News

2009

January

27

• More fuel-efficient cars by 2011. President Obama's initiative Monday to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and boost fuel efficiency in new vehicles would cut costs for consumers and prod carmakers to more quickly roll out greener cars, some analysts say. Obama…

• Life Insurers' Relief Request Challenged. A life insurance industry request for regulatory relief would place consumers "at undue risk," Virginia's insurance commissioner said. Weakened by the financial crisis, life insurers have been seeking freedom to operate with thinner financial cushions,…

26

• New doubts about annuities. Retirement investors have long viewed annuities as an effective way to protect their nest egg. But the recent financial crisis has highlighted an inherent paradox: While annuities offer safety and guarantees, their benefits are tied…

• Viaja sin preocupaciones. En números anteriores de esta revista ya hemos hablado de los utilísimos seguros de viajeros que cubren cancelación, robo y problemas de salud. Pero tan importantes como esos son otros tipos de coberturas que pueden…

• ¿Está tu casa bien asegurada?. Muchas empresas van más allá del costo de reemplazo y ofrecen lo que se conoce en inglés como el extended replacement cost o costo de reemplazo extendido. Esto quiere decir que la empresa aseguradora pagará…

22

• Aumentan reclamos por seguro de desempleo. El número de nuevos reclamos por seguro de desempleo aumentó la semana pasada más de lo pronosticado, a medida que las empresas siguen reduciendo sus plantillas y más estadounidenses se acogen a la prolongación del…

• By switching charters, banks skirt supervision. At least 30 banks since 2000 have escaped federal regulatory action by walking away from their federal regulators and moving under state supervision, taking advantage of a long-standing system that allows banks to choose between…

21

• Life insurers seek lower cash cushions. To the list of industries seeking government relief, add another: life insurance. Battered by the financial crisis, life insurers are urging regulators to let them operate with thinner financial cushions -- the capital they must…

20

• Ofertas de vacaciones por la crisis. Una de las pocas cosas positivas de la actual crisis económica es la enorme cantidad de ofertas para viajar que están a disposición de quienes están planeando unas vacaciones. Pero junto con las ofertas, las…

18

• Preparing your budget for disaster. Those of us prone to financial daydreaming spend a lot of time on the lotto fantasy. We create elaborate Excel spreadsheets in our head sorting what we would buy, whom we would help and when…

16

• UnitedHealth settles lawsuit over insurance claims. Managed-care company UnitedHealth Group Inc. said Thursday that it would pay $350 million to settle a lawsuit over out-of-network medical claims. The deal comes two days after the insurer pledged $50 million to set up…

15

• Credit scores may be offered more widely. Consumers may soon be able to get free credit scores through their bank or credit union. Fair Isaac Corp., maker of the FICO credit score, is announcing an agreement Thursday to make its score available…

• House votes to expand children's health care. The House easily approved an expansion of government health coverage for low-income children yesterday, a top priority for President-elect Barack Obama and the first in a series of stalled measures expected to move quickly through…

14

• States cut healthcare for poor. Even as President-elect Barack Obama plans an ambitious push to expand health coverage nationwide, states are slashing health services to their poorest residents amid the economic downturn. In many cases, the cuts are so deep…

12

• Unemployment claims overwhelm state call centers. Record numbers of people filing unemployment claims have crashed computer systems in states struggling to keep up with the demand. Websites and call centers have been overwhelmed in California, New York, Ohio, Michigan, Missouri, Colorado,…

• El primer auto de tu hijo. El seguro de automóvil que paga una familia sube cuando el primer hijo obtiene su licencia de conducir y empieza a manejar. Este aumento puede ser enorme, a veces de hasta un 200% por encima…

09

• Ruling removes billing headache from ER visits. Winding up in the emergency room is bad enough. But the California Supreme Court ruled Thursday that patients no longer have to worry about getting billed for emergency treatment charges that their HMOs fail to…

08

• New structure proposed for Fannie & Freddie. In his final speech scheduled as Treasury secretary, Henry M. Paulson Jr. yesterday proposed replacing mortgage-finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac with highly regulated utilities that would play a more limited role in making…

• Ahorra en gastos de medicinas. Cualquier persona que tenga Medicare y cuyos ingresos y recursos sean limitados, puede obtener un beneficio adicional que pagará el total o la mayor parte de las primas mensuales y deducibles anuales, y disminuirá los…

• Pagos de salud se retrasan. La crisis económica ha provocado un aumento del 73% en las cuentas sin pagar por parte de los pacientes en los hospitales de California, en tanto que se registra un incremento de 33% en la…