(MONEY Magazine) – MONEY's reporting on consumer issues has generated a run of interesting mail. Readers have expressed passionate opinions on a range of recent subjects we've covered, including insurance rip-offs, credit-card deals, check-bouncing policies at the nation's banks, and the perils of dealing with car-repair crooks like the louts portrayed at right. You have also responded strongly to August's In Your Interest, in which we asked you to assess our consumer affairs coverage and to point out areas you would like us to investigate. "Like most Americans, I've always become upset when hearing how government or private industry is doing us harm," wrote Austin's Natalie Lockhart. "But I haven't known whom to call or contact to help correct the problem. You not only let us know about unfair practices but help us understand the issues and tell us what we can do to have an impact on them." Other opinions and suggestions about our consumer coverage are presented below.

I had the interesting opportunity to serve as chairman of President Nixon's and President Ford's Consumer Advisory Council. In addition, I was the consumer representative on President Nixon's Commission on International Trade and Investment Policy. I have been a forceful, I hope, consumer advocate for almost half a century. So I like what MONEY is doing in this area. The weakening of government protection for consumers is discouraging. The special assistant to the President for consumer affairs used to work with a staff of about 69 at the U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs. Funding for the office, which now has a staff of only 15, just squeaked through in the latest budget battle. Support from Congress has been almost absent in recent years--and we need it to properly protect consumers. STEWART M. LEE Beaver Falls, Pa.

I would like to see a national survey of seniors to determine how willing they would be to pay an increase in monthly Medicare premiums to help keep the program solvent. The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) conducted a statewide survey here in Oregon and found some surprising answers. Only 10% of the 1,098 people who participated in the poll opposed an increase. Another 10% said there should be an increase for everybody, and the remaining 80% said there should be an increase for people with incomes of $25,000 or more.

I would also like to learn of consumer action around the country involving joint participation by the government and private citizens. For example, our AARP state legislature committee is working with the Financial Fraud Unit of the Oregon Department of Justice to help spot and stop rip-offs. We supply senior volunteers to process questions and complaints that come in on the department's consumer hotline. CHARLES L. CRUMP, editor AARP State Legislative Newsletter Salem, Ore.

AN INSIDE VIEW OF INSURANCE SALES

Thank you for exposing questionable insurance industry practices in August's "Stacking the Deck." I worked for one of the largest life insurance companies in the U.S. for 32 years, 23 of them in the internal audit department. The vast majority of our agents were honest and hard working and tried to do the right thing for their clients. But those few who chose to twist facts, churn policies and embezzle created havoc.

In their view, all sales were good sales. It didn't matter whether the client was conned, deceived or even coerced into signing unexplained policy-loan forms and dividend-use authorizations. I can recall sitting in hundreds of policy owners' kitchens, trying to undo in one evening what our few dishonest agents had done to them over many years. One of the most frustrating aspects of the work was that after we'd fire the culprits, another carrier would pick them up. NAME WITHHELD BY REQUEST Sun Lakes, Ariz.

THE HIGH COST OF CHEAP REPAIRS

I have some advice regarding the report in June's Smart Spending "Watch Out: Car-Repair Crooks Have Some New Tricks up Their Grimy Sleeves." The fact is that fraudulent opportunities present themselves in any profession or industry when consumers hunt for a "cheap fix" for an expensive problem. A cheap fix always opens the door for more expense because the cut-rate parts and shoddy service procedures levy their own costs in terms of performance and reliability. GARY E. GOMS Buena Vista, Colo.

"GREEDY" BANKS BOUNCE US AROUND

September's In Your Interest reports that more than one-third of the nation's banks have programmed their computers to sort your checks by amount and always pay the biggest one first, thereby increasing the odds you'll bounce a check and owe them a fee. The possibilities of taking advantage of consumers are absolutely staggering. Let's say someone with $115 in the bank miscalculates the balance and writes six checks, five for $20 each and one for $100. If they all come in the same day and the $100 check is paid first, he bounces five checks, not one. The bank then charges five $30 bounced-check fees ($150) rather than one for the $100 check. This is simply greed. HOWARD STOVALL Lexington, Ky.

"SUPERLATIVELY, AS ALWAYS"

As executive producer of Wall Street Week with Louis Rukeyser, I was very disturbed to read Junius Ellis' August Buy Sell Hold column ("Already Down 30% to 50%, Two Wall Street Week Touts Could Head Much Lower") about our May 24 program. As I explained several times to Mr. Ellis, while we may have a general idea of what a particular guest might recommend, our program is live and unrehearsed. We don't know for certain what will be recommended, and, as I told him repeatedly, Louis Rukeyser correctly challenged the guest on the air when the guest recommended Solv-Ex. As Mr. Rukeyser accurately indicated, Solv-Ex was already down more than 30% from its 1996 high--and on the next trading day following our program, the stock closed lower than on any of the three trading days before our program. In fact, the stock has never traded as high as it did before Mr. Rukeyser did his job so superlatively, as always. Solv-Ex may or may not be a good investment, but as Louis Rukeyser has repeatedly pointed out, if a stock is a good investment, it will be a good one in a week, a month or a year. He has always warned against jumping in to buy any stock immediately after it is recommended on a television program--or in a financial magazine. RICH DUBROFF Owings Mills, Md.

CORRECTIONS

--September's "MONEY's Guide to 1,115 Colleges" misidentified the location of two schools listed in the rankings: Morgan State University is in Maryland; Fitchburg State College is in Massachusetts. Other corrections in the rankings: Westmont College (Calif.) has an academic level rating of 2, and Wesleyan University (Conn.) has an 88% six-year graduation rate and a 100% rate of need met. We regret the errors.