Money, in brief

Apple has agreed to pay $250m into one fund to settle a US lawsuit over Siri, the iPhone's voice assistant. [2][4]

Buyers said Apple sold the iPhone 16 on new AI features for Siri that were not there when they bought it. [2][5] Apple denies doing anything wrong. [2]

The buyers' lawyers wrote that Apple promoted AI features that did not exist at the time. [5] An Apple spokeswoman said the case was about two extra features among many. [5]

Part of the dispute was over the words "Available Now" on Apple's AI web page, Kiplinger reports. [6]

The deal covers anyone in the US who bought an iPhone 16 model, an iPhone 15 Pro or a 15 Pro Max there from 10 June 2024 to 29 March 2025. [2] That is about 36 million iPhones. [3]

The law firms have opened a 90-day window for claims. [1] It closes on 21 December 2026. [1]

Each iPhone could get about $25, and up to $95, depending on how many approved claims there are. [3][4]

The same $250m also pays the costs and the lawyers' fees that the court approves. [2]

A buyer who does nothing gets no money. [2] They still give up the right to sue Apple over the same features. [2]

Judge Noel Wise gave the deal early approval on 17 July. [1] At a hearing on 24 February 2027 she decides whether to approve it and the lawyers' fees. [2]

Apple showed a rebuilt Siri in June and said it would be widely released in the autumn. [7]

Kiplinger warns that fake settlement notices ask for money up front or for bank details. [6] The US consumer regulator lists the same warning signs for scams. [8]

Why it matters. The next number to watch is how many claims arrive by 21 December, because it decides whether each iPhone gets nearer $25 or $95. [1][3]

Amazon has agreed to pay $309.5m to settle a US lawsuit over refunds for goods sent back, a notice dated 23 September says. [9] It covers people who returned an item bought on Amazon.com between September 2017 and February 2026 and got no refund, a late or wrong one, or were charged again later. [9] Some will be paid automatically. [9] Others must send a claim form by 1 December 2026. [9] Amazon denies doing anything wrong. [9]

Why it matters. The fund also pays the settlement's running costs, and the lawyers may ask for up to $100m of it, so buyers share what is left. [9] None of the money can go back to Amazon, and a judge in Seattle rules on 16 March 2027. [9]

Clare Lombardelli, a deputy governor of the Bank of England, said on 24 September that a rise in interest rates is looking increasingly likely if energy prices stay high. [11][22] Earlier this month she was one of six on the Bank's nine-member committee who voted to keep its rate at 3.75%. [11] The other three wanted 4%. [10] Prices in Britain rose 3.1% in the year to August. [11] The Bank expects 3.7% at the end of 2026 and 4.2% early in 2027. [11]

Why it matters. It would land on households already facing a rise of about 4% in the energy price cap next week. [11] Food prices, which were rising only 1.3% a year, are expected to climb towards 4% early next year. [11]

Britain's governing Labour Party holds its yearly conference in Liverpool from Saturday to Wednesday, the first with Andy Burnham as prime minister. [12] Unite, its biggest union funder, wants help with living costs that its leader, Sharon Graham, calls "winter fuel in reverse". [12] Its ideas include a cap on energy prices and unfreezing tax thresholds, the income levels where tax starts. [12] It says a windfall tax, a one-off extra tax on bank profits, could pay for them. [12]

Why it matters. The chancellor, John Healey, speaks on Monday, and his first Budget is next month. [12] One senior figure told the BBC the choice is 10bn pounds of cuts or 10bn pounds of tax rises; Treasury sources said they did not recognise that number. [13]

Australia's government has proposed that banks, phone companies and online platforms automatically refund verified scam losses under A$3,000. [15] Australians reported 481,523 scams worth A$2.18bn in 2025, and the typical loss was A$400. [15] But the typical loss to an investment scam, the costliest kind, was A$7,000, above the line. [15] Britain has made banks refund push-payment scams, where the victim is tricked into sending money, up to 85,000 pounds since October 2024. [15]

Why it matters. Daniel Mulino, Australia's financial services minister, said a higher line could make Australia a soft target for bigger scams. [15] In the first three months of Britain's scheme, 86% of scam losses were returned. [15]

Funds that lend privately to companies were sold to well-off savers with the chance to cash out each quarter, usually capped at 5% of the fund, Morningstar reports. [14] Requests to leave reached a record high. [14] BlackRock capped withdrawals from HLEND, a fund of about $26bn, at 5% after requests passed 9% of its value. [14] Blackstone instead put $400m into its fund, BCRED, so it could pay every request. [14]

Why it matters. Matthew Malone of Opto Investments, a platform for investment advisers, told Morningstar that with these funds you cannot get out right away. [14] Experts said some investors could wait well over a year to get their money back. [14]

The IMF, the international body that checks countries' finances, said in a June 2026 review that Brazilian households spend a high and rising share of income on repaying debts. [18] Most of the growth came from credit cards and unsecured personal loans, much of it through app-based and digital banks. [18] It worked out that capping new 2025 loans at repayments of 40% of income would have cut the average share by 5 points, leaving mortgages aside. [18]

Why it matters. The same cap would have cut household borrowing by about 5.6%. [18] The IMF also asked Brazil to limit how often loans repaid straight from wages can be rolled over into new ones. [18]

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the US agency that polices lenders, says checks have been mailed to borrowers harmed by Performant Recovery, a student loan debt collector. [19] Under a CFPB order, Performant delayed help these borrowers were owed on defaulted federal student loans, which may have cost them money. [19] They can cash the check straight away and do not need to send anything. [19] Performant should no longer collect student loan debt. [19]

Why it matters. Here nobody has to claim: the company pays the agency, and the agency sends the money to the people it harmed. [20][19]

Docketwise, a US company whose services other firms use, has settled a lawsuit over a break-in around October 2025. [16] Criminals got the login details for a store of files run by one of its partners, and may have taken personal details. [16] Each person can claim up to $5,000 of documented losses, or a flat $50, plus two years of credit monitoring. [16] Claims close on 15 October 2026. [16]

Why it matters. Docketwise pays the running costs and the lawyers' fees separately, and each claim is a set amount. [16] People who do nothing get nothing and give up the right to sue. [16]

Costco, the US warehouse club, agreed to pay $14m to settle a lawsuit over promotional emails sent to customers in Washington state, Kiplinger reported in July. [17] The emails had subject lines like "Hot Buys available for 5 Days Only" for offers the suit says Costco knew it would extend. [17] Claims closed on 24 August. [17] A final hearing is set for 2 October. [17] Costco denies wrongdoing. [17]

Why it matters. Washington's email law allows up to $500 per misleading email. [17] Under the settlement, each customer gets a share of the $14m fund instead, and the amount is not yet known. [17]

Under US rules, once a customer reports a payment they did not make, their bank or credit union generally has ten business days to look into it, the CFPB says. [21] If it finds an error, it must correct it within one business day. [21] For a lost or stolen debit card reported within two business days, the customer owes at most $50 of what was taken. [21] Reported later, it can be up to $500. [21]

Why it matters. The sooner a loss is reported, the less of it the customer can be made to pay. [21]