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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Setting the Record Straight: Bad Local Press for Collection Agencies
2 November 2011
FTC, U.S. District Court Shutter West Coast Debt Collection Operation
26 October 2011
Judge Rules for Collectors in Unauthorized Charge FDCPA Case
26 October 2011
CFPB Releases First Version of Supervision and Examination Manual
24 October 2011
The Most Overlooked Collection Letter Violation
19 October 2011
FDCPA Lawsuits Soar in Second Half of September
17 October 2011
Former President of Scam Collection Agency Files for Personal Bankruptcy, Pleads Fifth
17 October 2011
Debtors to Get More Protection from Collection Under New Regulator
6 October 2011
Limiting Common Sense Communication One Credit Card Contract at a Time
4 October 2011
FTC Shuts Down Debt Collection Agency
3 October 2011
FDCPA Lawsuits Spike in First Half of September
29 September 2011
Collection Agency Loses FDCPA Case Appeal; "The Truth Can be Misleading:" Judges
26 September 2011
Credit Card Collections: Preparing for the Storm on the Horizon
19 September 2011
Three Strategies for Debt Collectors Defending FDCPA Class Actions
13 September 2011
FDCPA Lawsuits Filed by Consumers Continue to Decline in August
13 September 2011
Industry Compliance Growing Topic at Regional Collections Conferences
12 September 2011
Doing it Wrong with Clip Art
9 September 2011
Forty-Eight Calls a Day: When Banks REALLY Want to Collect on a Debt
6 September 2011
Why Your FDCPA Plaintiff May Lack Standing To Sue You
31 August 2011
FDCPA Lawsuits Fall Slightly in First Half of August
29 August 2011