FTC

June 17, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - United States Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement today, after hearing the testimony of Walter Lukken, Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC), before a joint hearing of Durbin’s Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government and the Senate Agriculture Committee.

“Increasing evidence shows that the run-up in crude oil prices and gasoline is being driven by larger trader banks, pension and hedge funds. Speculation may have as much, if not more, to do with high gas prices than any Saudi Sheik."    » read more »

Sends Letter to FTC Chairman about potential price gouging

June 17, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC - At a time when Pennsylvanians are faced with skyrocketing gas prices, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) today sent a letter to William Kovacic, Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regarding the potential of price gouging and price manipulation.

“I hope that you and I can work together to give the FTC the tools it needs to investigate and help prosecute companies that are adopting questionable business strategies,” Senator Casey wrote. “The Unites States Congress and the FTC have an obligation to provide consumers with the assurance that whatever price they are paying at the pump, they can be certain they aren't being taken for a ride.”    » read more »

June 16, 2008 -- JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri Governor Matt Blunt today requested the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) review the proposed sale of Anheuser-Busch to InBev to determine if it would prevent free competition by creating a near monopoly in the beer beverage market.

A Budweiser bottling plant: Photo by Todd J (CC)    » read more »

May 22, 2008 -- OLYMPIA – Washington Governor Chris Gregoire today issued the following statement urging the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate oil and petroleum markets:

“Today I sent a letter to the FTC urging them to quickly and aggressively investigate possible market manipulation in the petroleum markets. I reminded FTC Chairman William Kovacic and his fellow commission colleagues that Congress just last year gave the FTC authority to ensure that the U.S. petroleum market is free from price rigging and to penalize those who are caught manipulating a market so critical to our economy.    » read more »

National operation includes more than 180 actions against instances of telemarketing fraud

May 20, 2008 -- TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum, Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and a series of Florida partners today announced the results of a national telemarketing fraud sweep, including several actions taken throughout Florida over the past few months.    » read more »

May 14, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC – At the urging of United States Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) today agreed to launch an inquiry into the record high fuel prices facing American consumers. The commission, which is responsible for investigating consumer protection and competition issues in broad sectors of the economy, announced the investigation at their annual budget hearing before the Senate Appropriations Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee, which Durbin chairs.    » read more »

May 6, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC -- With energy prices continuing to reach record highs, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Carl Levin (D-MI) sent a letter to President Bush requesting the creation of a new federal task force to investigate whether speculators are driving up prices in energy commodity markets through manipulative or deceptive practices.

Oil drums: Photo by tripletrouble (CC)    » read more »

January 28, 2008 - Vermont Attorney General William H. Sorrell announced today that he and nine other state attorneys general have written to the Federal Trade Commission to ask that the FTC develop guidelines for businesses that sell carbon emission offset credits. The request came in a letter from the Offices of the Vermont and California Attorneys General on behalf of themselves and their counterparts in Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Mississippi, New Hampshire and Oklahoma.    » read more »

January 25, 2008 -- WASHINGTON DC – Citing the potential “to manipulate the system,” California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today recommended that the Federal Trade Commission sharpen its guidelines for businesses that sell carbon emission offset credits.    » read more »

New legislation would give FTC double the resources to enforce and research truth-in-advertising related to mortgages

December 12, 2007 -- WASHINGTON – With millions of Americans stuck in subprime mortgages and many having been lured by misleading advertisements, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) today introduced legislation that would aid the Federal Trade Commission in cracking down on these ads.    » read more »

Dec.    » read more »

December 11, 2007. -- Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller teamed with six other states and the Federal Trade Commission in a federal court lawsuit Tuesday alleging that a “payment processor” illegally debited millions of dollars from consumers’ bank accounts on behalf of fraudulent telemarketing, direct mail and Internet-based schemes.

“We allege that ‘Your Money Access’ company, or YMA, played a critical role in assisting its clients’ fraudulent and deceptive schemes,” Miller said.    » read more »

11/16/2007 -- BOSTON – Senator John Kerry today wrote a letter to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) asking it to investigate to determine if there has been price gouging at gas stations in Western Massachusetts.

Kerry’s request comes after hearing from North Adams Mayor John Barrett of various instances of manipulation throughout the region.    » read more »

Advisory follows FTC announcement of national enforcement efforts

October 26, 2007 -- TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum and Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson today issued a consumer advisory in cooperation with the National Hispanic Institute, warning consumers about work-at-home scams.    » read more »

Asks FTC to examine whether minority homeowners are being targeted with high-priced loans

October 18, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today sent the following letter to FTC Commissioner Deborah Platt Majoras, calling on her to investigate the marketing practices of subprime lenders and the brokers of subprime loans to determine whether minority borrowers have been victims of discrimination.    » read more »