The financial news that actually matters
Customers of Union Bank and Trust Company who had personal data exposed in the 2023 MOVEit file-transfer breach can now file claims for up to $12,500 in documented out-of-pocket losses or accept a flat $100 cash payment. The filing deadline is July 21, giving affected individuals roughly seven weeks to decide which option best fits…
Checking account holders who meet strict monthly spending rules can earn more than 100 times the return of those who fall short, creating a sharp divide between advertised headline rates and what most customers actually collect. Several banks now market reward checking accounts paying around 5.30% APY on the first $10,000 in deposits, a figure…
Workers who lose employer-sponsored health insurance and elect to continue it through COBRA face a steep financial cliff: they must cover the entire premium their employer once subsidized, plus an administrative surcharge, at the exact moment their paycheck disappears. Federal law caps what plans can charge at 102 percent of the total cost, but for…
Low-income college students heading into the 2026-27 academic year will receive up to $7,395 in Federal Pell Grant aid, a figure locked in by Congress through the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026. That award follows students across every institution they attend, with a hard lifetime cap of six Scheduled Awards, the equivalent of roughly 12 full-time…
People whose personal information was exposed in a data breach at American International College now have a path to compensation, but the window is closing fast. The Springfield, Massachusetts-based institution reached a settlement offering every approved class member a flat $50 cash payment, with additional reimbursement of up to $5,000 available for those who can…
Surviving spouses of wartime veterans who need help with daily living can receive up to $1,558 per month through the Department of Veterans Affairs Survivors Pension with Aid and Attendance. The catch: the family’s countable net worth must remain below $163,699 for the benefit period running from Dec. 1, 2025, through Nov. 30, 2026. That…
You may never have heard of Endue Software, but if your specialty pharmacy or home-infusion provider uses its technology, the company may have been handling your personal data when hackers broke in last February. Now, more than 118,000 people are eligible to file claims against an $870,000 settlement fund, and the deadline is June 30….
A $1.07 charge at a gas station 400 miles from your house. A $0.50 donation to a charity you have never heard of. These are not billing errors. They are probes: tiny transactions that card thieves use to confirm a stolen number is live before they start spending for real. The pattern is so well…
For nearly eight years, tens of millions of hotel guests have waited to learn whether Marriott International would face a courtroom reckoning over one of the largest data breaches ever disclosed. In May 2026, a federal judge in Maryland answered that question: yes. U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm certified a class action on behalf…
A credit card balance of $6,600 is not unusual. According to TransUnion’s quarterly credit industry reports, the average card balance per borrower has hovered near that figure in recent quarters. What is unusual is what that balance now costs to carry: approximately $1,570 a year in interest, with zero dollars going toward paying it off….