News

$75,000 Fine For Failing To Report Occupational Disease Claim

By EsqSocial Corporation 04/03/14

The Occupational Health and Safety Act obligation to notify the Ontario Ministry of Labour of accidents and occupational illness claims is not a mere technicality, as one employer has learned when it was hit with a $75,000.00 fine....

New Cellphone Promises Array of Built-in Privacy Features

By EsqSocial Corporation 04/03/14

Consumers will soon have access to a smartphone that automatically encrypts calls and texts, and provides anonymous web browsing, according to reports about the "Blackphone."...
By: Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

Vermont Issues Guidance On Special Purpose Financial Insurers

By EsqSocial Corporation 04/03/14

The Vermont Department of Financial Regulation’s Captive Insurance Division has released a bulletin entitled “Guidance for Special Purpose Financial Insurers” to provide guidance regarding licensing standards and regulatory requirements for Special...

IRS Changes Course And Provides Safe Harbor For "Real Estate Professionals" In Net Investment Tax Final Regulations

By EsqSocial Corporation 04/03/14

Section 1411 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the "ACA") levies a new 3.8% tax on "net investment income" (the "NII Tax"). Among other things, the net investment income subject to the NII Tax includes certain "gross income from...

Massachusetts Consumer Affairs Regulator Publishes Prepaid Cards Fees Survey

By EsqSocial Corporation 04/03/14

On February 25, the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation (OCABR) published the results of its survey of prepaid cards. The OCBAR examined 16 different purchasing and use-related fees for 11 randomly-selected prepaid cards,...

I Hired an Appellate Specialist, Now What?

By EsqSocial Corporation 04/03/14

The process of pursuing a civil appeal in California can be a bit of a mystery for the first time litigant or trial lawyer. This post is the first in a series on explaining the process of a civil appeal. The first and most critical step is to...

Public Information Session Held on the Alternative Veterans’ Exemption

By EsqSocial Corporation 04/03/14

We recently posted about the Legislature’s recent amendment to the RPTL 458-a Alternative Veterans’ Exemption. From what we have seen and heard, most school districts statewide have determined not to pass the law by March 1, 2014 so that it would...

Bank of America Foreign Exchange and Mortgage Practices Under Investigation

By EsqSocial Corporation 04/03/14

On Tuesday, Bank of America disclosed in its annual report with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that “government regulators” in North America, Europe and Asia are investigating its foreign exchange and mortgage practices and that the...

Mainebiz Real Estate Insider: Negotiations & Stimulating Deal Flow

By EsqSocial Corporation 04/03/14

How do attorneys stimulate deal flow and keep everyone engaged and moving forward? And, more importantly how do clients receive value from their attorney? Good attorneys are cost-effective, and since we are in the transaction business, we must always...

CFPB files enforcement action against for-profit education company over alleged predatory lending tactics

By EsqSocial Corporation 04/03/14

After hinting for months that it intends to use its enforcement powers to police lending in the higher education arena, the CFPB dropped the hammer on ITT Educational Services, filing suit against the for-profit college over alleged predatory lending...

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