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.

See all Topics

FDCPA Round Robin: Voices in the Collections Industry Weigh in on Proposed FDCPA Changes

23 August 2011

New Deceased Debt Collection Rules Go Live Next Week

22 August 2011

FDCPA Lawsuits Stay Steady in Second Half of July

16 August 2011

Free Webinar to Examine Call Compliance for the Debt Collection Industry

8 August 2011

Six Strategies for Debt Collection Voice Message Compliance

3 August 2011

Jury Awards Plaintiff $1.26 million in FDCPA Violation Lawsuit

31 July 2011

Nevada Collection Agency Remains Embroiled in HOA Bruhaha

28 July 2011

FDCPA Lawsuits Decline Slightly in First Half of July

28 July 2011

How Wal-Mart Can Help FDCPA Defendants Defeat Class Certification

26 July 2011

Solving the Foti Phone Message Conundrum

25 July 2011

No Clarity on Debt Collection Laws Until CFPB Director Confirmed

22 July 2011

FTC Issues Final Policy Statement on Collecting Deceased Debt

21 July 2011

Former Ohio AG to Head Up New Financial Regulator

18 July 2011

Class Action Lawsuit Alleges Collection Agencies' Credit Card Offer Contains Multiple FDCPA Violations

14 July 2011

FDCPA Lawsuits Against Collectors Increase Slightly in Second Half of June

13 July 2011

Court Ruling Grafts a New Concept on to the FDCPA

6 July 2011

Texas Court Upholds FDCPA Claim Against Collection Agency

6 July 2011

FDCPA Lawsuits Against Collectors Fall in First Half of June

1 July 2011

Citi Sued Over Indonesian Debt Collection That Turned to Murder

1 July 2011

Circuit Court Ruling to Impact Collection Letters

30 June 2011