Debt settlement companies technically aren’t allowed to charge fees until after lowering a consumer’s debt. But a loophole in the Telemarketing Sales Rule — and a mish-mash of federal and state laws — allows predatory firms the opportunity for exploitation.

A growing corner of the $23 billion debt relief industry has used a workaround ...Read more

In many households, the transition from outside to inside begins with a simple gesture: shoes off at the door.

For some, it’s a matter of cleanliness. For others, it’s cultural habit. But a growing number of people are embracing another benefit of the practice — the idea that spending time barefoot at home may offer subtle but meaningful ...Read more

Two online real estate rivals seem to be inching closer to finding common ground.

After a yearlong lawsuit over Zillow’s ban on private and early marketing of homes championed by the real estate brokerage Compass, the standoff came to an end Wednesday.

Compass dropped its lawsuit, just a day after Seattle-based Zillow announced it will allow...Read more

Closing a loophole within the Nevada commerce tax, which exempts real estate investment trusts, could push large corporate entities to divest from the Las Vegas Valley’s residential real estate market.

Two state assembly members — one a Democract, and one a Republican — are a part of a growing chorus of lawmakers pointing at the exemption...Read more

A gaggle of scorned landlords and real estate agents across Los Angeles have a message: If Alexys Watson messages you on Zillow asking if you accept Section 8 vouchers, choose your next words very, very carefully.

Over the last eight months, dozens of landlords and real estate agents have responded to Watson’s inquiries — and dozens have ...Read more

More voters who are registered as Republicans have left the state of California between the last two presidential elections (2020 and 2024) than Democrats, according to a new study.

Between that timeframe, approximately 39 percent of those leaving the state registered to vote were registered as Republican (compared to 25 percent Democrat), and ...Read more

Ford Motor Co. has unveiled a share repurchase program — but it differs from General Motors Co.'s buyback efforts in a big way.

The Dearborn automaker on Friday announced a plan to buy up to 31.7 million common shares of Ford stock. It's an anti-dilutive measure that seeks to minimize impact on its share price from the company's grant of ...Read more

If profit motives in the real estate industry could contribute to housing problems, can we acknowledge that personal finances also cloud individuals’ opinions on property matters?

Consider a survey conducted for LendingTree that found, among other things, that 31% of Americans want the housing market to crash.

Contemplate how these polling ...Read more

Palantir Technologies Inc.’s chief executive Alex Karp bought a Miami mansion in June, seven months before the firm’s surprise announcement to move its headquarters to the city, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Public records show the property, located in Miami Beach on a man-made island, was purchased for $46 million by ...Read more

Netflix Inc.’s stock price is staging a dramatic reversal triggered by management’s decision to walk away from its proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. late last month.

“The core business is phenomenal and they never needed that deal — it was a nice to have, not a must have,” Wedbush analyst Alicia Reese said. “It’...Read more

A growing number of people say they’ve experienced some form of financial fraud over the past year, especially older, white Americans, despite taking a variety of precautions to protect themselves, Bankrate’s latest national survey has found.

Experts said scammers are getting increasingly crafty, using artificial intelligence to clone ...Read more

A lawsuit alleging hundreds of thousands of homebuyers overpaid because Detroit-based Rocket Companies' mortgage unit colluded with real estate agents highlights decades-old affordable housing issues and the role of federal watchdogs under President Donald Trump.

Plaintiffs' attorneys in a January lawsuit describe the alleged deal between ...Read more

U.S. homebuyers had to act fast last week to nab the first sub-6% mortgage rates in more than three years. Now they’re up, and the new conflict in the Middle East threatens to nudge them higher.

The average for 30-year, fixed loans climbed to 6% from 5.98% last week, which was the lowest point since September 2022, data from Freddie Mac ...Read more