AGO News Releases With Topic: Consumer Protection

Attorney General Bob Ferguson today joined a group of state attorneys general and the U.S. Dept. of Justice in filing suit against Standard & Poor’s. The group alleges the credit rating agency misled investors with regard to structured finance securities backed by subprime mortgages that were at the center of the national financial crisis.

As part of the ongoing effort to address the national foreclosure crisis, Attorney General Bob Ferguson today announced his office, 44 other Attorneys General and the District of Columbia have reached a $120 million multi-state settlement with Lender Processing Services, Inc. (LPS) and its subsidiaries, LPS Default Solutions and DocX.  The office also settled with LPS-subsidiary, LSI Title, for activities as a foreclosure trustee in Washington.

Washington state strikes back against rigged Internet auctions SEATTLE – Bidders on electronics and other goods auctioned on ArrowOutlet.com thought they were competing with other human beings. But it turns out, according to a lawsuit filed by the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, they were often battling “bots.”

SEATTLE – As he nears the end of a busy eight years as Washington State Attorney General, Rob McKenna is reminding families and policymakers to stay alert for threats to seniors.

SEATTLE – A powerful spam-sending application is attacking the most common smartphone operating system.

People Helping Horses bucks director and will audit finances SEATTLE – An investigation by the Washington State Attorney General’s Office has led to significant changes to a Snohomish County horse rescue’s management and new controls on the organization’s fundraising and financial practices.  

State attorneys general reach deal over Zyvox and Lyrica SEATTLE – Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna today announced that he and 33 other state attorneys general reached a $42.9 million settlement with Pfizer Inc. to resolve allegations that the company unlawfully promoted its drugs, Zyvox and Lyrica.  

Florida firm faces lawsuit over spam called “as illegal as it is annoying”   SEATTLE – Spammers have discovered one of the most popular forms of modern communication: text messages. Unwanted word-filled bubbles now pop up on mobile phone screens, pitching products and frustrating consumers. Over a period of two days in May, for example, a Florida company blistered Washington state residents with tens of thousands of texts offering “quick cash” from payday loans. The Washington State Attorney General today fired back with a first-of-its-kind lawsuit.

McKenna and Attorneys General Koster and Zoeller call on Congress to take action to protect kids from being advertised for sex SEATTLE – The Washington State Attorney General’s Office yesterday settled a lawsuit filed by sex trafficking site Backpage.com against Washington state.

State’s consumer watchdogs also have advice for consumers who need furnace and other repairs SEATTLE – Last year, Gordon Bradford received unwelcome news during a yearly furnace inspection. A technician from Dick’s Heating and Air Conditioning said a heat exchanger hole made the furnace unsafe. Replacing the part, said the technician, would cost more than a new furnace. After spending $5,000 on a new machine, Bradford examined the old one. He didn’t find any holes on the heat exchanger.