Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: i-node who wrote (759489)	12/25/2013 1:56:43 AM
From: bentway	Respond to of 1577224

AmEx to Cough Up $75M Over Deceptive Practices 335K CONSUMERS WILL GET REFUNDS FOR CREDIT CARD ADD-ON PROGRAMS By Polly Davis Doig, Newser Staff newser.com ( What do you want to bet they made much more ripping people off than they paid in fines?) Posted Dec 24, 2013 3:49 PM CST (NEWSER) – American Express has agreed to pony up $75.7 million over what the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is calling "deceptive marketing to sell credit card add-on products," reports the LA Times. Some $59.5 million of that will go toward refunds to the 335,000-plus consumers who were affected; the remainder is in fines. Part of the problem was an account protection product, notes the AP. Consumers were led to believe protection would last two years, when in fact it was often no more than three months. Additionally many consumers were billed even though they never completed enrollment. AmEx says that the affected programs—which included Identity Protect, Account Protector, and Lost Wallet Protector—have already been canceled, and that it "continues to conduct internal reviews designed to identify issues, correct them and ensure that its products and practices meet a high standard of quality." Richard Cordray, CFPB's director, meanwhile, warns that companies "should be on notice of this issue."

To: i-node who wrote (759489)	12/25/2013 2:05:08 AM
From: bentway	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1577224

Wonkbook's Number of the Day: 35 percent.That's the share of Americans who say they support President Obama's health reform law. However, 50 percent say they support the law or wanted to see something even further to the left. Only 43 percent say they oppose it from the right.

To: i-node who wrote (759489)	12/25/2013 12:03:48 PM
From: bentway	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1577224

Stealth Threat to Your Liver: Diet Aids RESPONSIBLE FOR 20% OF LIVER INJURIES IN HOSPITALS By Arden Dier, Newser Staff newser.com ( After enough people die, market forces will take care of the problem. Right, Dave? ) Posted Dec 25, 2013 10:00 AM CST (NEWSER) – The New York Times takes a look at the unregulated dietary supplement industry, and finds some scary conclusions: Dietary aids are responsible for 20% of drug-induced liver injuries in hospitals—up from 7% a decade ago—and that figure only includes the most severe cases. While most patients recover, some die of liver failure, and others, like Christopher Herrera, are put on the liver transplant list. Herrera, 17, turned up at a hospital last year with his chest, face, and eyes "almost highlighter yellow" after taking a "fat burning" supplement, his doctor says. "It's really the Wild West," adds another. "When people buy these dietary supplements, it's anybody’s guess as to what they're getting." Though doctors saved Herrera's liver, he can't play sports and must visit his doctor regularly—and some aren't so lucky. Still, Americans spend $32 billion on dietary supplements each year. And while doctors maintain that the majority of supplements are safe, the link to liver damage in herbal pills marketed as fat burners, energy boosters, weight-loss products, and bodybuilding supplements is alarming. "When a product is regulated, you know the benefits and the risks and you can make an informed decision about whether or not to take it," says one. "With supplements ... it's just a black box."