Costco Wholesale Corp., the largest U.S. warehouse-club chain, plans to return $2.2 billion to shareholders through the payment of a special dividend after its cash hoard swelled.

The American Civil Liberties Union today filed a federal lawsuit challenging debt collection practices that have resulted in the jailing of people simply because they are poor. The case was brought on behalf of Kevin Thompson, a black teenager in DeKalb County, Georgia, who was jailed because he could not afford to pay court fines and probation company fees stemming from a traffic ticket.

Sen. Sean Nienowm (R), 46, and his wife, Cynthia, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2014 and the case was officially closed in October, reports the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The couple claimed in court filings that they owed $930,000 to creditors, but had only $122,000 in assets. The couple had twice mortgaged their home.

The Nienows secured a small-business loan in 2009 to buy National Camp Association Inc., a now-defunct guidance and referral service with the mission of helping families find camps for children, among other things.

They stopped making payments in 2010 and the federal government sued last year. A $748,000 judgment was entered against the Nienows and none of the debt was paid.

An Idaho prosecutor issued an arrest warrant for a 9-year-old boy who failed to show up in court.

Hospitals Offer Interest-Free Payments to Reduce Debt
by Darren Waggoner
JAN 8, 2015 1:29pm ET
Charlotte, N.C.-area hospitals have started offering multiyear interest-free payment plans to help reduce the number of outstanding bills as consumers pay more out-of-pocket medical costs.