Consumers

So what'll it take to get drivers behind the wheel of an American car? That's the $20,000 (or more) question after President Obama leaned on Detroit this week to start churning out leaner, meaner and hybrid-happy vehicles as the antidote to plunging sales and financial catastrophe. Judging from conversations with several dozen drivers at gas stations around town Tuesday, most people want the U.S. auto industry to succeed.

A self-described credit union that advertised personal loans nationwide was not registered as a lending institution and gave a phony address, according to Pennsylvania and Michigan banking regulators. First Star Credit Union, which advertised in the Los Angeles Times and other newspapers this month, referred consumers to a toll-free phone number and a website for information on getting a loan. The company operating the website, which listed a York, Pa.

Federal government to DirecTV and Comcast cable: What part of Do Not Call didn't you understand? Satellite television provider DirecTV Inc. agreed to pay $2.31 million to settle charges that it made more than 1 million calls to its customers who had -- as was their right -- placed themselves on a Do Not Call list, the Federal Trade Commission said Thursday. And why did the company make the calls? To ask the customers to remove themselves from the list, the agency said.

As popular as bankruptcy is today, it's nothing new, going at least all the way back to the Bible's Book of Deuteronomy, which simply states: "At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts." If only it were that divinely simple. All these centuries later, a bankruptcy filing still offers forgiveness for many debts, or at least provides a payment plan to make them more affordable. But rules and regulations can rain down on an applicant like a plague of frogs.

The Chrysler bankruptcy is huge financial news with international repercussions, but if you own one of the beleaguered company's cars, it gets personal. Here's what the bankruptcy means for consumers: Will my warranty still be honored? "All vehicle warranties will be honored without interruption," Chief Executive Robert Nardelli said. (His personal warranty is used up, however -- he's leaving the company.) Will extended service contracts stay in force? In-house contracts will be honored.

For the moment, Apple Inc.'s iPhone has been unseated from its throne. Research in Motion's BlackBerry Curve replaced the iPhone as the best-selling smartphone among consumers in the first quarter, the NPD Group said Monday. The iPhone came in second, with two other BlackBerry models -- the Storm and the Pearl -- right behind.

In this time of consumer money troubles, numerous debt settlement companies promise to make debts disappear. But New York Atty. Gen. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday called debt settlement "a rogue industry" and issued subpoenas to a law firm and 14 companies, including five in California, as part of an investigation of their business practices.

Total Call International Inc. of Los Angeles will pay $300,000 in civil penalties to settle a lawsuit alleging that the cellphone company charged customers steep undisclosed fees. Under the terms of the settlement, the state, which filed the suit as part of an enforcement action, will monitor the company's fees for four years. The settlement came shortly after California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown filed the suit Friday in San Francisco Superior Court.

Hunch.com helps users search for answers -- but first, it performs a detailed search on the users themselves. Launching today after a year in development, Hunch aims to supply users with computer-generated advice on thousands of lifestyle and consumer questions: What kind of dog should I buy? What should I get dad for Father's Day? Which book by George Orwell would I like? Most important, though, Hunch is not a search engine.

Recreational vehicle sales have fallen off a cliff this last year, but that didn't stop Pomona from going full speed ahead with its fourth annual RV and Travel Show. Also, a boat show. And a home and garden show, spa and pool show and computer fair. They're all together at the Pomona Fairplex this weekend, providing tapped-out shoppers with a chance to do some conspicuous consumption on the cheap.