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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FTC Submits Opinion on Debt Buyer Class Action Lawsuit

24 June 2011

Another News Outlet Gets Collection Agencies Wrong

21 June 2011

Can a Debt Collector Legally Use Facebook, Text Messages or Email?

16 June 2011

FDCPA Lawsuits Spike in Second Half of May on One Large Case

15 June 2011

New Trend Falsely Claimed: Debt Collection and Twitter

13 June 2011

ACA International Pushes for Updates to ARM Rules and Laws

13 June 2011

Doing it Right/Wrong: The Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Edition

10 June 2011

Debt Collecting: Morally Neutral, Or Morally Bankrupt?

9 June 2011

Claims of Debt Collector Abuse Continue to Fail in Court

7 June 2011

Consumer Group Tells FTC to Step Up FDCPA Enforcement

1 June 2011

FDCPA Lawsuits Soar in First Half of May

1 June 2011

Weak FDCPA Claims Fall Upon Scrutiny

26 May 2011

A Foreclosure Case With Far-Reaching Repercussions for the ARM Industry

26 May 2011

FDCPA Lawsuits Decline in Second Half of April

24 May 2011

Court Issues Favorable Ruling for Collection Industry

23 May 2011

Doing it Wrong: Or is it? (UPDATED)

20 May 2011

Defeating Marginal FDCPA Claims - Damages and Materiality

18 May 2011

State Regulator Fines and Pulls License of Debt Collector

13 May 2011

How Do You Solve a Problem Like Foti?

3 May 2011

Number of FDCPA Lawsuits Filed Flat in First Half of April

3 May 2011