Issue Brief Archives

Fact Sheet: Medical Debt Collection

March 27, 2019

This fact sheet illustrates the needs for a strong rule from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to protect consumers from abusive debt collection tactics, especially those carried out by collectors of medical debt―the leading source of debt borne by most consumers.

Essential Utility Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond: A Roadmap to Utility Service as a Human Right

March 1, 2021

A brief outlining the ways in which access to utility service is a human right.

Energy, Water, and Communications: Priorities for COVID Relief & Biden's 1st 100 Days

December 1, 2020

Brief outlining NCLC's energy, water, and communications priorities for COVID-19 relief & the first 100 days of the Biden Administration.

Education Department's Decades-Old Debt Trap: How the Mismanagement of Income-Driven Repayment Locked Millions in Debt

March 1, 2021

Data obtained by NCLC shows that the total number of borrowers enrolled in Income-Driven Repayment plans who have ever received cancellation is just 32.

Digital Divide: Millions of Americans Have Limited or No Meaningful Access to the Internet

August 1, 2019

Congress and federal agencies are considering how to make access to information easier for households in the United States by facilitating communication through email, hyperlinks, and important notices provided on the internet. It is essential that the tens of millions of people in America who are not connected digitally also be protected.

Pervasiveness of Consumer Debt Collection

March 27, 2019

In 2017, the Urban Institute found that 71 million Americans had a debt in collection on theircredit report. Debt in collections can wreak havoc on consumers, subjecting them to harassingdebt collection calls and potential lawsuits.

Almost Two in Three Navient Borrowers Making Payments During COVID-19 Federal Student Loan Payment Pause Are Underwater

August 1, 2021

Analysis of data reveals that nearly two-thirds (63%) of borrowers in IDR who made at least one payment during the COVID-19 payment pause were underwater, meaning that they have not repaid even $1 of their original balance.

COVID-19 Medical Debt: First 100 Day Priorities for the Biden Administration

December 1, 2020

Brief outlining NCLC's medical debt priorities for the first 100 days of the Biden Administration

Congress Must Act: Millions of Families Are At Risk of Losing Utility Service During the COVID-19 Crisis

February 25, 2021

Congress must act promptly to avoid putting the health and safety of millions of households atgrave risk and stop utility service terminations.

CFPB Debt Collection Rule Must Protect Consumers, Not Abusive Collectors

May 1, 2019

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has proposed a rule governing third-party debt collectors. The proposal adds some consumer protections but also weakens the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) by undermining its goals of stopping harassment, protecting consumer privacy, and preventing collection against the wrong person or in the wrong amount.

Building a California Seawall Against the Tsunami of Debt Collection Caused by COVID-19: Mortgage Relief

November 17, 2020

Brief examines key concepts surrounding real alternatives to foreclosures.

Asking the Wrong Question: A Critique of the Debt Settlement Industry's Data Analysis

October 1, 2020

Every few years, since 2012, the debt settlement industry has released a report asserting its worth to consumers. The reports are commissioned by the American Fair Credit Council (AFCC), a trade association representing the debt settlement industry.

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