Other LanguagesSEATTLE – In the aftermath of the mortgage industry shakedown, a new type of bottom-feeder is chomping at homeowners struggling to keep up with their loan payments. Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna announced today that his office joined the Federal Trade Commission and other states in a nationwide crackdown on foreclosure rescuers and loan modification businesses that charge hefty upfront fees and often provide no help.
SEATAC – The Washington Attorney General’s Office will hold a press conference at SeaTac Airport on Wednesday, July 15, at 12:30 p.m. to announce five new cases concerning loan modification and foreclosure rescue businesses that have solicited Washington homeowners, as well as additional initiatives that are part of a nationwide federal/state enforcement initiative.
They may have sent Joe Camel the way of the buffalo but that didn’t stop tobacco giant R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. from violating the 10-year-old agreement prohibiting the use of cartoons in tobacco advertising, the Division One Court of Appeals ruled today.
OLYMPIA – Attorney General Rob McKenna today made the following statement on Thurston County Superior Court Judge Chris Wickham’s ruling in Stenson v. Vail, rejecting claims challenging the constitutionality of the Department of Corrections’ protocol for execution by lethal injection. The case impacts the pending executions of not just Darold Stenson, but two other Washington state death row inmates who joined the case, Cal Coburn Brown and Jonathan Gentry.
OLYMPIA – Attorney General Rob McKenna today praised the Federal Trade Commission for tackling a Tacoma company that preyed on financially strapped consumers. He urged consumers to take advantage of low-cost credit counseling services.
SPOKANE -- Residents of a Spokane mobile home park were bewildered to learn they didn’t own the homes they live in. When an investigation by the Washington Attorney General’s Office revealed that the owner of West Prairie Village never properly transferred the titles, the business agreed to make things right.
TACOMA – The telemarketers’ pitch seems innocent enough: They want you to buy trash bags, light bulbs or gift cards at jacked-up prices. They claim your cash will help the homeless or support employment for those with disabilities. But state officials and consumer advocates are warning residents not to be misled by these sales calls.
OLYMPIA – Attorney General Rob McKenna today announced the appointment of Antoinette (Toni) Ursich as the successor to longtime Spokane Division Chief Larry Briney. Ursich is currently the Washington State University Division Chief.
SEATTLE – TJX Companies, Inc., agreed to pay $9.75 million to 41 attorneys general as a part of settlement that follows the states’ investigation concerning the retailer’s data security practices. Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna said $2.5 million will fund a Data Security Trust Fund to be used by the states to advance enforcement efforts and policy development in the field of data security.
SEATTLE—Today in King County Superior Court, former King County Assessor Russell Scott Noble was sentenced to eight months in jail after pleading guilty to one count of felony vehicular assault in a drunken crash that injured him and two others on Jan. 18.