Daily Digest – October 5. Bankruptcy Experts Discuss Claims; Consumer Attorney, Law Professor Talk About Going Up Against Debt Buyers

Some quick links to start your Monday. The Better Business Bureau has launched a scam tracker website that allows you to click on a state and see a list of all of the noted scams being perpetrated in that area … The former head of the Federal Reserve Board said more bankers should have gone to jail for their role in the financial crisis … The baseball players who offer the best bang for the buck … Sprint is pondering massive cuts and layoffs … Strategies you should be using on LinkedIn … Body language secrets to make people trust you … The 15 most expensive ZIP codes in the U.S. … ATM fees are getting out of control … Disney is considering on-demand pricing for its theme parks … How to tell a story that people want to listen to.

NEWS 

• The National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges met last week in Miami and one of the topics was debt buying. Specifically, the practice of filing stale claims when a consumer files for Chapter 13 bankruptcy protection.

• One consumer attorney shares his experiences of courtroom interactions with attorneys representing units of Encore Capital and Portfolio Recovery Associates following the settlement with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau last month. The attorney, based in Arizona, said that attorneys representing both companies had no idea of the consent order that had been entered into with the CFPB and had no knowledge of what the terms of the settlement included.

• A law professor at Valparaiso University in Indiana shares her experiences running a legal clinic that has represented more than 100 consumers in lawsuits filed by debt buyers. The two major issues is that many defendants don’t show up when they are sued and that many debt buyers lack the proper paperwork to legally sue individuals, she said.

• A pair of bills that would reform the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau advanced out of the House Financial Services Committee last month and are now headed to the floor of the House of Representatives for consideration.

An important life lesson: How to double the size of a Chipotle burrito for free

How student loan debt affects parents and children

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