Refund

Tax season is upon us, and if you're like me, you still haven't crunched the numbers but are hoping for a nice refund. Good news, the odds are in your favor. According to stats posted on the IRS website, 76 percent of Americans filing individual income tax returns get refunds, and the average refund is around $3,000. One way to put that cash to good use is to reinvest in your home. After all, a big chunk of the refund may be coming from your mortgage interest deduction. But just how far will that $3,000 get you?

Skechers USA, which claimed its shoes could make you thinner and tone your muscles, agreed to pay $40 million to consumers in more than 40 states, including Maryland. Regulators in those states and the Federal Trade Commission reached a settlement with the California-based company which was accused of making unsupported claims. Skechers made Shape-Ups, Tone-Ups and Resistance Runner athletic shoes.  The shoes cost up to $100 a pair. If you bought a pair of those shoes, get info on how to make a claim for a partial refund online with the FTC  at http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2012/05/consumerrefund.shtm  or by calling 1-866-325-4186.

Maryland's Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation said Friday that a Massachusetts debt management company has agreed to refund about $55,000 in fees to more than 800 Maryland clients. American Consumer Credit Counseling, which is licensed to do business here by state regulators, violated Maryland law by adding on fees for a financial education program and newsletter, state regulators said. The fees ranged from $39 to $114 for education and $2 a month for a newsletter. Maryland's debt management law prohibits add-on fees.

Anne Arundel County Sheriff Ronald S. Bateman says he has a plan for an innovative crime tool that plays on criminals' greed by making them turn themselves in before they can collect tax refunds. At Bateman's urging, the General Assembly signed off on a bill —awaiting Gov. Martin O'Malley's signature — that will allow the state to withhold refunds for people with outstanding arrest warrants in the county. Bateman says he hasn't seen such a program anywhere else. "I came up with the idea because I know greed is a close first or second to the root of all crimes," Bateman said.

The Orioles have announced a ticket refund policy for their exhibition games against Philadelphia and Colorado, originally scheduled for this weekend. Fans who bought tickets by mail or phone and have not received them will receive a refund or credit automatically.Customers who have received tickets from the Orioles or Ticketmaster may exchange them for tickets to future home games at the Orioles' ticket office or any Orioles Baseball Store. No refunds will be issued at Ticketmaster outlets.

Fans holding tickets to strike-canceled Orioles games can exchange them next season for tickets to 1995 games or get a refund by mail or at some area banks.The team said yesterday that after Sept. 1, fans can mail tickets for any canceled August home game to: Baltimore Orioles, P.O. Box 29937, Baltimore, Md. 21230-0937. Tickets should be sent by certified mail, and should include the fan's name, address and telephone number.Fans also can get refunds for August game tickets after Sept. 1 at all NationsBank, Maryland National Bank and American Security Bank branch offices in Maryland, Northern Virginia and Washington.

Orioles season-ticket holders with tickets marked "Game D" for the coming American League Championship Series should hold their tickets for a refund, because there will not be a fourth game in Baltimore.Game D tickets would have been used if the Orioles had won the American League East title. Those holding Game D tickets can )) go to any NationsBank branch between Oct. 21 and Nov. 30 for a full refund.Fans who have purchased tickets are reminded to use them in the following sequence:Game A tickets are for tomorrow at 8 p.m. That is the first game played in Baltimore and Game 3 of the ALCS.

The Internal Revenue Service and the Maryland State Comptroller's Office are trying to locate area residents who are due tax refunds fromtheir 1990 and prior year federal and state income tax returns. The IRS has 1,175 federal refund checks, totaling $569,760, that were returned by the postal service as undeliverable, said H. J. Hightower, IRS district director for Maryland and Washington. Checks range from $1 to $10,959, with an average refund of $485. The state has 1,600 undelivered checks totaling $291,833 and ranging from $1 to $6,871, withan average of $182, said Louis L. Goldstein, state comptroller.

