Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002

Daily Archives: October 15, 2008

EPA: Car Shoppers Can Save Money and Time with 2009 Fuel Economy Guide

News release: “To help consumers make well-informed choices when purchasing new vehicles, EPA and the Department of Energy (DOE) have unveiled the 2009 Fuel Economy Guide …Each vehicle listing in the Fuel Economy Guide provides an estimated annual fuel cost. The online guide includes an interactive feature that allows consumers to insert their local gasoline prices and typical driving habits to receive a personalized fuel cost estimate. Fuel economy estimates now include the revised test methods implemented in model year 2008. These revised tests better reflect “real world” driving conditions and habits, including higher highway speed limits and use of accessories such as air conditioning.”

Justice Department Now Tracking Criminal Mortgage Fraud Cases

Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC): “The latest available data from the Justice Department show that for the first ten months of FY 2008, the federal government reported filing 151 criminal mortgage fraud cases. The DOJ has only recently created a category for tracking such cases. Because of natural court delays, however, the government said that… Continue Reading

FBI Report: Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted

“The FBI publishes Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted [Resources, data tables, and figures, 2007] each year to provide information about the officers who were killed, feloniously or accidentally, and those officers who were assaulted while performing their duties. The FBI collects these data through the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program.” Continue Reading

New GAO Reports: Indoor Mold, DOD Biometrics Collection, Assistance to Service-disabled Veterans, Motor Fuels

Indoor Mold: Better Coordination of Research on Health Effects and More Consistent Guidance Would Improve Federal Efforts, GAO-08-980, September 30, 2008 Defense Management: DOD Can Establish More Guidance for Biometrics Collection and Explore Broader Data Sharing, GAO-09-49, October 15, 2008 Multiple Agencies Provide Assistance to Service-disabled Veterans or Entrepreneurs, but Specific Needs Are Difficult to… Continue Reading

Federal Reserve Beige Book, October 15, 2008 Report

October 15, 2008 Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions by Federal Reserve District: “Reports indicated that economic activity weakened in September across all twelve Federal Reserve Districts. Several Districts also noted that their contacts had become more pessimistic about the economic outlook. Consumer spending decreased in most Districts, with declines reported in retailing, auto… Continue Reading

Behaviorally Informed Financial Services Regulation

Behaviorally Informed Financial Services Regulation, By Eldar Shafir, Michael Barr, Sendhil Mullainathan, New America Foundation, October 14, 2008 “Financial services decisions can have enormous consequences for household well-being. Households need a range of financial services-to conduct basic transactions, such as receiving their income, storing it, and paying bills; to save for emergency needs and long-term… Continue Reading

Shared National Credits Program Reports Large Increase in Credit Volume and Significant Deterioration in Credit Quality

OTS 08-048 – Shared National Credits Program Reports Large Increase in Credit Volume and Significant Deterioration in Credit Quality, October 8, 2008 “The volume of Shared National Credits (SNC),2 loan commitments of $20 million or more and held by three or more federally supervised institutions, rose 22.6 percent to $2.8 trillion, and the volume of… Continue Reading

National Priorities Project Report: The Military Cost of Securing Energy

News release: “According to a new report from National Priorities Project (NPP), the United States is spending between $97 and $215 billion dollars annually on military action to defend access to oil and natural gas reserves around the globe. The Military Cost of Securing Energy provides a critical analysis of the military cost of defending… Continue Reading

FDIC Announces Plan to Free Up Bank Liquidity

News release: “The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) announces a new program—the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program—to strengthen confidence and encourage liquidity in the banking system by guaranteeing newly issued senior unsecured debt of banks, thrifts, and certain holding companies, and by providing full coverage of non-interest bearing deposit transaction accounts, regardless of dollar amount.” Statement… Continue Reading

Massachusetts Issues Comprehensive ID Theft Prevention Regulations & Executive Order

News release: “In keeping with the Patrick Administration’s commitment to protecting consumers, the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation (OCABR) last Friday issued a comprehensive set of final regulations establishing standards for how businesses protect and store consumers’ personal information. Additionally, Governor Patrick has signed an executive order requiring all state agencies to immediately… Continue Reading