FDCPA, FCRA Lawsuit Totals Increase in August, TCPA Numbers Decline

After five straight months of declines, the number of lawsuits alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act increased slightly in August, compared with the month before, according to data released yesterday by WebRecon.

Overall, the number of FDCPA lawsuits for the year is still 15.4% lower than at the same point as last year.

The number of Telephone Consumer Protection Act lawsuits were down 10% in August compared with July, but are still 15.5% higher than through the first eight months of 2015.

There were more than 100 more Fair Credit Reporting Act lawsuits filed in August than in July, an increase of nearly 40%, raising the year-over-year comparison to 17.4% higher than last year.

The number of complaints filed with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was 31% higher in August than in July and is 9.3% higher this year.

Of those who filed suits, 36% had done so previously, according to WebRecon. The number of companies sued by individuals was also higher – 958, compared with 894 in August.