Word: agreements
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After enduring months of community criticism over its “land-banking” practices in Allston, Harvard announced Wednesday that it would be placing a one-year moratorium on new real estate purchases in the neighborhood—but not before it had already signed an agreement to lease and purchase another piece of property near its Science Complex construction site. According to University spokeswoman Lauren M. Marshall, Harvard will be master leasing the property at 65-79 Seattle St. in Brighton for 10 years, after which Harvard will purchase the parcel unless the owner elects to sell...
...That goal is easily seen in the legislation's key feature: limitations on how card companies treat customers' existing balances. When you sign up for a credit card, you agree to pay a certain interest rate on the balance you carry - you enter into a legal agreement to that end - but historically, your card company has been able to change that rate for all sorts of reasons. Maybe you charge a greater chunk of your credit limit than normal. Maybe you're late on a payment to some other company. In recent years, the difference between the interest rate folks...
...sure they continue to be adequately compensated. When you go to buy new things, they can charge you 30% a year if they want to. The thing they wouldn't be allowed to do under the new law is to go back and change the terms of your original agreement - that is, hike your interest rate on existing balances - except in very few situations, such as your egregiously failing to pay your bill (for 60 days or more, in the version of the bill before the Senate...
...approach therefore is not to smack down credit-card companies for high interest rates but rather to hold everyone to the original agreement about how much credit will cost. "Virtually no other contract in this country allows a business to change the terms of an agreement once a purchase has been made," says Travis Plunkett of the Consumer Federation of America. "That's the main issue." (One Senator suggested an interest-rate cap, but that was shot down...
Formula One is all about twists and turns on the track. But now it's the offtrack maneuvers that are revving up drama. Talks in London among the teams and authorities in motor sport's blue-ribbon championship ended without agreement Friday, failing to settle an ugly row over plans by the FIA, Formula One's governing body, to impose a voluntary $60 million budget cap on teams next year. Those who accept it will then have greater technical freedom to upgrade their cars beyond the current tight bounds...