Debt Collection Archives

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

November 12, 2024

These comments respond to proposed amendments to the Massachusetts Division of Banks (DOB) debt collection and mortgage servicing regulations. The comments raise concerns about DOB’s proposal to replace existing regulations with federal debt collection regulations (Regulation F) and to exempt “passive debt buyers.” The comments also propose suggestions to strengthen the DOB’s mortgage servicing regulations.

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

October 31, 2024

Report Demonstrates Improper Facility & Collection Practices; Consumer Advocates Propose Laws and Policies to Address Problem WASHINGTON – Even though federal law prohibits nursing homes from requiring a third party to guarantee payment of their loved one’s bill, nursing homes still frequently pursue payment from friends and family. Nursing homes have been suing residents’ children,…

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

October 30, 2024

Even though federal law prohibits nursing homes from requiring a third party to guarantee payment of their loved one’s bill, nursing homes still frequently pursue payment from friends and family. Nursing homes have been suing residents’ children, siblings, spouses, and friends for alleged debts for decades, but advocates report increased levels of aggression in recent…

2025 Consumer Protection Federal Priorities

October 21, 2024

NCLC will pursue common-sense regulatory and legislative reforms to ensure fairness, fight fraud, and protect consumers in 2025.

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

October 1, 2024

Advocates at the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) applaud a series of actions announced today by the Biden-Harris Administration to provide debt relief to struggling consumers and to address illegal debt collection.

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

September 27, 2024

Appearing in The New York Times on September 27, 2024, Ann Carrns interviews NCLC staff attorney Anna Anderson for coverage of how surviving spouses may not be responsible for their loved ones unpaid medical bills. Rules governing such debt vary by state and can be complex. Even when survivors aren’t legally responsible for paying a…

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

September 3, 2024

Airing on WGBH on September 3, 2024, Jenifer B. McKim interviews April Kuehnhoff to discuss how debt buyers and other companies filed more than 92,000 cases in state courts last year to collect debts from consumers, according to a new report released by the Massachusetts Trial Court. April Kuehnhoff, a senior attorney with the Boston-based National…

"What the Heck, Dude!": How States Can Fight Rental Housing Junk Fees

November 13, 2025

This companion report to Too Damn High focuses on steps that state and local governments and advocates can take to address junk fees.

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

September 5, 2024

Report discusses state and local laws addressing rental housing junk fees and provides recommendations to protect renters.

AFT v. MOHELA

July 22, 2024

American Federation of Teachers v. The Higher Education Loan Authority of Missouri, 2024-CAB-004575 (D.C. Super. Ct.) This complaint, filed on behalf of the American Federation of Teachers, seeks relief under the D.C. Consumer Protection Procedures Act for AFT, its members, and the general public from the Higher Education Loan Authority of the State of Missouri…

Comments on Interagency Guidance Regarding Unfair or Deceptive Credit Practices

October 27, 2014

The National Consumer Law Center, on behalf of its low-income clients, the Center for Responsible Lending, Consumer Action, the Consumer Federation of America, the National Association of Consumer Advocates, the New Economy Project, and U.S. PIRG, write to comment on the issuance of the Interagency Guidance regarding Unfair or Deceptive Credit Practices (“Guidance”) and the…

Time to Update the Credit Practices Rule

December 1, 2010

CFPB Should Modernize FTC Rule Addressing Abusive Creditor Collection Practices The FTC’s Credit Practices Rule protects consumers from abusive contract provisions that are designed to give the creditor an upper hand in collections and to evade legal protections for the debtor. The rule prohibits confessions of judgment, exemption waivers, irrevocable wage assignments, non-purchase security interests…

All