Fair debt collection explained

Fair debt collection broadly refers to regulation of the United States debt collection industry at both the federal and state level. At the Federal level, it is primarily governed by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).[1] In addition, many U.S. states also have debt collection laws that regulate the credit and collection industry and give consumer debtors protection from abusive and deceptive practices.[2] Many state laws track the language of the FDCPA, so that they are sometimes referred to as mini-FDCPAs.[3]

Laws regulating telemarketing and phone solicitation can also apply to debt collection practices, including the Federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA).[4]

State regulation

U.S. state laws on fair debt collection generally fall into two categories: laws which require persons who are collecting debts from consumers to be licensed, registered or bonded in order to collect from consumers in their states, and laws that protect consumers from specific unfair practices by debt collectors, which may include collection agencies and sometimes original creditors.[2] Unlike the FDCPA, many state laws also apply to the debt collection activity of original creditors, thus providing greater protections to consumers than the Federal FDCPA.

Although not all states have such laws, some states track violations of debt collection practices laws. Some states bar debt collectors from engaging in collection activity against residents of the state unless the collection agency has complied with state licensing or bonding requirements, while others exempt out-of-state collectors from those requirements. Many state fair debt collection laws provide for a private right of action (consumers can sue the debt collector) by consumers against debt collectors that violate their provisions.[5]

Examples of prohibitions of unfair practices by collectors include contacting employers after having been given notice not to do so, pretending to be a government agency, pretending to be an attorney or falsely threatening a debtor with a lawsuit.

Collection laws

The following states have their own debt collection laws, which can be found here:

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Federal Trade Commission. 12 August 2013 . 14 June 2017.
  2. Web site: Are there laws that limit what debt collectors can say or do?. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 14 June 2017.
  3. Book: Stӑnescu. Cătălin Gabriel. Self-Help, Private Debt Collection and the Concomitant Risks: A Comparative Law Analysis. 2015. Springer. 978-3-319-21503-7. 218.
  4. Web site: Report on Robocalls CG Docket No. 17-59. Federal Communications Commission. Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, Federal Communications Commission . February 2019.
  5. Web site: State Statutes Regarding Collection Practices for Commercial / Business Debt.. Burt & Associates. 14 June 2017.
  6. Web site: Code of Alabama, Sec. 40-12-80, Collection agencies. Alabama State Legislature. 14 June 2017.
  7. Web site: Alaska Statutes, Title 08, Chapter 08.24, Collection Agencies. Alaska State Legislature. 15 June 2017.
  8. Web site: Alaska Statutes, Title 45, Chapter 45.50, Competitive Practices, Regulation of Competition, Consumer Protection. Alaska State Legislature. 15 June 2017.
  9. Web site: Arizona Statutes, Title 32 - Professions and Occupations. Arizona State Legislature. 14 June 2017.
  10. Web site: Arkansas Statutes. LexisNexis. 15 June 2017.
  11. Web site: California Civi Code, Title 1.6C. Fair Debt Collection Practices. California Legislative Information. State of California. 14 June 2017.
  12. Web site: California Civil Code, Title 2.97. Consumer Collection Notice. California Legislative Information. State of California.
  13. Web site: Connecticut Statutes, Chapter 666, Regulated Activities, Sec. 36a-645 et seq, Creditors' Collection Practices Act. State of Connecticut. 15 June 2017.
  14. Web site: Delaware Code Online, Title 30. State of Delaware. 14 June 2017.
  15. Web site: Florida Statutes, Sec. 559.55 et seq., Consumer Collection Practices.
  16. Web site: Code of Georgia. LexisNexis. 15 June 2017.
  17. Web site: Hawaii Statutes, Chapter 443B, Collection Agencies. Hawaii.gov. State of Hawaii.
  18. Web site: Hawaii Statutes, Chapter 480D, Collection Practices. Hawaii.gov. State of Hawaii.
  19. Web site: Idaho Statutes, Title 26, Chapter 22, Collection Agencies. Idaho Legislature. 15 June 2017.
  20. Web site: 225 ILCS 425, Collection Agency Act.. Illinois General Assembly. 15 June 2017.
  21. Web site: Indiana Code, Title 25, Protessions and Occupations. Indiana General Assembly. 15 June 2017.
  22. Web site: Indiana Code, Title 24, Trade Regulation. Indiana General Assembly. 15 June 2017.
  23. Web site: Iowa Code, Title XIII, Chapter 537, Consumer Credit Code. Iowa Legislature. 15 June 2017.
  24. Web site: Kansas Statutes, Sec. 16a-5-107, Extortionate Extensions of Credit. Kansas Legislature. 15 June 2017.
  25. Web site: Kentucky Revised Statutes, Sec. 24A.2 40 Appearance of attorneys -- Actions prohibited -- Personal representatives as parties.. Kentucky Legislature. 15 June 2017. 5 June 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160605153829/http://www.lrc.ky.gov/Statutes/statute.aspx?id=20712. dead.
  26. Web site: Louisiana Revised Statutes, Title 9, Civil Code - Ancillaries. Louisiana State Legislature. 15 June 2017.
  27. Web site: Maine Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Maine Legislature. 15 June 2017.
  28. Web site: Maine Consumer Credit Code, General Provisions and Definitions. Maine Legislature. 15 June 2017.
  29. Web site: Occupation Code, Collection Practices, MCL 339.901 et seq.. Michigan Legislature. 14 June 2017.
  30. Web site: Regulation of Debt Collection Practices, MCL 445.251 et seq.. Michigan Legislature. 14 June 2017.
  31. Web site: Minnesota Statutes. Minnesota Legislature. 25 March 2021.
  32. Web site: Mississippi Code. LexisNexis. 15 June 2017.
  33. Web site: Missouri Revised Statutes, Chapter 425, Debt Adjusters and Collection Agencies. Missouri General Assembly. 15 June 2017. 21 June 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170621082217/http://www.moga.mo.gov/mostatutes/ChaptersIndex/ChaptIndex425.html. dead.
  34. Web site: Nebraska Revised Statutes . Nebraska Legislature. 25 March 2021.
  35. Web site: Nevada Revised Statutes . Nevada Legislature. 25 March 2021.
  36. Web site: New Hampshire Statutes, Chapter 358-C, Unfair, Deceptive or Unreasonable Collection Practices. New Hampshire Legislature. 15 June 2017.
  37. Web site: New Jersey Statutes, Sec. 45 :18-6.1, Discontinuance of operation; filing of notice. New Jersey Legislature. 15 June 2017.
  38. Web site: New Mexico Statutes, Article 18A, Collection Agencies. New Mexico Compilation Commission. 16 June 2017.
  39. Web site: New York State Code, General Business, Article 29H. New York State Senate. 16 June 2017.
  40. Web site: North Carolina General Statutes, Chapter 58, Article 70, Collection Agencies. North Carolina General Assembly. 16 June 2017.
  41. Web site: North Carolina General Statutes, Chapter 75, Article 2, Prohibited Acts by Debt Collectors. North Carolina General Assembly. 16 June 2017.
  42. Web site: North Dakota Century Code, Chapter 13-05, Debt Collection Agencies. North Dakota Legislative Branch. 16 June 2017.
  43. Web site: Ohio Revised Code. LawWriter Ohio Laws and Rules. Lawriter LLC. 16 June 2017.
  44. Web site: Oklahoma Statutes, Title 14A, Consumer Credit Code. Oklahoma State Legislature. 16 June 2017.
  45. Web site: Oregon Revised Statutes, Volume 14, Chapter 646. Oregon State Legislature. 16 June 2017.
  46. Web site: Oregon Revised Statutes, Volume 15, Chapter 697. Oregon State Legislature. 16 June 2017.
  47. Web site: 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 7311. Unlawful collection agency practices. Unofficial Purdon's Pennsylvania Statutes. Westlaw. 16 June 2017.
  48. Web site: Title 73 P.S. Trade and Commerce, Chapter 42. Fair Credit Extension Uniformity Act. Unofficial Purdon's Pennsylvania Statutes. WestLaw. 16 June 2017.
  49. Web site: Rhode Island General Laws, Chapter 19-14.9. Rhode Island General Assembly. 26 March 2021.
  50. Web site: South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 37, Chapter 5, Consumer Protection Code. South Carolina Legislature. 16 June 2017.
  51. Web site: Tennessee Code. LexisNexis. 16 June 2017.
  52. Web site: Texas Statutes, Finance Code, Title 5, Chapter 392, Debt Collection. Texas Constitution and Statutes. Texas State Legislature. 16 June 2017.
  53. Web site: Texas Statutes, Finance Code, Title 5, Chapter 396, Private Child Support Enforcement Agencies. Texas Constitution and Statutes. Texas State Legislature. 16 June 2017.
  54. Web site: Utah Code, Title 12, Collection Agencies. Utah State Legislature. 16 June 2017.
  55. Web site: Utah Code, Title 70C, Chapter 7, Remedies and Penalties. Utah State Legislature. 16 June 2017.
  56. Web site: Vermont Statutes, Title 9, Chapter 63, Consumer Protection. Vermont Statutes Online. Vermont General Assembly.
  57. Web site: Code of Virginia, Sec. 18.2-213. Simulation of warrants, processes, writs and notices.. Virginia LIS. Virginia Law Library. 16 June 2017.
  58. Web site: Chapter 19.16 RCW, Collection Agencies. Washington State Legislature. 16 June 2017.
  59. Web site: Washington D.C. Code, Title 22, Chapter 34. Use of "District of Columbia" by Certain Persons.. Code of the District of Columbia. 16 June 2017.
  60. Web site: Washington D.C. Code, Title 27, Chapter 38. Consumer Protections. Code of the District of Columbia. 16 June 2017.
  61. Web site: West Virginia Code, Article 47, Chapter 16, Collection Agencies. West Virginia Legislature. 16 June 2017.
  62. Web site: West Virginia Code, Chapter 46A, Section 2, Consumer Credit Protection. West Virginia Legislature. 16 June 2017.
  63. Web site: Wisconsin Statutes, Sec. 21804. Collection Agencies. Wisconsin Legislature. 16 June 2017.
  64. Web site: Wisconsin Statutes, Chapter 427. Debt Collection. Wisconsin Legislature. 16 June 2017.
  65. Web site: Wyoming Statutes, Title 33, Chapter 11, Collection Agencies. Wyoming State Legislature. 16 June 2017.
  66. Web site: Wyoming Statutes, Sec. 40-14-507. Extortionate extensions of credit.. Wyoming State Legislature. 16 June 2017.

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