Asbestos fibers are tiny, so small that individual fibers cannot be seen by the naked eye. For asbestos fibers to be visible to the human eye, there must be thousands or even millions of fibers in the air. This typically happens in industrial environments, for example when a drywall worker […]
Glaxo Settles Illegal Marketing Claims for $3 Billion
The British drug-maker GlaxoSmithKline agreed to pay $3 billion to settle claims related to illegal marketing of drugs. The U.S. government’s civil and criminal investigations of Glaxo related to multiple different drugs. The settlement includes resolution of allegations that Glaxo improperly marketed the drug Avandia, a drug whose use was […]
Class Certification Granted for Florida Homeowners
American Banker reported on a win for homeowners in a Florida class action against Wells Fargo & Co. and QBE Insurance, Inc. over their practices with force-placed insurance. In the force-placed insurance case, a Florida district court judge granted the plaintiffs’ motion for class certification for a class of Florida […]
Bank of America Sued Over Force-Placed Insurance Costs
According to Bloomberg, Bank of America was sued in federal court in Florida over abusive practices with force-placed homeowner’s insurance. The named plaintiff was charged nearly $4,500 for force-placed hazard insurance even though he already had that homeowner’s coverage on his home. The force-placed policy, which covered only wind and […]
New York Department of Financial Services Investigates Force-Placed Insurance Schemes
The New York Department of Financial Services is investigating whether two insurers, Assurant and QBE Insurance, which control about 90 percent of the market for force-placed insurance, obtained their dominant market positions by paying improper kickbacks to banks. The department is considering whether the illicit relationships between banks and the […]
How Healthy Is Your County?
Do you want current information on the health of your county – well depending on what you find in the website discussed below – maybe not. This blog post is about a very interesting website chock-full of details about the health of nearly every county in the nation. This is […]
Fatal Falls Appear To Be on the Rise Among Elderly Americans
Fatal falls seem to be on the rise for our senior citizens. According to Medical News Today, each year, one in three older adults in the U.S. falls, making falls the leading cause of injury related deaths for older Americans. The costs per year associated with the treatment of fall […]
Pro-Asbestos Industry Group Shutting Its Doors
The Chrysotile Institute, a Canadian advocacy group promoting the use of asbestos, has announced its plan to dissolve. The group was formed in 1984 (originally named the Asbestos Institute) and was funded by the Canadian government. The Institute has been controversial, because it has promoted the “safe use” of asbestos, […]
Boating and Child Safety
As the summer approaches, our thoughts often turn to boating. Remember as captain of your vessel, you are responsible for your passengers. Many times we forget about the children. Remember that a child on a boat is still a child. Very few boats are equipped with seatbelts. If you are […]
US Banks to be Examined Regarding Overdraft Fees
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently announced that it is reviewing bank practices to determine whether regulations aimed at curbing abuses with overdraft fees went far enough. The agency plans to decide by the end of the year whether additional rules and restrictions are needed to protect consumers. In […]