FTC Issues Clarification to Consumers Who Received a Refund Check from the USA Immigration Services Redress Program

Commission Clarification: On July 9, 2007, the Federal Trade Commission began issuing refund checks to certain customers of USA Immigration Services. The letter accompanying those checks stated that consumers received a check because they paid the defendants for “green card” lottery assistance services. The letter should have stated that consumers received a check because, sometime […]

Federal and State Agencies Announce Pilot Project to Improve Supervision of Subprime Mortgage Lenders

Three federal agencies and two associations of state regulators will cooperate in an innovative pilot project to conduct targeted consumer-protection compliance reviews of selected non-depository lenders with significant subprime mortgage operations. The collaborative state/federal pilot is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of this year and will focus on non-depository subsidiaries of bank and […]

FTC, Partners Offer Framework for Consumer Redress and Dispute Resolution

The Federal Trade Commission, together with other members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), today adopted a Recommendation on Consumer Dispute Resolution and Redress. The OECD recommendation offers a framework for governments and businesses to help consumers resolve disputes and settle claims, both for individual consumers and groups of consumers, and offers […]

FTC, HHS to Host Forum on Childhood Obesity

The Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Health and Human Services will host a forum, “Weighing In: A Check-Up on Marketing, Self-Regulation, and Childhood Obesity,” to review progress in implementing self-regulatory and educational initiatives to combat childhood obesity.   WHO: Opening Remarks by:FTC Chairman Deborah Platt MajorasOther speakers listed on the event agenda, available […]

Commission Approves Brunos Petition to Reopen and Set Aside Order

Commission approval of petition to reopen and set aside order: The Commission has approved a petition from Bruno’s Supermarkets to reopen and modify the final FTC decision and order in the matter of Koninklijke Ahold N.V. (Ahold) and Bruno’s Supermarkets, Inc. (Bruno’s), Docket No. C-4027. As detailed in the petition, a copy of which can […]

Spam Summit: The Next Generation of Threats and Solutions

WHAT: A two-day conference that will bring together experts from the business, government, and technology sectors, consumer advocates, and academics to explore consumer protection issues surrounding spam, phishing and malware. The agenda and a list of participants can be found athttp://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/spamsummit/agenda.shtm WHO: FTC Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras and distinguished panelists WHERE: FTC Conference Center601 New […]

FTC Receives Two Petitions for Approval of Proposed Divestitures from SCI and Alderwoods Group

Petitions for approval of proposed divestiture: The Commission has received two petitions from Service Corporation International (SCI) and Alderwoods Group, Inc. seeking approval of a proposed divestiture related to SCI’s recent acquisition of Alderwoods. In the FTC’s consent agreement and order allowing the transaction to proceed with conditions, SCI and Alderwoods were required to divest […]

Court Orders Centurion Defendants to Halt Illegal Cross-Border Telemarketing and Pay $10 Million in Consumer Redress

In the case against the cross-border advance-fee telemarketing scheme known as Centurion Financial Benefits, a federal district court – acting at the request of the Federal Trade Commission – has entered several additional orders against participants in the scam. The FTC today announced the court has entered final orders requiring the corporate defendants and Robert […]