– Agencies will have to disclose fees, exchange rates, final amountWashington DC,Wholesale NBA Jerseys China, US- The US is moving to introduce new rules that will compel money transfer agencies to disclose more information about fees,NFL Jerseys China, the applicable exchange rate and the amount of currency to be received by the recipient.There have been complaints that the agencies have been deducting hidden fees that left families with a bigger cost than what was expected.Western Union and MoneyGram are the largest money transfer agencies operating in Guyana.The US Federal Reserve said that the proposed rules are expected to be finalised by the new US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a consumer watchdog agency.Remittance services will soon have to disclose more information, US officials say.It said the new agency will implement provisions of the Dodd-Frank financial overhaul that the US Congress passed last summer. It mandates that remittance transfer providers disclose more information.Last year, remittances to Guyana were forecasted to be in the vicinity of US$280M – US$27M more than 2009.Remittances were estimated to represent about 17% of the Gross Domestic Product of Guyana.The US Federal Reserve said that this summer the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will inherit consumer protection powers from it and other regulatory agencies, adding that, as part of that transfer, the bureau will take over work on remittance transfers.The US Federal Reserve also said that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will have broad authority to write new rules and supervise financial firms.Consumer and public-interest groups have complained that Caribbean and other immigrants are paying excessive fees to send money home, and that the fees are not adequately disclosed.Janis Bowdler, director of the wealth-building policy project at the National Council of La Raza,Cheap NFL Jerseys, a Washington-based Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organisation,Wholesale China Jerseys, described the remittance market as “the wild west of consumer products”.She said the final regulations will be “very valuable for consumers” since they will mandate “common sense” practices so that Caribbean immigrants would not be ripped off by companies.“Many consumers currently do not receive written information about their remittance transaction until after payment is tendered,” said the US Federal Reserve in a statement.“There is inconsistency in the type of information disclosed by different providers.”Under the proposed rules, the US Federal Reserve said remittance transfer providers would be required to provide prepayment disclosures that include information about the money transfer,China Jerseys Cheap, such as the exchange rate, applicable fees and taxes,Wholesale Jerseys Authentic, and the amount to be received by the recipient.The World Bank estimates that the total volume of remittance transfers to the Caribbean and other developing countries reached US$325 billion last year, adding that the US is the largest remittance-sending country in the world.A majority of remittances from the US are sent to the Caribbean and Latin America, the US Federal Reserve said.“There’s a lot of money moving in remittances, and we believe if we can make that a more competitive market, a more transparent market, a fairer market for families, some of that money is going to stay with the families instead of draining off to other institutions,” said White House adviser Elizabeth Warren.

By Jeff TrotmanPersons with disability have the right to marriage like every other human being, President of the Georgetown Young Voices Club, Stacy Johnson stressed last Saturday, at the Mackenzie Sports Club.He was in a group of 35 young people, mostly from Georgetown, who staged a march and rally at Mackenzie,Wholesale Jerseys, Linden, to launch the Linden Chapter of the Young Voices Club, which restricts membership to only disabled persons between the ages of 16 and 26.Stacy Johnson,Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic, Georgetown PresidentPresident of the Linden Chapter, Tishaun Rodney,Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys, said that launching the Linden Young Voices Club with a march through the town was intended “to make people in Linden see people walking around with disability.”He added that a lot of people with disability are not usually seen walking in Linden. According to him,NBA Jerseys From China, the activity would motivate the disabled to make more public appearances as well as make the wider public more accustomed to seeing disabled persons going about business like any other person.The march commenced from the Five Corner and proceeded along David Rose Avenue, Republic Avenue and Greenheart Street to the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground for a brief rally.The Georgetown club was launched in 2008 while the Berbice Chapter was launched last year. The groups meet once a month in their respective host communities to discuss matters that affect persons with disability with a view to empowering them and improving their quality of life and lifestyles.The groups also engage in capacity building of their members, who are generally sheltered and are not exposed to a lot of activities in their respective communities.Discrimination“As human beings, we all find someone that we love and would want to be with for the rest of our lives,” Johnson said. “Everyone has the right to marriage. Persons with disability must not be exceptions. We are equal and we deserve to have the right to marriage.”The President of the Georgetown Young Voices Club added that, former President Bharrat Jagdeo signed an Act in 2010 that enshrined that “persons with disability have rights like any other person living in Guyana”. He said the march through the streets of Linden was intended to make the Linden public “aware of these rights and what they entail”.Noting that a lot of work is needed with respect to the right for jobs for persons with disability, Johnson said, “First, you have to look after the education because if you don’t have education and you don’t have training you can’t acquire a job.”He said the Young Voices Club attempts to groom its members to be independent members of society after they leave the club.Meanwhile, Vice President of the Linden Young Voices Club, Quasia Lyle,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, in calling on the general population to be aware of the club and what it stands for also issued an appeal for the general public toSome participants at the march and rally that launched the Linden Young Voices Club on Saturday.refrain from discriminating against persons with disability.Lyle said she suffers from glaucoma and has been the butt of insults and verbal abuses from people on occasions when she bumps into them, particularly in crowded places such as the market and bus stands.The secondary school student said that even at school very little or no consideration is given to her poor eyesight as her requests for her examination papers to have bigger letters than normal,Cheap Jerseys, are generally ignored.