United States Government News RSS Feed

Last Updated: Aug 21, 2008 - 8:10:30 AM

---

Bookmark this Site

Housing and Mortgage News
Home Equity Loans: Tips for Trying to Fix a Clogged or "Frozen" Home Equity Line
For years, homeowners have turned to home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) as a way to borrow against their home's value to pay for college tuition, home improvements, medical bills and other major expenses. (A home's equity is the market value minus what is owed on the mortgage. If you owe $100,000 on your mortgage but your home is worth $250,000, your equity is $150,000.)
Aug 21, 2008 - 7:55:28 AM

Announcements
What Happens If a Bank Fails?
Here's important information about what the FDIC pays and when if an FDIC-insured bank or savings institution is closed by its federal or state government regulator.
Aug 21, 2008 - 3:34:07 AM

Health News | Health Resources
18 California Hospitals Receive $25,000 Fines.

SACRAMENTO –The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced today that eighteen California hospitals have been assessed administrative penalties of $25,000 per incident from the state of California after a determination that the facilities’ noncompliance with requirements of licensure has caused, or was likely to cause, serious injury or death to patients.

CDC Health Advisory Notices & Announcements
CDC Launches CDC-TV On-Line Video Resource
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched CDC-TV, a new online video resource available through www.cdc.gov . CDC-TV videos will cover a variety of health, safety and preparedness topics.
Aug 20, 2008 - 2:38:15 PM

Announcements
Loan Modification Program for Distressed Indymac Mortgage Loans
IndyMac Federal Bank, FSB (“Indymac Federal”) will implement a new program to systematically modify troubled mortgages. The program is designed to achieve affordable and sustainable mortgage payments for borrowers and increase the value of distressed mortgages by rehabilitating them into performing loans. This in turn will maximize value for the FDIC, as well as improve returns to the creditors of the former IndyMac Bank and to investors in those mortgages. The new program will help IndyMac Federal improve its mortgage portfolio and servicing by modifying troubled mortgages, where appropriate, into performing mortgages.
Aug 20, 2008 - 2:35:16 PM

Health News | Health Resources
Methadone Poisoning: SAMHSA Grant Program Will Help Address Methadone Poisoning
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) today announced a three-year cooperative agreement grant award totaling $1.5 million to the American Society of Addiction Medicine to train physicians and other health professionals on the appropriate use of methadone in the treatment of pain and opioid addiction. 
Aug 20, 2008 - 2:32:50 PM

Community Alerts
Airborne Effervescent Health Formula Settles for 30 Million
Airborne Health, Inc., the Bonita Springs, Florida maker of the popular Airborne Effervescent Health Formula, an effervescent tablet marketed as a cold prevention and treatment remedy, has agreed to pay up to $30 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it did not have adequate evidence to support its advertising claims
Aug 19, 2008 - 1:48:05 PM

Announcements
Tuna Salad Recall Expanded
Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH) advises consumers that a Massachusetts-based company, Home Made Brand Foods, has voluntarily recalled approximately 5,000 pounds of “Ready-to-Eat Tuna Salad”. Routine sampling has identified the potential for contamination with listeria.
Aug 18, 2008 - 7:20:25 AM

Escape a Date, Escape from a Meeting via Free Callback Service
Getmooh is an automated call back service. It is designed to help you escape a variety of situations by calling you automatically on your phone at a pre-specified time and playing you a recording which will either instruct you on what to say to elude your tormentor(s), or which will simply give a convincing sense of you being on an important call.
Aug 18, 2008 - 7:13:44 AM

IRS Tax Tips
Moving Expenses Related to a New Job May Be Tax Deductible
Did you recently move to another city for a new job or because your old job is now at a new location? A tax break may be coming your way.
Aug 18, 2008 - 7:07:02 AM

Announcements
Nissan Maxima is GOOD for frontal crash protection

Latest Institute ratings for the Nissan Maxima . Verification ratings are based on 40 mph frontal offset crash tests conducted by manufacturers for vehicles meeting requirements established by the Institute

IRS Tax Tips
IRS Revises Voluntary Correction Program for Retirement Plans
The Internal Revenue Service today issued updated guidance on the voluntary correction program for employee retirement plans – the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS).
Aug 15, 2008 - 1:10:29 PM

Family and Children Related
Dollars and Sense for Sending Your Child to College
Do you have a child about to embark on the exciting adventure of college life? As many parents learn during this transitional time, there are a lot of decisions that extend beyond the classroom and selecting a major. Here are some tips to help you make smart decisions that work for both you and your college student.
Aug 14, 2008 - 8:37:54 AM

Housing and Mortgage News
MORTGAGE FRAUD: How to Avoid Becoming a Victim

Sub-prime loans. Foreclosures. Government bailouts. You can’t read a newspaper or watch the evening news these days without seeing stories about the current mortgage crisis and the fraud that goes along with it.

