In February of 2012, five of the biggest banks in the U.S. - Ally Financial, Bank of America, Citibank, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo - agreed to pay $25 billion to settle state and federal claims over questionable mortgage practices and foreclosure abuses. In order to encourage the banks to work with borrowers who were having trouble paying their debts, the federal government agreed to give the banks a credit against the restitution order for mortgage debt relief provided to homeowners. Letters Cause Headaches for Borrowers Recently, some lenders, including JP Morgan ...

An iconic image shown in the media coverage from Hurricane Sandy shows a collapsed construction crane dangling more than 70 stories in the air above Manhattan. Amazingly, that crane's catastrophic failure hasn't resulted in any casualties, nor did the recent collapse of a construction crane in the Hell's Kitchen area, but not all New York crane accidents have such a "happy ending." The numbers The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that crane accidents kill an average of 70 construction workers and laborers around the country annually, and ...

Cellphones have become an essential part of our everyday lives. With so much information available at the push of a button, they have made many tasks considerably easier. Many phones also have GPS devices, which is convenient for the motorist who may be in an unfamiliar area. Some cars even have in-dash features that allow them to access the internet while they are driving. Unfortunately, this can often serve as a distraction to many motorists. There have been many serious motor vehicle accidents caused by distracted drivers. In Illinois, there is a statewide rule in ...

Social media on the Internet started out for exactly that purpose: socializing. People express themselves and engage in dialog with others through sites like Facebook and Twitter. YouTube for video sharing; LinkedIn for professional networking; Google+; Myspace; Pinterest; the list goes on. But social networking has morphed into much more than sharing pictures from your trip. It is now used for many commercial and professional purposes by businesses, organizations, institutions, governmental entities, politicians, officials and more. For celebrities, from actors to musicians ...

The Social Security Administration recognizes arthritis and fibromyalgia (FM) as qualifying disabilities for Social Security Disability Income (SSDI). The SSA, however, recently changed the way that fibromyalgia will be evaluated when patients apply for SSDI. In a July ruling, the SSA published a ruling providing guidance on the evaluation of evidence in FM claims. Following the change in procedures, it is even more important to speak with a Social Security Disability eligibility attorney. This article will summarize some of the main changes in FM claims review. Those ...

North Carolina residents suffering from workplace injury or occupational illness know how difficult the experience is. However, they may be surprised to learn the high cost of workplace injuries, as well as which industry is now considered one of the most dangerous. The manufacturing industry is traditionally thought of as inherently dangerous. Police and firefighters are also expected to experience potentially dangerous work situations. According to The Atlantic, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics analyzes the number of illnesses and injuries by industry. According ...

Carol Foster, the former head of North American Client Services for international equity fund manager Pantheon Ventures, has become the latest high-profile older, female business executive to file a lawsuit alleging both age and gender discrimination. Foster alleges that she lost prospective clients, past clients, promotional opportunities and financial incentives to younger, male colleagues during her tenure at Pantheon. The allegations Foster's case alleges that she suffered both blatant (a senior male executive referring to a gathering of female executives at a ...

A new clinical study by the UCLA School of Nursing has found a direct correlation between pressure ulcers--which are also called bedsores--and patient deaths or increases in the length of hospitalization. During the study, researchers tracked about 51,000 randomly selected Medicare beneficiaries who were hospitalized across the nation. The study discovered that about 4.5 percent of the Medicare patients developed a bedsore while they were hospitalized, most developing on the sacrum or tailbone. In addition, a high number of bedsores appeared on the hips, buttocks and ...

According to a recent study by researchers at University of California, Los Angeles, people who have suffered a traumatic brain injury and lived in areas with exposure to pesticides may be three times more likely to develop Parkinson's disease. While prior research suggests that traumatic brain injuries are linked to the disease, the effect has not been seen across the board. However, pesticides have been suspected of being tied to Parkinson's because of the high rate of the disease among farm workers. A previous study from the University of California, Berkeley, found ...

Texas now has the fastest section of highway in the United States. The speed limit on a new toll road connecting Austin and San Antonio, State Highway 130, is now 85 miles per hour for those who want to avoid the traffic and congestion of Interstate 35. The new stretch will be the U.S. road most comparable to the German autobahn. While the autobahn has no general speed limit, it still has an advisory limit five miles below that of 130. Construction of the toll road complied with Texas Department of Transportation specifications after the higher state speed limit was ...

It is not unusual for one spouse to be in charge of a family's finances. Such arrangements make it easier for the spouse controlling the money to take advantage of the other spouse if the marriage ends in divorce, leading to an unfair property division. However, if a spouse hides assets during divorce and is later discovered, it can lead to serious consequences. People should be aware of the signs a spouse is hiding assets, where people typically hide assets and the penalties for hiding assets during divorce. What are the signs that a spouse is hiding assets? One ...

With the holiday season now in full swing, many Utah families are finding themselves traveling several miles as they attend countless celebrations and festivities. And while this time of year is generally a happy and joyous time for most families in Utah, it can quickly turn tragic if families happen across party-goers on the road that chose to get behind the wheel after drinking. National Impaired Driving Prevention Month Drunk driving accidents can have serious, or even deadly, consequences. Not only is it a punishable criminal act, but once a life is lost to a ...

When children are born, everyone hopes for the best as they grow up. But sometimes difficult circumstances develop in their immediate family that causes their grandparents concern for the kids' well-being. Or for a variety of reasons, a parent may cut off contact between a child and his or her grandparent. When those reasons are not valid, an appropriate, loving grandparent-grandchild relationship can suffer. In these types of situations, grandparents have certain legal rights, which vary --sometimes greatly -- from state to state, since family relationships are mostly ...

