Debt collectors are regulated by the FTC on the federal level. At the state level, attorneys general are typically responsible for enforcing state and federal laws. A few local governments also separately regulate debt collectors. The laws that govern the ARM industry are civil, meaning that liability is almost always monetary. So a state’s attorney general will not file criminal charges against a debt collector accused of violating the law, rather, he/she will sue for damages. Collection laws include federal and state statutes that govern the proper operation of companies and personnel that work in the debt collection industry. The most comprehensive collection law is the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). Other federal laws that collectors must follow include the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the data security requirements of the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act (GLBA).
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Debt Collection Industry Invests in Capitol Hill Campaign
9 April 2008
San Francisco Sues National Arbitration Forum, Collector and Issuer
8 April 2008
Bill would Ease GLBA Pressure on Debt Buyers
4 April 2008
Profits at Not-for-Profit Hospitals Put Industry in the Spotlight
4 April 2008
California Pols to Debate Bad-Check Restitution Bill Today
1 April 2008
Collectors Spent $1.9 million to Lobby Congress
1 April 2008
FDIC Ramping Up for Bank Failures
31 March 2008
DA Says Collection Scam Netted Two New Yorkers $1.6 Million
31 March 2008
Is the FTC Acting More Fairly Toward Collectors?
27 March 2008
NCFE Founder Poulsen Guilty in Bribery Trial
27 March 2008
FTC Hands Down Advisory Opinion for Mortgage Collectors
26 March 2008
Prosecutors Call it a Bribe but NCFE?s Poulsen Insists Entrapment
25 March 2008
Industry Downplays FTC Complaints, Plans Ombudsman Complaint Program
24 March 2008
Collection Agents Again Top FTC Complaint List
24 March 2008
Judge Dismisses Challenge to Legal Collections Tactic
20 March 2008
Federal Security Changes Will Impact ED, IRS Collectors
19 March 2008
Hospital Debt Buyers Convicted of Fraud and Money Laundering
17 March 2008
Taxpayer Advocate Calls for End to IRS Private Collectors, Again
14 March 2008
Jury Decides Fate of Execs that Bought ARs from Struggling Hospitals
13 March 2008
Collection Law Firm Hit with $5.2 million Class Action Verdict
13 March 2008