Community Alerts
California Sues Brown Sues To Topple Online Pyramid Scheme
California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced a lawsuit against YourTravelBiz.com for operating a "gigantic pyramid scheme" that recruited tens of thousands of members with deceptive claims that members could earn huge sums of money through its online travel agencies.

Aug 14, 2008 - 8:26:07 AM

Announcements
Red Flags for Casinos and Card Clubs: FinCEN Issues Guidance
This guidance is intended to assist casinos and card clubs¹ with the reporting of suspected money laundering, terrorist financing and related financial crimes. This guidance contains examples of circumstances or "red flags" - based on actual reports, the observations of examiners and the experience of law enforcement - that may indicate the presence of money laundering, terrorist financing, and related financial crimes.
Aug 14, 2008 - 8:23:42 AM

Small Business Announcements
Contractors State License Board Issues Double Warning about Illegal Contracting In Mariposa County Wildfire Zone
The Contractors State License Board (CSLB) is warning illegal contractors to stay away from the wildfire zones in Mariposa County and other parts of California. Illegal operators face serious prison time if caught working or trying to get contracting work over $500 in a declared disaster or State of Emergency area. The CSLB is also cautioning fire victims to beware of unscrupulous or unlicensed operators who may try to take advantage of them.
Aug 14, 2008 - 8:15:47 AM

Health News | Health Resources
Prostate Cancer: Task Force Says Men Age 75 and Older Should Not Be Screened for Prostate Cancer

Men age 75 and older should not be screened for prostate cancer, and younger men should discuss the benefits and harms of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test with their clinicians before being tested, according to a new recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. The recommendation and accompanying evidence summary appear in the August 5 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Health News | Health Resources
NIOSH Update: Respiratory Protection Recommendations for Airborne
This document describes the NIOSH policy for respiratory protection against airborne exposures to crystalline silica.
Aug 14, 2008 - 8:02:41 AM

Announcements
Don't be Left Out! Three Months to ShakeOut
Three months from today, at 10 a.m. on November 13, millions of southern Californians will drop to the ground, take cover under a table or desk, and hold on. An earthquake prediction? No. But it is certain that the Great Southern California ShakeOut is on track to being the largest earthquake drill in United States history
Aug 14, 2008 - 7:17:05 AM

Announcements
Most Popular Stamp Series of All Time Makes Final Curtain Call
Although Elvis remains king as the single most popular stamp subject of all time with an estimated 124.1 million collected, Mickey Mouse and his friends rule as the most popular stamp series with 211.5 million collected. Originally scheduled to be introduced as three sets during a three-year period, the fifth and final debut for the Art of Disney series takes place Aug. 7, at 10 a.m. PDT in front of the Sleeping Beauty castle in Disneyland when the Postal Service dedicates the Art of Disney: Imagination stamps. The 42-cent first-class commemorative stamps go on sale nationwide that day.
Aug 14, 2008 - 7:12:24 AM

Announcements
SEC Announces Proposed Plan to Enhance Insider Trading Surveillance and Detection
The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that it has published for public comment an agreement among the securities self-regulatory organizations (SROs) that is designed to improve detection of insider trading across the equities markets by centralizing surveillance, investigation, and enforcement under NYSE Regulation, Inc. (NYSE Regulation) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA).
Aug 14, 2008 - 7:07:41 AM

Cyber Alert
Microsoft Product Alert: Microsoft Updates for Multiple Vulnerabilities
Vulnerabilities in a variety of Microsoft products could allow an attacker to gain control of your computer.
Aug 14, 2008 - 6:55:07 AM

Announcements
America's Ship for Ocean Exploration
Senior federal officials today in Seattle commissioned Okeanos Explorer, the first federal ship dedicated solely to exploring the ocean.
Aug 14, 2008 - 6:36:07 AM

U.S. Dept. of Justice Related
Woman pleads guilty in scheme to file false tax returns on behalf of inmates.
A women pleads guilty today to conspiracy to defraud the United States in connection with a scheme to file false income tax returns on behalf of inmates from the Maryland Department of Corrections and other prisons, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland  Rod J. Rosenstein.
Aug 14, 2008 - 6:30:35 AM