Consumer advocates slam credit-card arbitration
Beltran's case is far from unique. In fact, if you own a credit card, chances are you have a mandatory arbitration clause. What that essentially means is that if you think the credit-card company has charged you wrongly, you might not be fighting in court. Instead, you may find your case brought before an arbitrator who works for a private arbitration group, in many cases, it's a group chosen by the banks.

Who is looking after your roof job?
Roofs are only as good as the crews that nail them down, and around Houston, nobody's officially checking their work. But in Houston, getting a new roof can be costly and infuriating, as 11 News found the Better Business Bureau gets a complaint nearly every day. "The roof was never replaced, and none of the money was refunded to me," one complainant said. "I have pictures of my interior wall damage, and mushrooms growing out of my carpet," another added. .. "In Texas, there is no licensing for roofing contractors," John Giffin said... Morin in Austin is with a Roofers Association, which wants the Legislature to mandate licensing but has failed for years to overcome opposition from homebuilders and other contractors.

Castle fades into fairy tale last in a series
About a year after losing her husband to a fatal car crash and selling her house to help pay the bills, Robin Pellegrino thought her life had finally turned around on Christmas Eve. Scott Binsack, of Mansions & Estates International LLC, told the widowed mother on his live radio program that he was going to build a house for her and her infant daughter, Gianna...Instead, the Dickson City woman feels as though Mr. Binsack used her name and personal tragedy to burnish his image.

Rep. Frank A. Shimkus - New Home Construction Consumer Protection Act
A new home is the American Dream, but for far too many Pennsylvanians victimized by fraudulent new home builders that dream has become a nightmare. In my legislative district an individual who moved to the Keystone State from New Jersey posing as an honest new home builder lied to consumer groups, bilked consumers out of literally millions of dollars, and there was no state oversight that could have stopped him.

No state oversight of homebuilders Part 2
The state government devotes more scrutiny to a person who cuts hair for $15 than it does to a person who builds homes for $1.5 million. Because the state does not register or license builders, nothing stopped Scott Binsack from moving one step west to escape a trail of fraud in New York state and Monroe County. The bill's exemption for homebuilders and modest attempt to regulate via registration doesn't surprise Janet Ahmad, president of advocacy group Home Owners for Better Building. She said homebuilders have more political clout than smaller home-improvement contractors. Contractors of all kinds, she said, tend to resist testing and licensing. "If you want to drive in Pennsylvania, you need take a test," Mrs. Ahmad said. "In Pennsylvania, knowledge and financial responsibility in homebuilding are optional."

Congress eyes mandatory arbitration clauses in contracts
For years, consumer advocates have claimed these clauses are unfair. Now Congress is considering a blanket negation of predispute mandatory arbitration agreements. The Arbitration Fairness Act of 2007, recently introduced in the Senate and House of Representatives, proposes making the clauses unenforceable. Consumer lawyers also said that private arbitration companies are pressured to rule in favor of corporations, which often are repeat arbitration customers. ''If arbitrators rule against companies too often, they get blackballed,'' Public Justice's Bland said.

Complaint filed against state court justice
A consumer advocacy group filed complaints with three state agencies Tuesday concerning discounted legal services that Texas Supreme Court Justice Nathan Hecht received to fight charges that he abused his judicial office to promote Harriet Miers, a onetime girl friend, to the U.S. Supreme Court.Texas Watch filed complaints with Public Integrity Unit of the Travis County District Attorney's office, the State Commission on Judicial Conduct and the Texas Ethics Commission claiming that the 25 percent discount he received was worth at least $100,000, exceeding the limit for gifts and contributions.

Detractors, growing debt dog local builder
Scott Binsack makes his trade as a home builder, but his best tools are his mastery of marketing and his magnetic charisma. Ken Jacoby, a local excavator who has dealt with Mr. Binsack, phrased it best in saying he could "talk a hound off a meat truck." But a growing group of detractors now say the marketing and charisma that helped Mr. Binsack craft a high-end home-building company from scratch in four years serves as a thin veil concealing a pattern of deception and unpaid debt.

Residents Flooded Out Of Homes
Residents of a Lackland Heights neighborhood said they have been flooded out of their homes for the third time in a month. Meanwhile, officials and a homebuilder company are blaming each other for the problem, residents said. Lackland Heights residents said they're frustrated that they have lived in their homes for less than six months and their homes have been flooded several times.

Woman, Infant Rescued From Flooded Home
 San Antonio firefighters rescued a mother and her infant son from their flooded home on the city's Southwest Side on Thursday afternoon.Elisa Del Toro and her son, Yestin, were rescued when flood waters rushed into their home from the back yard in the 6600 block of Cougar Village. The Del Toros, who had moved in the home in January, said they'll be meeting with the home builder to assess the damages. A press release from Main Street Homes said drainage conditions in the new subdivision are unacceptable.

Homebuilder's clients say watchdogs asleep Part 1
 As he tried to deflect attention from his criminal history and rumblings about his business practices, homebuilder Scott Binsack used two powerful shields: the Lackawanna Home Builders Association and the Better Business Bureau. Mr. Binsack's membership in the two highly regarded local groups helped him reassure clients about his Mansions & Estates International LLC "€” even as his criminal past emerged, civil lawsuits mounted and unpaid bills piled up.

Hidden Clauses Can Be Found In Credit Cards, Big-Item Contracts
If you have any credit cards or have made any large purchases, you've probably signed dozens of hidden clauses often buried in a contract's fine print that could cost you a bundle. WBAL TV 11 News I-Team reporter Lisa Robinson took a look at hidden clauses and how you can protect yourself.

FOX 4 Investigates: Case of the Crooked House
You expect to get what you pay for, especially when spending $300,000. But one Hunt County man found out his luxury home isn't worth nearly what he paid for it, and a state law may get in the way of him getting his money back. FOX 4's Paul Adrian investigates the Case of the Crooked House...The State sent an inspector who found a variation of 14 inches over 95 feet of slab...He found lots of problems, but when it came to the big one, the slab itself, that was "in compliance" with state standards.  See homeowner's message

Residents Blame Health Issues on Mold
Two of the families that live on Saddleback Ridge Road in Canyon Country have filed a lawsuit against the builder of their houses, Ryland Homes, because of what they consider to be persistent mold problems. The two houses, both built eight years ago, were rebuilt in 2005 to fix the mold problems..."Albert McDougal is currently suffering the effects of mold exposure from his home," Dr. Mark Horng said in a letter provided to The Signal by McDougal's attorney. "I have advised Mr. McDougal it is my medical opinion that he should immediately evacuate the home with his family so that we can medically treat the effects from his exposure to that mold."