FTC Seeks Public Input on Jewelry Industry Marketing Guides

Do you have something to say about jewelry and how it’s marketed? If so, the Federal Trade Commission wants to hear from you. As part of its systematic review of all current FTC rules and guides, the Federal Trade Commission is seeking public comment on the agency’s Jewelry Guides. The Guides (formally, the “Guides for […]

Operators of “Debt Advocacy” Firm Settle with FTC, Must Pay More than $750,000

The operators of an allegedly deceptive mortgage modification business will pay more than $750,000 in ill-gotten gains to settle Federal Trade Commission charges.  The settlements also permanently ban the 11 defendants from selling any mortgage assistance relief products. The FTC’s case against the four operators of the Debt Advocacy Center and another group of seven […]

FTC Charges Bogus Precious Metals Investment Scheme

The Federal Trade Commission charged a telemarketing operation with running a deceptive investment scheme that took in at least $10 million from predominantly elderly consumers, many of whom invested their retirement savings buying precious metals on credit without knowing the significant costs and risks. As part of its ongoing efforts to stop scammers who target […]

FTC Staff Submits Comment to FERC on Allocation of Capacity on Merchant Electricity Transmission Projects

The Federal Trade Commission staff submitted a comment to the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) providing views on supporting electricity market competition in the review of transmission lines proposed by merchant firms. The FTC staff comment is in response to a FERC workshop on ways to extend open-access, non-discriminatory policies to the allocation of […]

FTC Puts Conditions on Konkinlijke Ahold’s Acquisition of Genuardi’s Supermarkets

The Federal Trade Commission will require Koninklijke Ahold N.V., the parent company of Giant Food Stores, LLC, to sell a supermarket outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to settle charges that its proposed acquisition of the Genuardi’s supermarket chain from Safeway Inc. otherwise would be anticompetitive. To preserve competition in the local grocery market, Ahold will sell […]

FTC Approves Final Order Settling Charges that Kinder Morgan’s Proposed Acquisition of El Paso Corporation was Anticompetitive in Several Natural Gas Pipeline Markets

Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order settling charges that Kinder Morgan Inc.’s proposed acquisition of El Paso Corporation would have been anticompetitive in several natural gas pipeline transportation and gas processing markets. The final FTC order resolving the charges requires Kinder Morgan to sell three natural gas […]

FTC Suit Halts Bogus Health Insurance Scam

The Federal Trade Commission has halted a telemarketing scam that allegedly tricked consumers who were seeking affordable health insurance into buying worthless medical discount plans. Health Care One LLC and three affiliated companies agreed to settlements that will bar them from any healthcare-related enterprise and from selling goods or services related to healthcare. The settlements […]

FTC Action Halts Alleged “Forensic Audit” Scam that Targeted Consumers in Danger of Losing Their Homes

At the request of the Federal Trade Commission, a U.S. district court has halted an operation that allegedly preyed on financially vulnerable homeowners, convincing them to pay $1,995 or more by holding out bogus promises that they could help them avoid foreclosure and renegotiate their mortgages. The order issued by the court stops the allegedly […]

FTC Amends Franchise Rule to Revise Monetary Thresholds for Three Exemptions

The Federal Trade Commission announced it is amending its Franchise Rule to adjust the monetary thresholds used to determine when the sale of a franchise business is exempt from the Rule, which requires franchise sellers to disclose certain information to help prospective buyers weigh risks and benefits before they invest. The 2007 amendments to the […]

FTC Approves FY 2011 HSR Premerger Notification Report Showing 24 Percent Increase in Filings Compared to FY 2010

The Federal Trade Commission, with the concurrence of the Department of Justice’s Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, released the agencies’ fiscal year 2011 report on their review of mergers under the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Premerger Notification Program. The report shows that the number of transactions reported to the agencies grew by 24 percent – from 1,166 […]