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News Roundup
This is a roundup of news and other interesting pieces that I’ve come across over the last few days. The T-Mobile hacker says ‘their security is awful’, Mastercard credit cards undergoing big change, Brex launches Brex Venture Debt, Insurance companies are now asking COVID-19 patients to pay up, 9 ft. wide townhouse in NYC on sale for $5M.
T-Mobile Hacker: ‘Their Security Is Awful’
The hacker who is taking responsibility for breaking into T-Mobile US Inc.’s systems said the wireless company’s lax security eased his path into a cache of records with personal details on more than 50 million people and counting.
John Binns, a 21-year-old American who moved to Turkey a few years ago, told The Wall Street Journal he was behind the security breach. Mr. Binns, who since 2017 has used several online aliases, communicated with the Journal in Telegram messages from an account that discussed details of the hack before they were widely known.
Your Mastercard credit card is undergoing one of the biggest changes in years
The act of swiping a credit card has been part of our muscle memory for decades. It’s hard to imagine it could soon go away.
But earlier this month, Mastercard announced plans to remove the black magnetic stripe from all of its credit and debit cards. The stripe — the reason for the swipe — will become optional for new Mastercard credit cards in 2027, then vanish by 2033.
While neither Visa nor American Express has announced any plans to ditch the stripes on their cards, there’s a variety of reasons why it’s probably just a matter of time.
Brex Launches Brex Venture Debt to Help Existing Customers Scale
U.S. fintech company Brex, the all-in-one finance solution for growing businesses, today launched Brex Venture Debt, a new product that gives select customers access to debt financing.
Brex already offers credit cards, cash management accounts, spend management, and bill pay software together in a single dashboard for its customer base of high-growth businesses. There’s also a big $1,100 bonus for new customers who sign up.
With the addition of Brex Venture Debt, the company is further building on its promise of offering financial solutions for customers at every stage of growth.
Insurance companies are now asking COVID-19 patients to share in the cost of their treatment
The financial cost of remaining unvaccinated against COVID-19 is rising. Health insurance providers are now asking people who contract the disease to share the cost of treatment, which can get expensive if it requires a lengthy hospital stay.
Early in the pandemic, most private insurers waived cost-sharing for patients under their plans or even covered the full cost of treatment. In November 2020, nearly 90% of insured individuals would have had their out-of-pocket costs — including copays, coinsurance or payments toward a deductible — waived if they had been hospitalized for COVID-19
9 Ft. Wide Townhouse In NYC on Sale for $5 Million
The townhouse at 75 1/2 Bedford Street, which has been put up for sale this month for $4,990,000, is only 9-feet-6-inches wide—the interior is closer to 8 and a half feet wide, and at its narrowest point, it’s only 2-feet wide.
As a result, it’s gained the reputation of being the narrowest home in the city. But even with those dimensions, 75 1/2 Bedford manages to have three bedrooms, two baths, two balconies, a rear patio, and a finished basement all spread over three floors. Not to mention the added historical value.
