When those struggling with debt seek bankruptcy, one of the benefits of bankruptcy is getting an automatic stay, where debt collectors can’t call until the bankruptcy is resolved. If the debtor receives a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, most likely, nearly all of their debt...
What Is Abusive Debt Collection?
Given the events of this previous year, many consumers have found that the loss of a job or change of personal circumstances has caused a negative impact on their economic status. Many are finding that these dire financial situations have led to increased credit card...
CFPB issues long-awaited final rule on debt collection
Consumers and debt collectors have both been waiting for several years for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to issue its debt collection final rule. The 653-page rule clarifies bans on harassment and abusive debt collections, false or misleading...
2020 is the best year ever . . . for debt collectors
This has been a year like no other. The pandemic has left more than 200,000 Americans dead and millions more without jobs. Schools sent students home and moved classes online. Businesses closed their doors, many of them permanently shuttered. Amid the pain, turmoil...
Part II: Debt collection primer
As regular readers of our Minnesota Consumer Rights Blog know, we recently published the first part of our debt collection primer. In it, we wrote about different types of debt collectors and debt. As promised, we’re going to look at what you should do when you’re...
Part I: Debt collection primer
As we all know, the pandemic brought with it economic devastation that included millions of job losses, layoffs and reductions in work hours and pay. According to a recent report from the federal Department of Labor, more than 25 million Americans are currently...
Congress to consider Medical Debt Collection Relief Act
Though Minnesota’s news outlets report on developments in the coronavirus pandemic every day, few have paid attention to the recent introduction of the COVID-19 Medical Debt Collection Relief Act in the U.S. Congress. The measure is written “to prevent healthcare...
How to put a stop to creditor calls after filing for bankruptcy
Bankruptcy eliminates an individual’s obligations to pay any debts the court discharges. After successfully filing for bankruptcy, you were likely looking forward to the relief that comes with living debt-free and getting your financial life back on track....
Explainer: What a debt collector owes you
Frequent readers of our Minnesota Consumer Rights Blog know that one of our goals is to help people know their rights when they hear from a debt collector and to understand the types of information they are owed by the collector. In far too many cases, consumers are...
Debt collection efforts expected to intensify
Though the nation continues to struggle with the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting economic strain, news outlets report that not all industries face hard times. A Los Angeles Times column bore the headline “Debt Collectors See Coronavirus as a Golden...