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.

No Fresh Start 2022: Will States Let Debt Collectors Push Families Into Poverty as the Cost of Necessities Soars?

December 21, 2022

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 2022: Will States Let Debt Collectors Push Families Into Poverty as the Cost of Necessities Soars?
September 1, 2023
October 7, 2022

Featured

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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

Testimony Supporting Massachusetts Bills H.3314 & S.2227: An Act to End Debt-Based Driving Restrictions and Remove Economic Roadblocks

November 9, 2023

California Law Removes Vestiges of Debtors’ Prisons; Other States Urged to Follow Suit 

October 17, 2023

White House Takes Aim at Junk Fees in Rental Housing, Banking, and More

October 11, 2023

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

September 13, 2023

FAQs: Can a Nursing Home Force a Resident’s Family and Friends to Pay the Bill?

September 7, 2023

Comments & Letters

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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

Group Letter to MA House Regarding S. 2858/H. 4749: the Debt Collection Fairness Act

June 30, 2022

Group Letter to MA Senate Regarding S. 2858/H. 4749: the Debt Collection Fairness Act

June 30, 2022

Comments to CFPB on Junk Fees Charged to Tenants & Rental Housing Applicants

April 11, 2022

Issue Briefs

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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

Pandemic Lawsuits in California: Credit Card Issuers & Debt Buyers Top Litigants in 2021

July 15, 2022

Why We Need the Debt Collection Fairness Act

March 9, 2022

Assisting Consumers with Rental Debt During COVID-19: Legal Aid and Non-Profit Attorneys Share Their Experiences

December 14, 2021

Feed Families, Not Debt Collectors: Protect New Stimulus Payments and Child Tax Credits from Garnishment

March 1, 2021

Issue Brief: CFPB Changes Needed to Prevent New Debt Collection Rules from Hurting Consumers

January 1, 2021

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

December 1, 2020

The CFPB Must Issue Emergency Guidance on Debt Collection During the Pandemic

December 1, 2020

Reports

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No Fresh Start 2022: Will States Let Debt Collectors Push Families Into Poverty as the Cost of Necessities Soars?

December 21, 2022

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

Press Releases & News

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California Law Removes Vestiges of Debtors’ Prisons; Other States Urged to Follow Suit 

October 17, 2023

White House Takes Aim at Junk Fees in Rental Housing, Banking, and More

October 11, 2023

Digital Library: Strict New Limits on Prerecorded Debt Collection Calls Effective July 20

July 20, 2023

Digital Library: 28 Consumer Rights to Request Information, Company Record Retention Requirements

May 8, 2023

Bloomberg Law: “CFPB Warns Debt Collectors on Time-Barred ‘Zombie’ Mortgages

April 26, 2023

Op-ed in Colorado Politics: A chance to fix Colorado’s broken consumer protection laws

March 14, 2023

An Arm and a Leg Podcast: Wrestling With a Giant: April Kuehnhoff discusses how to dispute a hospital bill

March 2, 2023

NCLC Publishes 2023 Edition of Surviving Debt: Expert Advice for Getting Out of Financial Trouble

February 1, 2023

Report: Will States Let Debt Collectors Push Families Into Poverty as the Cost of Necessities Soars?

December 22, 2022

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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