The financial news that actually matters
Accenture entities have agreed to pay the United States $25 million to resolve allegations that a federal-services arm falsely certified compliance with equal-opportunity requirements while using race or sex in hiring and promotion practices. The payment is a civil False Claims Act resolution, not a damages award won after trial. The government says the certifications…
Eligible members of the MCNA dental-data settlement do not need to file a claim to receive two years of medical-data monitoring. That automatic benefit is unusual enough to matter, because the agreement also offers a separate cash track that does require paperwork. Understanding the split prevents a class member from assuming that doing nothing preserves…
People whose information was involved in the Bradford-Scott Data breach have several different forms of relief available under a proposed $2.39 million settlement. The largest individual option covers up to $5,000 in documented losses, but claimants can instead choose an expected cash payment without proving a loss. The official claims deadline remains October 7, 2026….
A Vietnam veteran lost $99,496 after impostors persuaded him that converting savings to gold would protect the money from criminals. The courier who collected the precious metal has now been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and ordered to repay the full loss. The case shows how official-sounding instructions can turn a familiar defensive…
A North Texas indictment describes a home sale in which the person who owned the property allegedly lost control of the proceeds. Federal prosecutors accuse operators of unlicensed boarding homes of using a 79-year-old resident’s power of attorney, family-linked transactions and mortgage representations to move more than $156,000. The defendants have not been convicted, and…
People released from jails and other detention facilities were often handed prepaid cards instead of cash or checks for money that belonged to them. A proposed nationwide settlement now offers payments to certain card users who were charged fees, with a minimum award of $15 and a formula that can raise the amount. The claims…
A trusted gatekeeper became the central threat to one older investor’s fortune. Federal prosecutors say an adviser used broad access to a brokerage account to steal nearly $10 million, converting a relationship built around financial stewardship into years of concealed transfers and personal spending. The prison term is substantial, but the case also exposes how…
The White House’s fiscal year 2027 budget request proposes eliminating all federal funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, the third consecutive year the administration has proposed zeroing out a program that roughly six million low-income households use to help pay for heating and cooling. Congress rejected the same proposal for the previous…
The average cost of homeowners insurance is on track to keep climbing in 2026, marking a fifth straight year of increases after premiums already jumped 12 percent nationwide in 2025. In six states, the year-over-year increase tops 20 percent, and one of them — Minnesota — is seeing rates rise by roughly a third. For…
The Department of Veterans Affairs paid roughly $11.2 million for backup call-answering services on the Veterans Crisis Line that were never actually provided, according to a new report from the VA’s inspector general. The finding centers on a $32.5 million contract meant to make sure veterans calling the crisis line always reach a responder, even…
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