest savings, here's what to buy on Amazon Prime Day, based on data from previous years' deals: Amazon devices, including Echo, Fire TV, and Kindle; televisions; streaming services; and warehouse deals.
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Your Money
15 Mortgage Tips for First-Time Homebuyers (1) Know your credit score and what it means to your mortgage; (2) Estimate how much you can borrow; (3) Don’t overextend yourself; (4) Get your documentation in order; (5) Get a mortgage pre-approval before you start shopping; (6) Determine how much of a down payment you have; (7) Closing costs don’t have to add to your out-of-pocket expenses; (8) Consider an FHA loan if your credit history isn’t great; (9) Budget for mortgage insurance, if necessary; (10) Shop around for a low rate; (11) Don’t forget about smaller lenders; (12) Consider a 15-year mortgage; (13) Fixed or adjustable? If you don’t plan on being in the home you buy for more than a few years, an adjustable-rate mortgage could save you thousands of dollars in interest; (14) Expect a few hassles before closing; and (15) After you apply, don’t use your credit until you have the keys in hand. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Fifth Circuit affirms judgment against debt collector. The Fifth Circuit held that the district court’s grant of summary judgment to Appellee on grounds that debt collector violated § 807(8) of Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”), 15 U.S.C. § 1692e(8). Defendant conceded that it failed to communicate to credit bureaus that Sayles’ “disputed debt [was] disputed.” Id. It contends, however, that it did not have to report the dispute to credit bureaus, because § 807(8) incorporates § 809’s debt dispute and validation requirements, and plaintiff did not satisfy those requirements. The court noted that: While ARS is correct that Sayles did not satisfy § 809’s requirement that consumers must dispute their debts in writing within thirty days after receiving notice from a debt collector, that requirement does not carry over to § 807(8). In Brady v. Credit Recovery Co., Inc., 160 F.3d 64, 67 (1st Cir. 1998), the First Circuit correctly stated that, while § 809 gives requirements for when a debt collector must verify and cease collecting on disputed debts, § 807(8) “merely requires a debt collector who knows or should know that a given debt is disputed to disclose its disputed status to persons inquiring about a consumer’s credit history.” Sayles v. Advanced Recovery Systems, Inc. (5th Cir. 2017). Click here for more.