Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act

The Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act (Check 21) was signed into law on October 28, 2003, and became effective on October 28, 2004.

Check 21 is designed to foster innovation in the payments system and to enhance its efficiency by reducing some of the legal impediments to check truncation. The law facilitates check truncation by creating a new negotiable instrument called a substitute check, which permits banks to truncate original checks, to process check information electronically, and to deliver substitute checks to banks that want to continue receiving paper checks. A substitute check is the legal equivalent of the original check and includes all the information contained on the original check. The law does not require banks to accept checks in electronic form nor does it require banks to use the new authority granted by the Act to create substitute checks.

How does Check 21 affect you?

Because of Check 21 and other check-system improvements, your checks may be processed faster–which means money may be deducted from your checking account faster. Before you write a check, make sure that your checking account has enough money in it to cover the check.

Frequently Asked Questions about Check 21

Consumer Guide to Check 21 and Substitute Checks

The Federal Trade Commission reminds consumers that the National Do Not Call Registry has accepted personal cell phone and home phone number registrations since it opened for consumer registrations in June 2003. There is no deadline to register a home or cell phone number on the Registry.

To register a telephone number on the National Do Not Call Registry, or to file a complaint, consumers should visit www.donotcall.gov or call 1-888-382-1222 (TTY: 1-866-290-4236). Consumers registering a phone number online will be asked to provide a valid e-mail address to which a confirmation of the registration will be sent. A registration is not complete until the consumer clicks on the link in this e-mail. Consumers registering by phone must call from the phone number they wish to register.

A lot of people still have no idea what spyware is….and many, though they think they’ve got it licked by having ‘a‘ spyware program on their computer, still are vulnerable anytime they surf the web. I have one tech guru friend of mine who says he runs 3 different spyware removal tools and stuff still gets through.

There is no current legislation to stop it, and the only thing currently proposed is a ‘disclaimer requirement’ for adware companies and their hosts.

Here’s a great article on the whole picture from The Consumer WebWatch.

Spyware Everywhere: Free Software Is the Lure, Online Surveillance Is the Reality

Anonymous Consumer.com: Recognizing and Avoiding Spyware

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates that Vioxx may have contributed to 27,785 heart attacks and sudden cardiac deaths between 1999 and 2003.

Nov 17, 2004 - FDA Statement on Vioxx and Recent Allegations and the Agency’s Continued Commitment to Sound Science and Peer Review

“For the past several weeks, various allegations and characterizations have circulated and been reported on regarding FDA’s approval and post market review of the drug Vioxx, a “Cox-2 inhibitor,” that its sponsor, Merck, voluntarily withdrew from the market September 30th, 2004. I am issuing this statement to further clarify the Agency’s activities in this area. It covers four topics:

* Issues involving allegations about the performance of FDA’s Office of Drug Safety;
* Allegations about a scientific paper submitted to the British medical journal, The Lancet;
* The possible participation of Dr. Curt Furberg in an upcoming FDA advisory committee to discuss Cox-2 inhibitors; and
* Further information about FDA’s recent announcements to strengthen its safety program for marketed drugs.

READ FULL STATEMENT

VIOXX VOLUNTARY WITHDRAWAL STATEMENT

‘Drug Regulation in Controversy: Vioxx’
Slide Presentation by Sandra Kweder, M.D., November 10, 2004

Vioxx Questions and Answers

Celebrex Questions and Answers

Bextra Questions and Answers

Vioxx, Celebrex and Bextra FREE Legal Evaluations

President Bush Signs Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement Act in July of 2004.

“ITPEA tries to toughen things up by establishing a new crime — aggravated identity theft, which the federal government defines as using a stolen identity to commit other crimes. Convictions for aggravated identity theft would carry a mandatory two-year prison sentence.” www.esecurityplanet.com

More Identity Theft Information:

A New Law to Put the Bite on Identity Thieves

What to do if your identity is stolen

Consumers in 13 Western States May Request Free Annual Reports Beginning December 1

On Wednesday, December 1, the three nationwide consumer reporting companies – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion – will begin processing consumers’ requests for free annual credit reports at www.annualcreditreport.com.

The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 (FACTA) amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and requires the nationwide credit bureaus to provide consumers, upon request, a free copy of their credit report once every 12 months. Consumers in 13 Western states may request a free annual credit report beginning December 1. The Federal Trade Commission enforces the FCRA with respect to consumer reporting companies.

A credit report contains consumers’ identification information; payment history with different creditors; a list of inquiries made by various financial institutions; and information on the public record, such as foreclosures or bankruptcies. Consumer reporting companies collect and sell this information to lenders and other businesses that have a permissible purpose to obtain it.

“This new legal right gives consumers an important tool for protecting their identity and keeping track of their credit,” said Lydia Parnes, Acting Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “www.annualcreditreport.com is the only Web site from which consumers are legally entitled to receive a free annual credit report.”

Consumers who use the www.annualcreditreport.com Web site will be able to obtain their free report online. Consumers also may request a copy of their credit report by phone or mail – for these methods, consumers must fill out a standardized form. Free reports will be phased in across the country from west to east over a nine-month period. Consumers will become eligible on the following schedule:

Beginning December 1: Western states (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming);

Beginning March 1, 2005: Midwestern states (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin);

Beginning June 1, 2005: Southern states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas); and

Beginning September 1, 2005: Eastern states (Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia), Puerto Rico, and all U.S. territories.

Read the complete release here:

Free Credit Report Rollout Begins Wednesday

Other Credit Report related information:

Preferred Consumer Credit Report Guide

FTC’s Credit Homepage