Buying a home is one of the biggest purchases a consumer will ever make. Although buying and owning a home may seem daunting, prospective Massachusetts homeowners have a wealth of resources to prepare themselves. HUD-approved housing counseling agencies and Community Development Corporations around Massachusetts provide   …Continue Reading First Time Homebuyers Prepare Themselves

As the nation has endured subfreezing temperatures this week and consumers are putting their thermostats to work, it might be a good idea to check in and see how efficient your heating system is running. In Massachusetts, MassSave, a statewide program sponsored by Massachusetts energy companies,  supports   …Continue Reading Subfreezing Temperatures Don’t Have to Freeze Your Bank Account

This month’s National Consumer Protection Week conference enlightened us about several new initiatives by two of the nation’s federal consumer protection agencies. Deborah Marrone, Regional Director for the Federal Trade Commission’s Northeast Regional Office, spoke about current and future protections against robocalling – an illegal   …Continue Reading National Consumer Protection Week Conference: Robocalling Update

This week the Office of Consumer Affairs hosted the 23rd Annual National Consumer Protection Week Conference with our co-sponsors the Division of Banks, Suffolk University Law School and ConsumerWorld.org.  The main topic of the conference was prepaid cards, and each of our speakers gave some insight   …Continue Reading National Consumer Protection Week Conference: Prepaid Cards

A key mission of the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation is to provide consumers the information they need to fully exercise their rights and also to understand their responsibilities in the marketplace. Our partners – the Attorney General’s Office, Better Business Bureau, and   …Continue Reading Top 5 Consumer Issues of 2012

Our Division of Insurance is hosting an outreach event today at South Station talking about insuranceawareness, changing weather patterns and the potential for property damage. Today’s event is part of our ongoing effort to educate consumers to “Know What You Have, Learn What You Need.”    …Continue Reading Division of Insurance Awareness Event

“Brand new tax relief program!  If you owe more than $10,000, call us!  We know industry secrets and have a 97% success rate—you’ll only have to pay the IRS 8-10% of what you owe.” This time of year, we are flooded with ads assuring us   …Continue Reading Don’t Get Hijacked by a Tax Scam

As more and more of our daily social interactions move to the Internet, it’s not surprising to see dating follow this trend. Online dating services offer the chance of meeting somebody through the convenience of the Internet under the veil of privacy, but it also   …Continue Reading Don’t Get Scammed Out of Love