A Baltimore County woman has agreed to refund $10,500 to players of a pyramid scheme in Pennsylvania after a large-scale investigation which has implicated thousands of participants including a small-town police chief and doctors in Philadelphia hospitals.Officials in Maryland and Washington are conducting independent inquiries in the illegal but wildly popular game that HTC promises to parlay a $1,500 investment into a $12,000 return in "Friends Helping Friends," the local version most widely played.

As a result of the cancellation of this Sunday's game against the Salt Lake Sting, the Maryland Bays are offering ticket holders three options, a Bays spokesman said yesterday.Vince Fiduccia said the July 14 tickets may be used for any of the nine remaining regular-season games at Cedar Lane Park in Columbia or when the Bays play the San Francisco Blackhawks at RFK Stadium on Aug. 10.Fiduccia also said a refund can be obtained by calling the Bays office, (301) 880-0047 from Baltimore or (301)

Customers of a local propane supplier were unknowing charged a fee once they suspended service with the company, according to the Howard County office of consumer affairs. United Propane of Millersville in Anne Arundel County unfairly charged 39 Howard residents who discontinued service a "final processing fee," ranging from $12.59 to $250, which they had not been made aware of previously, the consumer affairs office said. United Propane denies any violation of the law, agreed to refund a total of $2,783.

Some Maryland renters are collectively due $500,000 in refunds thanks to a settlement with the attorney general's office over "fabricated damage claims" and other allegations. The owner of the Ager Road Station Apartments in Hyattsville and its property manager agreed to the settlement after complaints that they kept security deposits without cause and sued for payments the tenants didn't actually owe, such as false lost rent and demage claims, according to the Maryland attorney general.

The IRS has been offering a handy tool for consumers to find out the status of their refund. Earlier this month, it had experienced some problems and the IRS posted a notice on the tool. This is a version of it posted on the Facebook page of Liberty Tax: We are aware that some taxpayers who have filed electronically and received an acknowledgement from the IRS are concerned when they visit "Where's My Refund" and are told that we have no information regarding their return. This is a temporary situation, and we expect to resolve the matter in a few days.

Baltimore's Public Works Department is issuing more than $4.2 million in water bill refunds to 38,000 households in the city and Baltimore County after an audit showed the agency overcharged tens of thousands of customers. The audit, released Wednesday, found that some homes received only estimated water bills for years at a time while others received no bills. And while city water officials say they made $40 million in billing corrections in 2010 alone, the auditors were unable to locate paperwork to support that.

Not as big news as the national mortgage settlement worth nearly $1 billion to Maryland. But the Federal Trade Commission announced today that a subsidiary of Bank of America agreed to settle charges that it illegally overcharged struggling homeowners by more than $36 million. BAC Home Loans Servicing has already returned $28 million to consumers. In the new settlement, it will return another $8 million. BAC Home Loans is the successor to Countrywide, one of the nation's largest mortgage servicer that was acquired in 2008 by Bank of America.

So, the reindeer sweater from Aunt Emma this Christmas isn't quite your style, so you and thousands of others are now in the process of returning gifts. Which retailers provide the speediest returns? STELLAService, which rates the customer service of online retailers, put them to the test. The company ordered and returned several items to the top 25 retailers from various parts of the country during the weeks before Christmas. The fastest: Amazon.com, whose returns averaged 4.3 days.

Can you use $1,338 about now? That's the average tax refund due to Marylanders whose addresses were incorrect on their federal tax returns. If you thought you had a refund coming but didn't get one, check to see if you're one of the 1,393 Marylanders still owed money. You can find out by going to the “Where's My Refund?” feature on the IRS website. It will give you an update on the refund and show you how to fix your mailing address. Or, call 1-800-829-1954. The IRS says you can avoid delivery problems in the future by having refunds directly deposited in your bank account.

A bill to withhold the tax refund from anyone wanted on an open criminal warrant in Anne Arundel County will return to the General Assembly for a second attempt at passage. The measure would create a one-year local trial, but proponents say it has the potential to lead to a statewide program. It would force people with unserved warrants in the county to choose between turning themselves in or forgoing tax refund dollars. The county sheriff hopes people will be hungry for the money.