Gary Coleman, made famous by his role in "Diff'rent Strokes," was once the highest-paid actor on television and worth an estimated $7 million. Within just a decade of his success, a series of costly health problems and recurring legal trouble with his adoptive parents led him to declare Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 1999. In an interview, Coleman made an accurate assessment of his financial struggles, saying he could "spread the blame" for his bankruptcy "from me to accountants to my adoptive parents, to agents to lawyers and back to me again." ...

Fall weather is perfect for getting outside and participating in various sports activities, but OrthoAtlanta wants to remind everyone to make certain to sue proper protective gear. These Atlanta sports medicine professionals know that too many injuries could have been prevented with proper equipment. No one wants to end a season or a sports career with a visit to an orthopedic surgeon in Atlanta. Using protective gear from helmets to knee pads can help prevent injury and visits to Atlanta physical therapy experts. Most people would never think of stepping onto a football ...

Clark & Washington, a Tampa bankruptcy law firm, notes that even the greatest show on Earth may not always be successful, but the main man behind it knew how to rise from the ashes like a phoenix. P.T. Barnum made every situation, good and bad, work for him, and even after he declared bankruptcy; it still didn't stop the irrepressible Barnum. Barnum was a man of opportunity, in that he saw an opportunity in everything. He created the Barnum and Bailey circus, which eventually joined with Ringling Brothers to create one of the most successful traveling circuses to ...

Atlanta based orthopaedic group, OrthoAtlanta, states that custom orthotics can bring balance to your posture, improve flexibility and assist with joint motility. Atlanta orthopaedic doctors agree, keeping the body in balance is essential to healthy muscles and joints. Custom orthotics can help stabilize the body when standing or in motion. When a body is unbalanced, it can wear down knee joints, causing damage and eventual pain. Atlanta orthopaedic surgeons at OrthoAtlanta state that these injuries to knee joints may be prevented with custom orthotics. "If the ...

Naderi & Weinrieb is pleased to announce that is has expanded its team of criminal defense attorneys. Attorney Mr. Lee Zavatsky is the newest member of the firm, and will be handling a variety of felony and misdemeanor cases, including DUI. Mr. Lee Zavatsky is a criminal attorney specializing in DUI and complex cases involving DNA and scientific evidence, including narcotics and sex crimes cases. He earned his law degree from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, and his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from the University of California, Riverside. After earning ...

As electronic cigarettes continue to rise in popularity, they have become a hot item for holiday gift-giving. Friends and family of smokers are purchasing starter kits in record numbers in hopes that their loved ones will enjoy the alternative to smoking. Following suit, many e cigarette brands are announcing sales and specials just in time for Christmas. Electronic cigarettes create nicotine-infused water vapor rather than smoke. They are ideal for the cold winter months as they are allowed inside most public places and are odorless. Even better, e-cigs don't contain ...

For bingo enthusiasts, there is great news on the virtual realm of bingo games. The leading bingo games site on the web, 123Bingoonline.com has now released three different promotions which will favor loyal members of this bingo site based on their deposit and participation. During all of the month of December players will have the chance to win $100 Amazon Gift Cards, a cash back percentage, a raffle bag filled with goodies such as beauty Products, Watches, MP3 Players, Gourmet Gift Boxes, etc. There will even be a bingo room named after one of the lucky winners of one ...

SJD Accountancy, the UK's largest accountants to contractors with over 11,000 Limited company clients, was recently announced as finalists in the UK Customer Satisfaction Awards. SJD are shortlisted in the 'Customer Commitment' category, which in 2011 they were finalists for and won. SJD Accountancy have won more awards for customer service and accountancy excellence than any other firm in their market. Past awards include; Contractor UK's 'Best Contractor Accountant' award five years running, 'Accountant of the Year' at the British Accountancy Awards, two time winners ...

Big data may not be a term often discussed outside the CIO's office today, but according to experts at ICC, a leader in business technology services with a focus on big data and application development, that will change in 2013. That's the year big data will find its way out of the data center and back rooms - typically populated by statisticians and business analysts - and into the offices of the chief financial officer (CFO), chief marketing officer (CMO) and chief sales officer (CSO) who are charged with growing revenue. Everyone will soon be busy making sense of the ...

Todd Doors, one of the UK's leading suppliers of timber doors, have taken the decision to delay the release of their eagerly anticipated new brochure - it was announced today. The brand new brochure, which was set for release in December, in time for Christmas, has now been delayed until January, allowing a more expansive range of timber doors to be printed and introduced inside the catalogue, according to a spokesperson for the company. The scheduled December release was supposed to exclusively unveil the brand new 2013 collections of internal and external doors ...

TaxResults.com is an online tax consultancy and is proud to celebrate successful outcomes for its clients. Many people find themselves in difficulty with the IRS - for a number of reasons - perhaps owing back taxes or even undergoing salary garnishment. Tax Results has been able to offer its clients solutions that can both vastly reduce their tax obligation and provide them with a reasonable payment plan. "Our goal is to provide the best customer service and results in the industry," says the VP Brad Patrick. "Our mission is to provide an aggressive response ...

A new study published by University of Chicago researchers challenges the notion that the force of an exploding star forced the formation of the solar system. In this study, published online last month in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, authors Haolan Tang and Nicolas Dauphas found the radioactive isotope iron 60 — the telltale sign of an exploding star—low in abundance and well mixed in solar system material. As cosmochemists, they look for remnants of stellar explosions in meteorites to help determine the conditions under which the solar system formed. Some ...