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....
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...
The recently released tenth annual credit score survey reveals that most Americans have gaps in their knowledge of credit scores. The survey of 1,001 Americans by the Consumer Federation of America and VantageScore Solutions shows that 20 percent of households with...
The extended tax filing deadline in 2020 has come to pass. Unfortunately, this also means an uptick in criminals trying to take advantage of consumers who filed their taxes. It is important to remember that the IRS never contacts taxpayers online, nor by calls, texts,...
Though hiring has slowed during the economic downturn of the coronavirus pandemic, businesses are gradually reopening in some places. More than ever, businesses and governments will rely on background checks as an important component of their hiring, promotion and...
A couple of days ago, the U.S. House of Representatives took a step to help consumers when it passed the Protecting Your Credit Score Act of 2019. The bill is designed to help people get easier access to their credit reports. If the measure is passed by the Senate and...
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...
As regular readers of our Minnesota Consumer Rights Blog will undoubtedly recall, we recently published a post on a lawsuit that the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is considering. The court will decide if a lawsuit should be revived that question of whether a debt...
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is weighing arguments it heard a few days ago about whether to revive a lawsuit over abusive debt collection. The suit raises the question of whether a debt collector can be held liable under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act...
Debt collectors do not have carte blanche. U.S. law prohibits the use of threats, harassment and falsities when dealing with debtors. These regulations shield regular consumers from untoward tactics and general unpleasantness. A recent ruling from the federal court of...