WASHINGTON (12/30/15)--The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is seeking public comment on whether it would be "necessary and useful" to launch a study of consumers' experiences in buying and financing automobiles at dealerships. Since 2011, the agency has brought more than 25 cases in this area, including a law enforcement sweep of 10 actions against auto dealers for deceptive advertising, and a federal-state effort that yielded more than 200 actions for fraud, deception, and other illegal practices.The FTC is proposing to launch a survey designed to provide the FTC with insights into consumer understanding of the automobile purchasing and financing process at the dealership. The FTC said the survey would include consumer interviews and receipt of consumers’ purchase and finance documents and is currently seeking comment on the burden of such a survey on the consumers to be surveyed, ways to enhance the quality of the information to be collected, and ways to minimize the burden of collecting information. Comments must be received on or 60 days after the notice appears in the Federal Register ...

WASHINGTON (12/30/15)--The U.S. Small Business Administration is seeking nominations by Jan. 11 for "outstanding entrepreneurs and small business owners" in nine categories. Click here to read eligibility requirements. The award categories include: Small Business Person of the Year Awards; Phoenix Award for Small Business Disaster Recovery; Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions to Disaster Recovery; Small Business Development Center Excellence and Innovation Award; Veterans Business Outreach Center Excellence in Service Award; and Women’s Business Center of Excellence Award ...