ProfNet Experts Available on Credit Card Fraud, Trucking Industry, Liability Insurance, More

NEW YORK, May 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network that are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area.

You can also submit a query to the hundreds of thousands of experts in our network – it's easy and free! Just fill out the query form to get started: http://prn.to/alertswire.

EXPERT ALERTS

• The End of Credit Card Swiping Nears
• Bill Could Harm Insurance Policyholders
• Cab Cams Could Help, Hurt Trucking Company
• Partnerships May Face Debt-Equity Swap Tax
• Oil Downturn No Excuse for Compliance Lapses

MEDIA JOBS

• Business Reporter – Savannah Morning News (GA)
• General Assignment Reporter – Herald-Journal (SC)
• SEC Football Writers – Saturday Down South (Remote)

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

• Breaking Into Freelancing and Book Writing
• Blog Profiles: Couponing Blogs
• PR Newswire's Media Moves, May 4 Edition

EXPERT ALERTS:

The End of Credit Card Swiping Nears
Craig Carpenter
Data Security Attorney
Thompson & Knight, Dallas
During the next six months, many U.S. retailers are expected to shift from magnetic stripe credit card transactions to the more secure "chip & pin" technology commonly used in other countries. Consumers will insert upgraded cards into a slot where the terminal will read a microchip, not a magnetic stripe, and can use a PIN number to complete the sale. Says Carpenter: "Half the world's credit card fraud happens in America, and companies such as MasterCard and Visa are driving adoption by shifting the liability for fraudulent transactions to merchants that don't use the more secure point-of-sale terminals, rather than automatically placing the liability on the bank that issued the original card. The deadline for the shift is scheduled for Oct. 1, so expect a good deal of communication and some potential for confusion as the changes occur."
Contact: Barry Pound, [email protected]

Bill Could Harm Insurance Policyholders
Amy Kincaid Berry
Attorney
Amy Stewart Law in Dallas
A bill now pending before the Texas Legislature would dilute the incentive for insurers to do the right thing. Senate Bill 1628 would impose greater hurdles to insureds recovering penalty interest, by revising a section of the Texas Insurance Code that penalizes insurers for making late or insufficient payments. Says Berry: "Business owners and homeowners pay a lot for property and liability insurance, and if there's a loss or a claim, insurance companies should be motivated to make customers' lives easier, not harder. Unfortunately, this bill only serves the insurance industry's – not the public's – interests."
Berry represents policyholders in disputes with insurance companies.
Contact: Amy Hunt, [email protected]

Cab Cams Could Help, Hurt Trucking Company
H. Peyton Inge IV
Trucking Defense Attorney
Chamblee, Ryan, Kershaw & Anderson, P.C. of Dallas
Swift Transportation's decision to install driver-facing cameras in company-owned tractor-trailers is a double-edged sword in the push to maximize driver safety. Says Inge: "The camera records in real time, but only transmits footage for review when a driver brakes hard or swerves suddenly. The camera's best use is one of training so that the company can address problematic driving patterns with drivers before they are involved in a collision. The utility of footage captured during a collision, however, will be decided on a case-by-case basis. In court, the jury will be able to watch the driver, as well as the other vehicle, in determining who was at fault. From a damages perspective, a secondary question then becomes, 'What knowledge did the company have before the collision of this driver's behavior, and should that driver have been on the road in their truck at all?'"
Contact: Dave Moore, [email protected]

Partnerships May Face Debt-Equity Swap Tax
Tim Devetski
Federal Tax Law Attorney
Sidley Austin LLP, Houston
The oil downturn has left many oil and gas partnerships struggling and turning to various financing methods. Some are restructuring debt or swapping debt for equity, but their owners may be in for a surprise. In a partnership, including a master limited partnership, the cancellation of debt is considered income – even when there is no cash involved. Says Devetski: "That can mean an unexpected tax bill for the partners. In a corporate insolvency, the debtor can exclude (and not pay taxes on) debt cancellation income, but that may not be the case for a partnership or LLC. In a partnership or LLC context, insolvency is determined at the partner or owner level. And unless the owners of the partnership or LLC are themselves insolvent, they may not be able to exclude the debt cancellation income and instead may be subject to tax on the resulting 'phantom' income."
Contact: Kit Frieden, [email protected]

Oil Downturn No Excuse for Compliance Lapses
Tom Fox
FCPA and Compliance Ethics Lawyer and Author
Advanced Compliance Solutions in Houston
Energy companies struggling with the oil price slide shouldn't expect any breaks from federal enforcers of laws barring overseas corruption. Says Fox: "Companies should determine their highest threats to complying with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and focus the most on those. Then, they should turn to technology to more cheaply and efficiently handle such matters as third-party management, internal controls and transaction monitoring." Fox notes that this is the first big energy downturn since the ramping-up of FCPA enforcement. "If the financial industry crisis of 2007-2010 is any sign, the oil business should not expect the U.S. government's aggressive actions to subside."
Contact: Kit Frieden, [email protected]

MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers, editors and producers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/community/

• Business Reporter – Savannah Morning News (GA)
• General Assignment Reporter – Herald-Journal (SC)
• SEC Football Writers – Saturday Down South (Remote)

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line.

• BREAKING INTO FREELANCING AND BOOK WRITING. Last week, we hosted a webinar featuring Randy Dotinga, president of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and Dawn Papandrea, a freelance writer specializing in personal finance, higher education, and family topics. They touched on the financial aspects of freelancing, the biggest mistakes people make, setting legitimate expectations, connecting with editors, and much more. Here's a link to the recording and a few key takeaways: http://prn.to/1DEyJ6f
• BLOG PROFILES: COUPONING BLOGS. Each week, PR Newswire's media relations team selects an industry/subject and a handful of sites that do a good job with promoting, contributing, and blogging about the space. This week, they share reviews of a few couponing blogs: http://prn.to/1HTOE8G
• PR NEWSWIRE'S MEDIA MOVES, MAY 4 EDITION. PR Newswire's weekly audience research newsletter is chock-full of media news and job changes. In this week's issue, you'll read updates on National Geographic Traveler, Fusion, GQ, Fortune, Outside magazine, Windows IT Pro Magazine, Refinery29, MedCity News, San Francisco Chronicle, Philadelphia Business Journal and more: http://prn.to/1GUzVan

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