Debt & Bankruptcy

Debt Collection

Millions of Americans have debts in collection, mostly due to a financial catastrophe. Debt collectors are consistently a top source of consumer complaints. NCLC works to strengthen debt collection laws to protect consumers from abusive debt collection, to improve consumer protections in collection lawsuits, and to shield essential income and assets from creditors. NCLC supports attorneys defending consumers with debts or suing collectors violating consumer protection laws.

A worried woman holding a child and looking at bills

No Fresh Start: Will States Protect Families from Debt Collectors Seizing Wages and Bank Balances? (2024)

December 18, 2024

Every state has a set of exemption laws, intended to prevent creditors from pushing families into destitution. This report finds that few states’ exemption laws meet even the most basic standards.

Read More about: No Fresh Start: Will States Protect Families from Debt Collectors Seizing Wages and Bank Balances? (2024)
October 30, 2024
March 3, 2025

Recent

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Comments Regarding New York City’s 2023 Proposed Amendments to Rules Related to Debt Collectors

November 29, 2023

Model Family Financial Protection Act

November 20, 2023

Evaluating Regulation F: A Six-month Check-up on New Federal Debt Collection Regulations

November 4, 2022

NCLC & NHLP Comments to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Regarding Fees Imposed by Providers of Consumer Financial Products or Services

April 11, 2022

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

May 30, 2025

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

May 21, 2025

Model Medical Debt Protection Act

March 28, 2025

Debt Collection Fairness Act 2025

March 17, 2025

State Policy Resources: Consumer Debt Collection

March 3, 2025

Comments & Letters

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Comments on Bureau of Prisons’ Proposed Rule on the Inmate Financial Responsibility Program

February 18, 2025

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

November 12, 2024

Comments re: Bureau of Prisons’ Proposed Rule on “Reservation of Funds for Reentry Under the First Step Act”

January 8, 2024

Comments Regarding New York City’s 2023 Proposed Amendments to Rules Related to Debt Collectors

November 29, 2023

Comments to New York Department of Financial Services Regarding Draft of Revised Proposed Amendment to 23 NYCRR 1

February 13, 2023

Coalition Comments to the Task Force on New Americans on Expanding Language Access Within the Financial Services Sector

February 7, 2023

Testimony in Support of Legislation to Improve State Exemption Laws in Washington State

January 17, 2023

Testimony in Support of Legislation to Improve State Exemption Laws in Maryland

January 17, 2023

Comments Regarding New York City’s Proposed Amendments to Rules Related to Debt Collectors

December 19, 2022

Issue Briefs

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

May 30, 2025

Debt Collection Fairness Act 2025

March 17, 2025

State Policy Resources: Consumer Debt Collection

March 3, 2025

The CFPB Medical Debt Collection Advisory Opinion Protects Consumers from Illegal Collection Practices

February 4, 2025

The CFPB Protects People From Abusive Debt Collection Practices

January 29, 2025

2025 Consumer Protection Federal Priorities

October 21, 2024

No Clear Relationship Between Wage Seizure Protections and Access to Credit

February 6, 2024

Consumer Protection and Court-Sponsored Online Dispute Resolution in Collection Lawsuits

September 1, 2023

H.R.9224: Protecting Wages of Essential Workers Act of 2022

October 27, 2022

Reports

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

January 30, 2025

No Fresh Start: Will States Protect Families from Debt Collectors Seizing Wages and Bank Balances? (2024)

December 18, 2024

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

October 30, 2024

No Fresh Start 2023: Will States Let Debt Collectors Push Families Into Poverty as Economic Uncertainty Looms?

December 11, 2023

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

October 7, 2022

The High Cost of a Fresh Start: A State-by-State Analysis of Court Debt as a Bar to Record Clearing

February 1, 2022

No Fresh Start 2020: Will States Let Debt Collectors Push Families Into Poverty in the Wake of a Pandemic?

October 29, 2020

Time to Update the Credit Practices Rule

December 1, 2010

Press Releases & News

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New Resource Empowers Consumers Battling Mounting Debt 

January 27, 2025

Digital Library: FDCPA: 2024 in Review

January 9, 2025

Weak State Exemption Laws Allow Debt Collectors to Push Families Into Poverty

December 18, 2024

Alabama Congressman Joins Debt Collectors in Support of Deceptive and Unfair Collection of Medical Debt

November 19, 2024

Nursing Homes Aggressively Pursue Family Members and Friends When Residents’ Bills Go Unpaid, Often Violating the Law

October 31, 2024

White House Efforts Will Reduce Medical Debt, Protect Consumers from Harmful Debt Collection

October 1, 2024

The New York Times: Surviving Spouses May Not Be Responsible for Partners’ Medical Bills

September 27, 2024

What the Heck, Dude! New Report Focuses on How States Can Fight Rental Housing Junk Fees

September 5, 2024

WGBH Boston: The Debt Mills: How state courts grind through consumer debt cases

September 3, 2024

From the NCLC Digital Library

Fair Debt Collection

The leading treatise on the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, with all the tools a practitioner needs to recover actual and statutory damages and attorney fees for both individual and class action cases. NCLC’s unique FDCPA Case Connector provides access to over 15,000 FDCPA case summaries.

Read Chapter One

More articles from our digital library

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FDCPA Litigation Using New Reg. F: Pleading Tips & Recently Alleged Violations

June 15, 2022

Consumer Advice: Dealing with Debt Collectors—Including the New Federal Rules

January 31, 2022

The FDCPA Year in Review: 2021

January 5, 2022

Comprehensive New FDCPA Regulation F Takes Effect November 30

September 24, 2021

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