<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1" ?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>washingtonpost.com - Consumer Issues</title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/business/specials/consumers?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</link><description>Consumer Issues</description><language>en-us</language><ttl>15</ttl><image><title>washingtonpost.com</title><width>140</width><height>20</height><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com</link><url>http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/hp/image/wp_web.gif</url></image><item><title><![CDATA[Fannie Mae Apologizes for Accounting Failures]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6306-2005Apr20.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6306-2005Apr20.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:17:48 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[ Fannie Mae interim chief executive Daniel H. Mudd apologized to Congress yesterday for the company's massive accounting failures, as key government officials prepared to press their case today for stricter regulation of the company and its smaller rival, Freddie Mac.]]></description><author> Annys Shin and Kathleen Day</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Merger Critics Seek Telecom Regulation]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2400-2005Apr19.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2400-2005Apr19.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:17:48 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[The proposed acquisitions of AT&T Corp. by SBC Communications Inc. and MCI Inc. by Verizon Communications Inc. raise questions about how smaller players will be able to compete, critics told the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on antitrust, competition policy and consumer rights.<FONT face="verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica" size="-2" color="#666666"><B>-The Washington Post</ B></FONT></b>]]></description><author> Yuki Noguchi</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Intel Unveils Long-Range Wireless Technology]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A63987-2005Apr18.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A63987-2005Apr18.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:17:48 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Intel Corp. debuts its latest product, a computer chip designed for a new high-speed wireless technology capable of delivering broadband service over many miles.<br><FONT face="verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica" size="-2" color="#666666"><B>-The Washington Post</B ></FONT>]]></description><author> Mike Musgrove</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bankruptcy Bill Passes; Bush Expected to Sign]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53688-2005Apr14.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53688-2005Apr14.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:17:48 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[The House gave final passage yesterday to legislation intended to make it harder for consumers to wipe out debt through bankruptcy, clearing the way for President Bush to sign the bill into law as he has promised to do.]]></description><author> Kathleen Day</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bankrupt and Swamped With Credit Offers]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54745-2005Apr14.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54745-2005Apr14.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:17:48 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[When Chapter 7 filers wipe out their debts,  card firms jump to offer them new credit cards. Under a new bankruptcy law these offers are likely to increase.]]></description><author> Caroline E. Mayer</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Consumers Not Told of Security Breaches]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51722-2005Apr13.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51722-2005Apr13.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:17:48 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Executives of two major data brokers acknowledge to a Senate panel that their companies did not notify the public about security breaches that occurred before 2003.<FONT face="verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica" size="-2" color="#666666"><B>-The Washington Post</B></FONT>]]></description><author> Jonathan Krim</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[PNC Bank Devises a Bold Arrival]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48302-2005Apr12.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48302-2005Apr12.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:17:48 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[PNC Bank, hoping to make a splash among consumers in the increasingly competitive Washington market when it takes over Riggs Bank in May, said yesterday it plans to significantly expand its night and weekend hours, waive many ATM fees and immediately begin building new branches.]]></description><author> Terence O'Hara</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[LexisNexis Data Breach Bigger Than Estimated]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45756-2005Apr12.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45756-2005Apr12.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:17:48 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Information broker LexisNexis Group said that the security breaches it announced last month could affect roughly 310,000 consumers  --  about 10 times as many as first thought  --  dealing a particularly harsh blow to the largely unregulated mega-broker.<br><FONT face="verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica" size="-2" color="#666666"><B>-The Washington Post</B></FONT>]]></description><author> Jonathan Krim</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Into Thick Air]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45313-2005Apr11.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45313-2005Apr11.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:17:48 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Growing numbers of people with allergies and asthma are coughing up hefty sums for heavily marketed indoor air cleaners they hope will provide purer air to breathe.]]></description><author> January W. Payne</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Disparities Found in Sub-Prime Lending]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42432-2005Apr10.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42432-2005Apr10.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:17:48 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[About 29 percent of African Americans who bought or refinanced homes last year ended up with high-cost loans, compared with only about 10 percent of white Americans, according to an a consumer advocacy group's analysis of new data from 15 large national lenders.]]></description><author> Kirstin Downey</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ownership Cap Could Stop Adelphia Deal]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38806-2005Apr8.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38806-2005Apr8.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:17:48 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Joint bid by Time Warner Cable and Comcast to buy bankrupt Adelphia Communications's cable system could face hurdles if the government's top regulators take up a long-dormant cable ownership limit. <FONT face="verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica" size="-2" color="#666666"><B>-The Washington Post</B></FONT>]]></description><author> Frank Ahrens</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[States Scramble To Protect Data]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38498-2005Apr8.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38498-2005Apr8.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:17:48 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[After a spate of security breaches, legislatures in more than two dozen states are considering ways to give consumers more control over personal data collected and sold by private firms. <FONT face="verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica" size="-2" color="#666666"><B>-The Washington Post</B></FONT>]]></description><author> Jonathan Krim</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[EPA Ordered to Act on Regional Smog Plan]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38786-2005Apr8.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38786-2005Apr8.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:17:48 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[  A federal judge has ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to approve or reject a smog-reduction plan for the Washington area by May 3, saying the EPA has an "unblemished record of nonperformance" in complying with parts of the Clean Air Act.]]></description><author> D'Vera Cohn</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Cabinet Leaders Back Bid for New Regulator]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35825-2005Apr7.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35825-2005Apr7.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:17:48 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[ Treasury Secretary John W. Snow and Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso R. Jackson threw their support yesterday behind legislation to tighten federal oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, adding momentum to efforts by key congressional Republicans to pass a bill this year.]]></description><author> Kathleen Day</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Panel Urged to Review Passenger Screening]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32842-2005Apr6.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32842-2005Apr6.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:17:48 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[A newly formed panel to advise the Department of Homeland Security on safeguarding citizen privacy in a post-Sept. 11 world was urged yesterday to investigate plans for a nationwide computer system to screen airline passengers.]]></description><author> Jonathan Krim</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Legislators to Take Up Replacing OFHEO]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28498-2005Apr5.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28498-2005Apr5.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:17:48 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Congressional efforts to toughen government oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac resume Wednesday, with the mortgage finance companies politically weakened by financial scandal and their chief government nemesis leaving the stage.]]></description><author> Terence O'Hara and Kathleen Day</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[FCC Head Downplays Regulation]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28496-2005Apr5.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28496-2005Apr5.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:17:48 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Cable companies worried about a regulatory clampdown on their industry got good news Wednesday when they met the new Federal Communications Commission chairman.]]></description><author> Frank Ahrens</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Segregation Persists In Housing, Study Says]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28445-2005Apr5.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28445-2005Apr5.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:17:48 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[ Racial segregation and discrimination in housing remain persistent problems in the United States, according to the National Fair Housing Alliance, an advocacy group. The alliance said yesterday that minority homeowners continue to be steered to minority-dominated neighborhoods where real estate does not appreciate as quickly as in majority white neighborhoods.]]></description><author> Kirstin Downey</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Debt-Relief Firms To Pay $6 Million In FTC Settlement]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14479-2005Mar30.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14479-2005Mar30.html?nav=rss_business/specials/consumers</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:17:48 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[ The Federal Trade Commission announced yesterday that three consumer debt-service companies have settled charges that they cheated financially strapped customers out of more than $100 million.]]></description><author> Caroline E. Mayer</author></item></channel></rss>