PRWeb: FindMyFunds. com Launches Free Unclaimed Property Website for Over 20 States (PRESS RELEASE). “FindMyFunds.com securely consolidates more than twenty state government unclaimed property databases and allows potential owners of lost or unclaimed property to file claims directly with each participating state.” It’s free to use.
consumers
Mississippi State University: What Can Google Searches Tell Us About Changes in Consumer Behavior Toward Food and Plants Beyond COVID-19?
Mississippi State University: What Can Google Searches Tell Us About Changes in Consumer Behavior Toward Food and Plants Beyond COVID-19?. “If pre-pandemic trends are any indication, it is possible that search interest in Local Food, Cottage Food, and Food Waste will continue to rise after the pandemic, maybe fueled by the recent interest in short local supply channels, the expansions to some states’ cottage food laws, and the growth in the upcycled food products industry. While search interest in Online Groceries has seen an upward trend since 2004, interest after COVID-19 might not grow as fast and dramatic as 2020 levels might suggest.”
CNN: People are ditching in-person financial services for apps
CNN: People are ditching in-person financial services for apps. “As with so many areas of life, the pandemic has changed how people are managing their money — they’re using technology more than ever. It’s not just online banking applications. These days, people are relying on tech for everything from investing to financial planning.”
Half of households in 4 largest US cities report financial problems due to pandemic: POLL (ABC News)
ABC News: Half of households in 4 largest US cities report financial problems due to pandemic: POLL. “Americans already enduring the most frayed financial safety nets now find themselves on the fault lines exacerbated by the novel coronavirus. New polling reveals the strain born by families caught in the crosshairs of several issues converging on the country: COVID-19 and systemic racial, socioeconomic and health inequality.”
The Atlantic: The Pandemic Has Created a Class of Super-Savers
The Atlantic: The Pandemic Has Created a Class of Super-Savers. “In the course of reporting this article, I spoke with people whose monthly expenses have fallen by hundreds, in some cases thousands, of dollars during the pandemic. They’re spending less on daily comforts that are now dangerous, or merely unnecessary, including eating out, entertainment, new clothes, and extracurriculars for their kids.”
CNN: Students call for colleges to cut tuition costs as school year begins online
CNN: Students call for colleges to cut tuition costs as school year begins online. “When Rutgers University announced most of its fall classes would be online amid the coronavirus pandemic, rising junior Shreya Patel checked for details on the school’s website. “Will we get a refund?” she looked up in the Frequently Asked Questions section. ‘They said no. That obviously made me mad,’ Patel told CNN.”
Google Blog: Find helpful information on the mortgage process in Search
Google Blog: Find helpful information on the mortgage process in Search. “Buying a house is a big financial decision and having clear, trustworthy information is important. To help people better understand the mortgage process, we collaborated with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to create a new mobile experience in Search. When you search for ‘mortgage’ on your phone, you’ll find a feature that breaks down the complex mortgage process into easy-to-follow steps to help guide you, wherever you may be in the process. It also connects you to a set of useful resources, including news articles, industry definitions and terms, a calculator to assist with payment plans and average mortgage rates. And for those looking for relief and refinance information, we’ll show some of the options available to you.”
New York Times: Federal Aid Has So Far Averted Personal Bankruptcies, but Trouble Looms
New York Times: Federal Aid Has So Far Averted Personal Bankruptcies, but Trouble Looms. “As of mid-June, the Treasury Department had issued nearly $270 billion worth of stimulus payments to some 160 million people. Unemployment benefits, which normally average about $340 a week, were temporarily increased by $600 a week. Some unemployed people now have more income than when they were working. But those benefits are set to expire this month.”
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Releases Online Tool to Help College Students Determine How to Pay for College
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Releases Online Tool to Help College Students Determine How to Pay for College. “‘Your Financial Path to Graduation’ helps students turn financial aid offers into plans to pay for school step-by-step. Along the way, it explains terms, offers money saving tips, and tracks uncovered costs. Once students finish making a plan, the tool estimates the total debt at graduation and offers information to help the student evaluate whether that debt is affordable in the long run. Students can save their plans and revise them if their circumstances change.”
Security Magazine: FTC launches new online tool for exploring military consumer data
Security Magazine: FTC launches new online tool for exploring military consumer data. “The Federal Trade Commission launched a new tool that explores data about problems military consumers may experience in the marketplace. For the first time, data about reports the FTC has received from active duty service members and veterans will be available online in an interactive dashboard.”
CNN: Utility shutoffs threaten a fresh crisis for low-income and Black families as Covid surges again
CNN: Utility shutoffs threaten a fresh crisis for low-income and Black families as Covid surges again. “As coronavirus cases surge across the US and states throttle back on economic reopenings, experts and advocacy groups are warning that low-income families could face utility shutoffs as moratoriums on disconnections lift — with Black families especially at risk.”
Newsweek: Family of Man Who Died of Coronavirus Hit With $1 Million Hospital Bill
Newsweek: Family of Man Who Died of Coronavirus Hit With $1 Million Hospital Bill. “Florida family received a claims summary from a hospital totaling more than $1 million over a relative who died from the novel coronavirus. A picture of the claims summary was posted to an Instagram account June 28. The account holder, workshoppgh, wrote a lengthy post about the $1,123,600 bill and said: ‘No one should have to face this virus alone and make it out to get bills like this.'”
MSN Money: Banks Have No Idea Who’s Creditworthy Anymore
MSN Money: Banks Have No Idea Who’s Creditworthy Anymore. “Lenders that are having a tough time spotting risky loan applicants are approving fewer borrowers for credit cards, auto loans and other consumer debt. They are also hunting for new data sets that could indicate who is in financial trouble and how much they need to set aside to cover soured loans. The Federal Reserve last week said the biggest U.S. banks could be saddled with as much as $700 billion in loan losses in a prolonged downturn.”
Route Fifty: How Did Americans Spend Their Stimulus Payments? New Data Offers Clues.
Route Fifty: How Did Americans Spend Their Stimulus Payments? New Data Offers Clues.. “More than two-thirds of people living in households where someone has received or expects a cash payment under a federal coronavirus relief program have used the money mostly for expenses—particularly costs like housing, utilities and food, according to new survey data.”
Daily Journal: Reports show COVID-19 hits housing costs
Daily Journal: Reports show COVID-19 hits housing costs. “Historically hot housing markets may be feeling a little under the weather amid the pandemic which is seemingly pushing down real estate prices throughout the Bay Area, according to recent reports. Rent costs are down in San Mateo, Redwood City, San Bruno, South San Francisco and other Bay Area locales from the year prior, according to a June report from online database Zumper.”