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

Daily Archives: March 17, 2009

Investigative Reporting Workshop's BankTracker

“The unprecedented bet that many banks made on mortgages, real estate development and other real estate related lending during the middle part of this decade has produced a payoff no one imagined just a few years ago — a huge increase in loan defaults, a soaring number of foreclosures and a plunge in bank profits.… Continue Reading

New GAO Reports: Federal Agency Coordination and Bank Secrecy, Post Katrina Emergency Management, Global War on Terrorism, Tax Compliance

Bank Secrecy Act: Federal Agencies Should Take Action to Further Improve Coordination and Information-Sharing Efforts, GAO-09-227, February 12, 2009 Emergency Management: Actions to Implement Select Provisions of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act, GAO-09-433T, March 17, 2009 Global War on Terrorism: DOD Needs to More Accurately Capture and Report the Costs of Operation Iraqi Freedom… Continue Reading

FTC Charges Seven Credit Repair Companies with Deceiving Consumers Throughout the U.S.

News release: “The Federal Trade Commission has charged seven related companies with violating federal law by falsely promising to remove negative information from consumers’ credit reports, even information that is accurate and current, and by charging an up-front fee and failing to provide written disclosures. The agency seeks to make them stop the violations and… Continue Reading

Geothermal Heat Pump Manufacturing Activities

Energy Information Administration – Geothermal Heat Pump Manufacturing Activities (03/17/2009): “Information in this report indicates that the 2007 total geothermal heat pump shipments surged 36 percent to 86,396 units, while capacity shipped rose 19 percent to 291,300 tons. While 2007 capacity growth was substantial, it was below growth in 2006, which was 53 percent. Total… Continue Reading

NY AG Cuomo Releases Details on AIG Bonuses to Financial Services Committee

Letter to Rep. Barney Frank from Andrew M. Cuomo, Attorney General of the State of New York re: AIG 2008 Retention Bonuses “We learned over the weekend that AIG had, last Friday, distributed more than $160 million in retention payments to members of its Financial Products Subsidiary, the unit of AIG that was principally responsible… Continue Reading

Total Public Debt Now Over $11 Trillion

03/16/2009, TreasuryDirect, The Debt to the Penny and Who Holds It Current Debt Held by the Public: 6,741,972,565,592.27 Intragovernmental Holdings: 4,291,185,013,077.51 Total Public Debt Outstanding: 11,033,157,578,669.78 CBS News: “And the government is running up mountains of debt with increasing speed. It took just over 5½ months for Uncle Sam to go another trillion dollars deeper… Continue Reading

IRS Commissioner's Senate Finance Testimony on Ponzi Schemes and Offshore Tax Evasion Legislation

Prepared Testimony of Doug Shulman, Commissioner Internal Revenue Service, Before the Senate Finance Committee on Tax Issues Related to Ponzi Schemes and an Update on Offshore Tax Evasion Legislation, March 17, 2009 “The IRS is issuing two guidance items to assist taxpayers who are victims of losses from Ponzi-type investment schemes. While I recognize that… Continue Reading

FinCEN Report Shows Connection With Mortgage Fraud and Other Financial Crime

News release: “The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) today released a new report, Mortgage Loan Fraud Connections with Other Financial Crime: An Evaluation of Suspicious Activity Reports Filed By Money Services Businesses, Securities and Futures Firms, Insurance Companies and Casinos, that shows subjects reported for suspected mortgage loan fraud may also be involved in other… Continue Reading

Phishing Scams, Frivolous Arguments Top the 2008 “Dirty Dozen” Tax Scams

News release: “The Internal Revenue Service issued its 2008 list of the 12 most egregious tax schemes and scams, highlighted by Internet phishing scams and several frivolous tax arguments. Topping this year’s list of scams is phishing, which encompasses numerous Internet-based ploys to steal financial information from taxpayers. New to the “Dirty Dozen” this year… Continue Reading