Ed's Blog

Tips for fixing credit report errors yourself (don't ever use a credit repair doctor)

Friday, October 12, 2012

Consumer Program Director

Fox Business reporter Kelly Dilworth has a detailed "how-to" called "10 surefire steps to get errors off your credit reports." Don't go to a credit repair doctor, don't read a bunch of wacky advice on self-help websites, don't do any of that, Do what she says.

Financial Reform

FTC slams Equifax as Senate joins House inquiry into credit bureaus' data broker cousins

Thursday, October 11, 2012

By | Ed Mierzwinski

Consumer Program Director

This week the FTC ordered the massive credit bureau Equifax to disgorge $393,000 in profits and its customer, Direct Lending Source, to pay a $1.2 million civil penalty for selling lists of credit reports for illegal marketing purposes. Meanwhile, Senate Commerce Chairman Jay Rockefeller has announced his own investigation into the practice of unregulated data brokers, the close cousins of the credit bureaus that are already the subject of a bi-partisan House inquiry.

Consumer Protection

State Attorneys General Oppose Payday Lender Protection Bill In Congress

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

By | Ed Mierzwinski

Consumer Program Director

Last week a bi-partisan group of 41 state Attorneys General announced their joint opposition to misguided legislation to take both the CFPB and the states off the payday lender crime beat. Nevertheless, the payday lenders continue to invest in the political process.

Consumer Protection

Consumers want "Do not track" privacy right but powerful firms fight back

Monday, October 8, 2012

By | Ed Mierzwinski

Consumer Program Director

A new study shows that web surfers want an easy-to-use Do-Not-Track right to stop online tracking and collection of information about their web choices. But a powerful coalition of web advertisers and web publishers is fighting back, here and abroad, and it claims that such targeted advertising is what makes the Internet "free."