Consumer Protection
Why Canceling a Subscription Still Isn't Easy
The FTC's click-to-cancel rule was struck down in 2025 and still hasn't come back — which is why quitting some subscriptions still means picking up the phone.
Missouri's Penny-Rounding Law Kicks In Aug. 28. Here's What Changes
The U.S. Mint struck its last circulating penny in November. Now state legislatures are racing to write the rounding rules cash registers will actually use.
The 1934 Law That Makes Your Mailbox Off-Limits
Congress made your mailbox federal territory in 1934, and the law criminalizing unstamped flyers is now central to the fight over privatizing the Postal Service. Here's what 18 U.S.C. 1725 actually says.
Why Your Bank Can Hold a Deposited Check for Days
Regulation CC doesn't let banks hold your money as long as they want, it caps how long they can. Here's the real day-by-day schedule, the six exceptions that extend it, and the outer limit federal law allows.
Title Insurance Covers a Crime That Almost Never Happens
Most homeowners never file a title insurance claim. For the few who do, it can be the only thing standing between them and a multi-year lawsuit to reclaim a forged deed.
Compounding Pharmacies, Explained: Why 'FDA-Approved' Is a Lie
Compounding pharmacies aren't FDA-approved, because that approval doesn't exist for them. Here's the regulatory split behind the copycat-Ozempic crackdown, and why claiming otherwise just got 25 telehealth firms in trouble.
Who's Liable When Your Self-Driving Uber Crashes?
Waymo just told Uber it's building its own app for Austin and Atlanta. Behind the split is a messier question riders rarely think about: who pays when the car with no driver hits something.
Step Therapy, Explained: Why Insurers Make You 'Fail First'
Four in ten drug policies require patients to fail on a cheaper medication first. A wave of 2026 state laws is starting to cap how long that can take.
Force-Placed Insurance, Explained: The Coverage You Never Chose
Miss an insurance payment and a mortgage servicer can buy its own policy and add the bill straight to your mortgage, coverage that protects the lender, not you.
Why Some Gift Cards Never Expire and Others Quietly Do
The CARD Act gives every gift card a five-year floor. What happens after that depends on which state you're standing in.
Why Hotel Key Cards Stop Working, and It's Rarely Your Phone
Blame usually lands on a phone in your pocket, but most hotel key card failures trace back to expiration timers, encoding mistakes and aging locks.
Why Pharmacies Cap How Much Sudafed You Can Buy
A federal tracking system logs every pseudoephedrine sale in real time. Here's why Sudafed sits behind the counter, what the purchase limits actually are, and when they start to matter.
Why Your Printer Needs Color Ink to Print in Black and White
Your black-and-white document didn't need cyan, but your printer used it anyway, and in some models an empty color cartridge stops every print job cold.
The FTC's Click-to-Cancel Rule Is Dead. Your State's Isn't
A federal court vacated the FTC's click-to-cancel rule in 2025. Since then, Connecticut, New York City and half a dozen other states have passed their own versions.
Drip Pricing Is Now Illegal — But Only in Two Industries
The FTC banned hidden fees on tickets and hotels last year. Everywhere else, from restaurants to airlines, the same trick is still perfectly legal.
The FTC Rule That's Supposed to Kill Surprise Ticket Fees
A federal rule now bans hiding mandatory fees until checkout for tickets and hotels. Here's what's covered, what's exempt, and how to tell it's working.
Are Restaurant Credit Card Surcharges Legal? It Depends on the State
A record 34% of merchants now surcharge credit card transactions, but the legal limit changes wildly by state — banned outright in three, capped in a dozen others.
Why Airlines Sell More Tickets Than They Have Seats
An empty seat is revenue an airline can never get back once the door closes, which is why carriers deliberately sell a few more tickets than they have seats.