The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) was enacted in 1977 to protect consumers from abusive, unfair, and deceptive practices by third-party debt collectors. The law details when and how a collector may contact a debtor. The government enforcer of the law has historically been the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), but some regulatory duties may be shared with the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection housed within the Federal Reserve, created in 2010. The FDCPA is a strict civil liability law, which means that a consumer need not prove actual damages in order to claim statutory damages of up to $1,000 per violation plus reasonable attorney fees.

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Mike Ginsberg on the Future of Collections

5 October 2012

Fake Courtroom Debt Collector Wins Right to Fight $1.2 million Fine

4 October 2012

FDCPA Lawsuit Filings Continue Decline

3 October 2012

Improving the ARM Environment One Step at a Time

27 September 2012

Mike Ginsberg's Blog: The Current State of ARM

26 September 2012

NARCA Files Amicus Brief with U.S. Supreme Court in FDCPA Case

25 September 2012

State AG Goes After Adult Website Debt Collector

21 September 2012

ARM Industry Meeting Congress Today on FDCPA, TCPA, CFPB

20 September 2012

FDCPA Lawsuits Fall Slightly in Second Half of August

20 September 2012

FTC to Hold Summit on "Robocalls"; They Might Need Some Help

19 September 2012

ACA Submits Amicus Brief to Supreme Court in Important Debt Collection Case

18 September 2012

Mike Ginsberg's Blog: The History of the ARM Industry

18 September 2012

Debt Collectors Prevail in Recent FDCPA Cases

18 September 2012

AG Staff Asks for ARM Industry Help Identifying Rogue Collectors

13 September 2012

Closely-Watched Debt Collection Process Serving Case Gets Class Action Status

12 September 2012

Collection Practices Lead to $13 million Penalty Against CashCall

11 September 2012

Debt Buyer/Collector Settles Class Action for $575,000

10 September 2012

What Challenges and Opportunities Lie Ahead for ARM?

10 September 2012

FDCPA Lawsuits Fall Slightly in First Half of August

4 September 2012

Student Loan ARM Firm Loses Debt Collection Letter Appeal

31 August 2012