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Will FinTech Replace Bank Branches?

Posted on November 2, 2016 by

The automated teller machine revolutionized banking by allowing a depositor to withdrawal money anytime, anyplace without the need of a single bank employee.  FinTech and the increased depositor adoption of banking mobile apps may do the same thing to entire bank branches. A recent survey by the American Bankers Association (ABA) has found that more […]

Congress Actually Agrees on Something: Bitcoin

Posted on November 2, 2016 by

Shortly before Congress recessed for the November election, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed Rep. Adam Kinzinger’s (R-IL) resolution urging the United States to “adopt a national policy for technology to promote consumers’ access to financial tools and online commerce to promote economic growth and consumer empowerment.” The Resolution (H.Res. 835), without specifically referencing it […]

Wisconsin is Well Banked

Posted on November 2, 2016 by

On October 20, 2016, the FDIC released a report on the use of the traditional banking system in the United States.  According to the report, in 2015, less than 4 percent of Wisconsin households were “unbanked” while nationally the average fell to 7 percent, the lowest percentage on record. An “unbanked” household is one that […]

Lien Avoidance

Posted on November 2, 2016 by

Have you made a business or agricultural loan to an individual in Wisconsin?  Have you secured that loan with a non-purchase money, non-possessory lien on personal property that the debtor uses in his business?  If you answered “yes” to both questions, then you should be aware (or at least reminded) that your debtor can avoid […]

CMS Releases the First Comprehensive Overhaul of Nursing Home Conditions of Participation in Over 25 Years

Posted on November 2, 2016 by

On October 4, 2016, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a final rule to revise the requirements that Long-Term Care facilities must meet to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. CMS states that the revisions to nursing home regulations are intended to reflect the substantial advances that have been made in […]

Lincoln’s Law Becomes Even More Absurd When Applied to the Health Care Industry

Posted on November 2, 2016 by

When Congress originally passed the False Claims Act (31 USC §§ 3729-3733), no one had the health care system in mind.  The False Claims Act was also commonly referred to as the “Lincoln Law”.  The original law was focused on unscrupulous vendors who provided overpriced and often faulty supplies to the military during the Civil […]

Tortious Interference with Contract/Employment Relationship/Truthfulness of Statements/Defense to Tort Claim

Posted on November 2, 2016 by

A recent ruling from the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals extended the notion of “truth as a defense” to a tortious interference with employment claim under Wisconsin law.  This establishes a sound defense to a claim by an employee against other employees that they have tortiously interfered with the employee’s contract for employment with a […]

IRS Announces 2017 Qualified Plan Limits; Pumpkin Spice Inexplicably Lacking

Posted on October 27, 2016 by

Late each October, the IRS gets around to announcing the cost of living adjustments for qualified plans for the upcoming year.  This year was no exception, and here they are [Plan Limits].   Unlike last year, 2017 brings some increases to the limits, like the increase in the compensation limit (the maximum amount of compensation a […]

NLRB Gives It the Old College Try – Again Hints that Athletes May Indeed Be Employees

Posted on October 24, 2016 by

Labor and employment practitioners will undoubtedly recall the NLRB’s well-publicized foray last year into the ongoing public debate surrounding whether certain college athletes should be considered compensated employees—Northwestern University, 362 NLRB No. 167 (Aug. 17, 2015). Through Northwestern University, the Board punted—but left open—the substantive issue of whether private university, grant-in-aid scholarship football players meet […]

Ruder Ware Earns Recertification in Meritas, a Global Alliance of Business Law Firms

Posted on October 4, 2016

Ruder Ware recently was awarded recertification in Meritas, a global alliance of business law firms. Ruder Ware is required to successfully complete recertification every three years. Meritas is the only law firm alliance with an established and comprehensive means of monitoring and enhancing the quality of its member firms—a process that saves clients time in […]