For the second time this year, the Federal Trade Commission has settled charges that a company that markets plastic lumber and related products misled consumers regarding the environmental attributes of its products. Under the FTC proposed settlement, the company, American Plastic Lumber, Inc. (APL), is prohibited from making misleading statements about the amount of post-consumer […]
Monthly Archives: June 2014
Intercompany Income Tax Allocation Agreements
FIL-30-2014 June 19, 2014 Intercompany Income Tax Allocation Agreements Addendum to Policy Statement Printable Format: FIL-30-2014 – PDF (PDF Help) Summary: The federal banking agencies have approved an addendum that supplements and clarifies the 1998 Interagency Policy Statement on Income Tax Allocation in a Holding Company Structure (Interagency Policy Statement). The agencies are issuing the […]
FTC Requests Public Comments on SCI’s Application to Approve Sale of Cemetery Assets in Maryland to Parkwood Memorial Association, Inc.
The Federal Trade Commission is currently accepting public comments on an application by Service Corporation International (SCI) to sell certain funeral and cemetery assets, as required under the FTC’s December 2013 proposed order settling charges that SCI’s acquisition of Stewart Enterprises, Inc. would be anticompetitive. In total, the proposed order requires the combined SCI/Stewart to […]
FTC Approves Final Order Settling Charges That Ardagh’s Proposed Acquisition of Saint-Gobain Would Be Anticompetitive; Approves Ardagh’s Application to Sell Six Glass Plants and Related Assets
Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order settling charges that Ardagh Group SA’s $1.7 billion proposed acquisition of Saint-Gobain Containers, Inc. would likely harm competition in the markets for glass containers sold to beer brewers and spirits distillers. The FTC’s administrative complaint, issued in July 2013, alleged that […]
Court Order Bars Credit Repair Company from Misleading Credit Bureaus, Charging Consumers Up-Front Fees for Its Services
A Texas-based company owned and operated by a husband and wife team has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it violated federal law by lying to consumer reporting agencies, often referred to as “credit bureaus,” and charging consumers up-front fees before providing its services. The court order settling the FTC’s complaint for civil […]
FTC Testifies Before Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Agency Efforts to Combat Fraudulent and Deceptive Claims for Weight-Loss Products
The Federal Trade Commission testified before Congress about its ongoing efforts to combat fraudulent and deceptive claims for weight-loss products through law enforcement, media outreach, and consumer education. Testifying on behalf of the FTC before the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance, Mary Engle, Associate Director for […]
FTC Launches Contest at DEF CON 22 to Help Track Down Perpetrators of Illegal Robocalls
The Federal Trade Commission is looking to expand the technological arsenal that can be used in the battle against illegal phone spammers by challenging DEF CON 22 attendees to build the ultimate “honeypot” to lure in and identify perpetrators of illegal robocalls. A robocall honeypot is an information system designed to attract robocallers, which can […]
Operators of Massive Mobile Cramming Scheme Will Surrender More Than $10M in Assets in FTC Settlement
The operators of a massive mobile cramming scheme have agreed to surrender more than $10 million in assets to settle Federal Trade Commission charges, including the contents of numerous bank accounts; real estate in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and Chicago; and a number of cars and pieces of jewelry. “Cramming unauthorized charges on consumers’ phone […]
Scammers Settle FTC Charges They Sent Millions of Spam Text Messages
Two affiliate-marketing scammers and their company have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they sent millions of unwanted text messages to consumers across the U.S. with false promises of $1,000 gift cards to retailers like Best Buy, Target and Walmart. Under the terms of their settlement with the FTC, Scott A. Dalrymple of […]
Payment Processor Agrees to Give Up More Than $1 Million to Settle FTC Charges it Assisted, Facilitated Telemarketing Scammers
A payment processing company agreed to pay or relinquish $1.1 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges under the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) that it knowingly assisted and facilitated a credit card interest rate reduction scam that bilked tens of thousands of consumers out of a total of nearly $10 million. Independant Resources Network Corp., […]