CNN Money recently published an article entitled “Debt Collectors Get Nasty” which confirms what many of you already know – that bill collectors are becoming more and more aggressive when it comes to demanding payment from consumers. In 2009, the FTC reported over 40,000 complaints from consumers about debt collectors calling repeatedly, up from around 1,000 complaints in 2007. Obscene language is another area of complaint as are calls at inconvenient times. Alarmingly threats of violence against consumers are an increasing source of complaints to the FTC.
Read more on Debt Collectors Getting Nastier as Economy Flounders…
Filed under Consumer Rights Under the FDCPA, FDCPA Claims, Hiring a Lawyer, Illegal Debt Collection Practices by on Jul 9th, 2010. Comment. 
One of the tools available to consumers under the FDCPA is the right to demand that bill collectors stop contacting you. Under Section 1692c(c) of the law, if you notify a collector to stop contacting you, he must discontinue contact or be subject to statutory damages and reasonable attorney’s fees under the law.
Read more on What is a “Drop Dead Letter” and When Should I Use It?…
I ran across an interesting statistic on attorney Sergei Lemberg’s informative Stop Collector blog. Sergei referenced an Federal Trade Commission (FTC) statistic that close to 95% of consumer defendants fail to respond when sued by a debt collector.
Read more on Most Consumers Do Not Respond to Collection Lawsuits…
Filed under Consumer Rights Under the FDCPA by on Apr 25th, 2010. Comment.
The FDCPA helps protect consumers from many things, one being “predatory lending.” Predatory lending has no official definition, but if a lender practices deception, exploitation, violates consumer protection laws, or charges more than reasonable loan terms, they are considered to be participating in predatory 
lending. Borrowing areas including credit card agreements, mortgages, payday loans, and bank loans are all susceptible to predatory loans. It’s important to be aware of certain warning signs of predatory lending if you are planning on borrowing money. If you see any of these signs, be cautious:
Filed under Consumer Rights Under the FDCPA by on Mar 29th, 2010. Comment.
When dealing with a close relative’s death, it is horrible timing to have to think about money as well. Unfortunately, with death comes funeral and burial costs, and sometimes you need to handle financial obligations your relative may have left behind.
Read more on The FDCPA provides protection for relatives of deceased debtors…
Filed under Consumer Rights Under the FDCPA, Stopping Harassment by on Mar 15th, 2010. Comment.
