The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "consumer advocates" ...
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The Subprime Wolves Are Back
Consumer advocates revealed in interviews that some mortgage lenders and brokers have reinvented themselves as FHA-backed lenders to feed off of the consumer panic following the national financial bailout.
Tags: fraud; Wall Street; paper trail; bankruptcy filing; Federal Housing Administration; stimulus package;
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Insurance Investigation
The Star examined the insurance industry, using consumer complaints totaling more than 10,000 pages, interviewed hundreds of sources and gathered records for all 50 states. After sifting through information regarding the best and worst companies for consumer complaints both nationwide and in Kansas and Missouri, the Star discovered that Allstate Insurance of Northbrook, Illinois "had the most complaints for claims handing in the country," and "Farmer's Insurance Exchange of Los Angeles led all insurers for complaints over using credit histories to set premiums - a practice consumer advocates call discriminatory." In Kansas, American Investors Life Insurance Co. Inc. of Topeka had the worst complaint record of any annuity provider in the state. The study also found widespread fraud, and also that the insurance industry receives more complaints than banks and stock brokerages. Adding to the problems are the people who have scammed billions of dollars out of insurance companies, which raises premiums across the board.
Tags: insurance; fraud; American Investors Life Insurance Co. Inc.; Allstate Insurance of Northbrook, Illinois; Farmer's Insurance Exchange of Los Angeles
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Where's my stuff?
This hidden camera investigation uncovers a scam by internet moving companies. It found some of these internet moving companies stealing consumer's furniture and personal belongings, while overcharging them at the same time A lack of governmental oversight and ineffective federal regulations have created a vacuum that has allowed moving companies to prey on consumers. The laws are rarely enforced, and often times corrupt movers close up shop when there are too many consumer complaints and re-open under new names, making it impossible for consumers to check them out.
Tags: TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; internet moving companies; moving; moving industry; U.S. Movers; Ace Storage Facility; MovingAdvocateTeam.com; Majesty Moving and Storage; Apollo Van Lines; Moving System; AAA Van Lines; Advanced Moving Systems of Sunrise Florida; Department of Transportation; Ameri Van lines; Move-at-once; Adam Moving; Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Motor Carrier Safety Administration; Moving Industry Fraud
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Collision course
This story deals with the unfairness of the factors determining auto insurance rates. Specifically, New Jersey drivers "pay more on average for auto insurance than in any other state." In general, drivers from urban areas pay more than those from rural areas and, although there is a logic to it, "consumer advocates in several states argue that the higher number of losses in urban areas cannot possibly account for the huge difference in rates." Besides, some insurance companies avoid getting inner-city clients by not having offices in such areas. Legislation passed in New Jersey in 1997 partially fixed the problem and the number of insured cars went up 12 percent in two years. The story also refers to a program the state of California designed to counteract the unfairness.
Tags: insurance agents; urban drivers; New Jersey; Consumer Federation of America; Public Advocates; Texas Department of Insurance; Nationwide Financial Corp.; Automobile Urban Enterprise Zones; Los Angeles County; San Francisco County; California Insurance Department
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Prevnar: A vaccine Investigation
From IRE Contest entry form: "Prevnar is a 7-valent pneumococcalvaccine approved for use in infants in February 2000. At close to $240 for the four-dose regiment, Prevnar is the most expensive vaccine ever manufactured. When correspondent Valeri Williams and Producer Meridith Schucker began their investigation, over 10 million doses had already been distributed. At the time, consumers and the national media referred to Prevnar as the 'ear infection vaccine,' though it was not studied or ever approved to guard against ear infections. And no one on the government approval committees or the medical establishment stepped forward to correct the misinformation...Through interviews with numerous doctors, FDA and CDC representatives, consumer advocates, congressmen, parents and medical researchers, some startling facts emerged."
Tags: TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; Medicine; health; pharmaceuticals; Prevnar
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Click Here for Britney
Washington Monthly looks at the efforts of AOL to muscle its way into online journalism. "Chances are ... that AOL's definition of the public interest does not quite jibe with that of consumer advocates," reports the magazine. The story addresses concerns that the company may not be "committed to a clear separation between editorial and advertorial content", may not provide "unbiased coverage of its own financial interests", or may be unable to strike a balance between the vital and the trivial in the news.
Tags: advertisement; commerce; Gerald Levin; Jonathan Sacks; Time Warner; editors; reporters; Internet; entertainment; business; objectivity
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Better Than a Nursing Home?
Time Magazine reports on assisted-living centers, "designed to help residents with daily tasks but not to provide skilled medical care." And while these centers offer the freedom and independence nursing homes withhold, reporter Andrew Goldstein discovered that many of these centers do not uphold their expectations. Staff members many times lack basic medical knowledge, have other duties besides caring for patients and lack motivation due to low wages. Consumer advocates have tried to enhance regulation and providers have promised to improve patient care, but family members of loved ones in these centers say concerns still remain.
Tags: nursing homes; elderly; American Seniors Housing Association; Department of Health and Human Services; Assisted Living Federation
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Windstar Troubles
WBNS-TV reports on "problems with 1995 Ford Windstar transmissions ... [that] were expensive to fix and pose a safety risk." The investigation reveals that "one of the primary problems concerned aluminum forward clutch pistons, ... [which] can fail in transmissions on 1994 and 1995 Windstars, Taurus, Mercury Sables and Lincoln Continentals." It also finds 521 owner complaints about the questionable part. The reporter uncovers a 1994 Ford Motor Company service bulletin warning dealers and technicians that "the aluminium part may crack, causing gear engagement concerns." The story details several lawsuits claiming that Ford has "told its dealers to replace the aluminium part with a steel part," but has "failed to notify its customers about the defect."
Tags: TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; safety; Ford; Windstar; highways; gear; transmission; NHTSA; consumer advocates; warranty
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The Clean Air Wars
The News & Observer examines the controversy surrounding the Enviormental Protection Agency's proposed tough clean-air regulations. An industry group of 500-plus utilities and manufactures protesting the EPA regulations claim that "they will take a big bite out of our wallets wihout helping us breathe better." Public-health advocates concede that the tightened standards carry at least a $6.5 billion price tag, but the compliance cost will be transfered to consumers. Plus, the supporters claim, the higher prices are "a fair trade-off for the mother who no longer has to rush her asthmatic child to the emergency room and for the elderly person who can enjoy a few more years of life."
Tags: enviornment; clean air; pollution; EPA; smog
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Bitter Pills; Inside the Hazardous World of Legal Drugs
Bitter Pills is a five-year investigation of the entire pharmaceutical-industrial complx, focusing on issues of international drug safety while exposing the inner workings of the Food & Drug Administration, the pharmaceutical industry, physicians, nurses, pharmacists, consumer advocates and the medical press.
Tags: BOOK; Prescription drugs