All Issues

Debt & Bankruptcy

Debt collectors hound struggling families. Debt settlement and relief services are too often scams. Medical debt and criminal justice fines and fees push people further behind. And access to the fresh start in bankruptcy can be difficult for some. NCLC works to protect financially distressed families and to give them the opportunity to recover.

Key Topics

Bankruptcy

Improving access to bankruptcy for low-income consumers and expanding the relief available.

Coerced Debt

Protecting domestic violence and trafficking survivors and older adults from financial abuse.

Consumer Protections for Renters

Protecting renters from abuses in tenant screening, rental debt collection, junk fees, and more.

Criminal Justice Debt, Fines & Fees

Addressing harmful debts resulting from criminal justice system involvement.

Debt Collection

Protecting consumers from abusive debt collection practices.

Debt Settlement & Relief Services

Striving to protect consumers from deceptive debt settlement and relief services.

Medical Debt

Working to reduce the burden of medical debt on individuals and families.

Featured

Recent Resources

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Debt Collectors are Emptying Families’ Bank Accounts

February 11, 2026

Written Testimony to the Kansas House Committee on Judiciary in Support of HB 2754 —The Providing Civil Relief from Coerced Debt Act

February 11, 2026

Safe Deposits: How to Protect Family Bank Accounts from Debt Collectors

February 10, 2026

Testimony Against Oregon HB 4141

February 10, 2026

Joint NCLC-AFSA Letter Opposing Oregon Bill to Weaken Consumer Protections (HB 4141)

February 6, 2026

Digital Library: FDCPA: 2025 in Review

January 5, 2026

Carolina Lease Management Group v. Greene

January 2, 2026

USA Today: States advance medical debt protections as federal support fades

December 19, 2025

Report: No States Fully Protect Families from Wage and Asset Seizures as Debt Levels Soar

December 18, 2025

Comments & Letters

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Joint NCLC-AFSA Letter Opposing Oregon Bill to Weaken Consumer Protections (HB 4141)

February 6, 2026

Defining Larger Participants of the Consumer Debt Collection Market

September 22, 2025

NCLC Supports Rep. Correa’s Student Loan Bankruptcy Improvement Act.

July 11, 2025

291 Organizations Oppose S.J. Res. 36 (Rounds), H.J. Res 74 (Norman) to overturn CFPB’s Medical Debt on Credit Reports Rule

March 25, 2025

Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the Fair Credit Reporting Act (Regulation V); Identity Theft and Coerced Debt: Comments to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

March 7, 2025

Comments to Massachusetts Division of Banks on Proposed Amendments to Debt Collection and Mortgage Servicing Rules

November 12, 2024

Comment on Proposed Amendments to Wisconsin’s Debt Adjustment Services Rule

September 27, 2024

Suggested Amendment to Bankruptcy Rule 3001(c) Submitted to Bankruptcy Rules Committee

September 11, 2024

Comments on Proposed Medicaid and Medicare Program Rules Amending Definition of Custody for Purposes of Medicare Exclusion (CMS-1809-P)

September 9, 2024

Reports

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Safe Deposits: How to Protect Family Bank Accounts from Debt Collectors

February 10, 2026

No Fresh Start: Will States Protect Families from Wage and Asset Seizures as Debt Levels Soar? (2025)

December 17, 2025

Disregarded and In Debt: Understanding Barriers to Relief for Victims of Coerced Debt

October 28, 2025

Seizing the Safety Net: Collecting Criminal Justice Debt with Tax Refund Offsets

January 30, 2025

Nursing Home Debt Collection Practices Put Residents’ Family and Friends At Risk

October 30, 2024

Medical Debt Behind Bars: The Punishing Impact of Copays, Fees, and Other Carceral Medical Debt

September 6, 2024

An Ounce of Prevention: A Review of Hospital Financial Assistance Policies in the States

August 25, 2023

Don’t Add Further Insult to Injury: Medical Debt & Credit Reports

January 6, 2023

Unfair Debts With No Way Out: Consumers Share Their Experiences With Rental Debt Collectors

October 7, 2022

Issue Briefs

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State Policy Resources: Consumer Debt Collection

December 17, 2025

What States Can Do to Protect Low-Income Families When Collecting Government Debts

November 21, 2025

What States Can Do to Prevent Medical Debt from Ruining Credit Reports: Recommendations in the Face of Potential Federal Preemption Threats

November 14, 2025

What States Can Do About Medical Debt in Jails and Prisons

October 17, 2025

What States Can Do: Medical Credit Cards and Other Medical Lending Products

October 16, 2025

U.S. House Bill Would Protect Collection Attorneys Engaged in Abusive Litigation Conduct

May 30, 2025

What States Can Do to Help Consumers: Medicaid Estate Recovery

May 5, 2025

2025 Consumer Reform Priorities to Protect Tenants

April 18, 2025

What States Can Do to Help Consumers: Medical Debt

April 15, 2025

Testimony

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Written Testimony to the Kansas House Committee on Judiciary in Support of HB 2754 —The Providing Civil Relief from Coerced Debt Act

February 11, 2026

Testimony Against Oregon HB 4141

February 10, 2026

Testimony to the Council of the District of Columbia Committee on Health B26-0438 Medical Debt Mitigation Amendment Act of 2025 Position: Support

December 10, 2025

Written Testimony to Massachusetts Legislative Committee in Support of An Act Providing Civil Legal Remedies for Victims of Economic Abuse

July 29, 2025

Memorandum of Support for NY Consumer Debt Uniformity Act (S.5546/ A.57A)

May 21, 2025

Testimony Against Washington Debt Adjustment Bill HB 1599

February 4, 2025

Testimony in Support of HB 268 (Maryland)

January 29, 2025

Testimony in Support of HB 673 (Maryland)

February 14, 2024

Written Testimony on Nursing Home Debt Collection in New York for the Chief Judge’s 2023 Civil Legal Services Hearing

September 13, 2023

Press Releases & News

View All for Press Releases & News
Debt Collectors are Emptying Families’ Bank Accounts

February 11, 2026

Digital Library: FDCPA: 2025 in Review

January 5, 2026

USA Today: States advance medical debt protections as federal support fades

December 19, 2025

Report: No States Fully Protect Families from Wage and Asset Seizures as Debt Levels Soar

December 18, 2025

Trump Administration Tries to Block State Safeguards from Damaging Medical Debt on Credit Reports

October 30, 2025

Coerced Debt Complicates Domestic Violence Recovery 

October 28, 2025

USA Today: Debt complaints are surging. Here’s the sobering reason.

October 9, 2025

Bloomberg Law: Senators to Weigh Raising Chapter 13 Debt Limits for Consumers

September 2, 2025

Digital Library: The Latest on Keeping Medical Debt Out of Credit Reports

July 30, 2025

Amicus Briefs

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Amicus Brief: Ochoa v. Ford Motor Company

May 6, 2024

Amicus Brief in Salcedo v. Hanna

September 25, 2019

Slip Opinion in Obduskey v. Mccarthy & Holthus LLP

March 20, 2019

Rotkiske v. Klemm

January 8, 2019

Amicus Brief in Ricky Henson, et. al C. Santander Consumer USA, Inc.

February 24, 2017

Amicus Brief in Sheriff v. Gillie

March 2, 2016

Amicus Brief in Marx v. General Revenue Corporation

April 27, 2012

Amicus Brief in United States Aid Funds, Inc. v. Espinosa

October 20, 2009

Amicus Brief in Jerman v. Carlisle

September 28, 2009

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