It happens every year: As soon as consumers begin gathering their tax information, tax preparation companies begin trying to talk them into taking out costly loans against any refunds they might...

Consider this the next time you see a teenager take a drag on a cigarette: Your state government likely has a financial stake in that kid continuing to smoke. And quite possibly, so does your...

It's the empty houses, stupid. In case anyone has forgotten the core of the current economic crisis, here's a reminder: empty homes, both present and future. Empty homes are behind all the supposedly worthless mortgage-backed securities that no one w...

Hate hidden fees and other “gotchas” from credit cards and banks? You have until Aug. 4 to sound off about it. In May, the Federal Reserve proposed a sweeping set of rule changes that would ban a wide set of consumer-unfriendly bank practices.

About once a year, computer security news leaps out of the technology section and onto the front page and the top of network news broadcasts.  This year, the day was April Fools' Day, as the Conficker worm became the latest malicious program with the...

A lawsuit filed this week by Washington state against DirecTV could have a secondary purpose: It could serve as a textbook for consumers on tricks companies play to take their money. The suit filed by Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna alleges...

When you open a bag of potato chips, a box of pasta or many other supermarket products, you probably notice that many companies are selling you a lot of air.  Bags of chips, for example, can be half empty.  Earlier this month, Consumer Reports caused...

  Bridget Newberry posted this eBay ad recently, hoping someone would help her buy Christmas gifts for her children.  Not every eBay.com auction listing offers something concrete for sale.  A new kind of listing that's appeared on the Web...

Times are tough -- even for cybercriminals.  Online merchants in the U.S. and Canada report a dramatic 18 percent drop in fraud, down from $4 billion in 2008 to $3.3 billion this year, according to a survey by the security firm CyberSource. Meanwhile,...