Daily Digest – July 19. Judge Grants Motion to Dismiss FDCPA Class Action Over Dispute Notice Language; Kraninger Shares Priorities if Confirmed as BCFP Director

The Daily Digest is sponsored by Beam Software. A Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, Beam is a thought leader in portfolio management and collection software. They offer both cloud-based and on-premise solutions to accommodate the entire collection continuum. For more information, please visit www.beamsoftware.com or call (800) 212-2326.

 

JUDGE GRANTS MOTION TO DISMISS FDCPA CLASS ACTION OVER DISPUTE NOTICE LANGUAGE

• A District Court judge in New Jersey has granted a motion to dismiss a class-action lawsuit filed against a collection agency, claiming it violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act by sending mixed messages about how a debt could be disputed.

 

KRANINGER SHARES PRIORITIES IF CONFIRMED AS BCFP DIRECTOR

• Today is the day where we finally get to hear Kathy Kraninger speak. Today is the day where she will sit before the Senate Banking Committee and answer questions about her qualifications to be the next director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. The hearing will be streamed live, starting at 10am ET. In her prepared testimony, Kraninger said she would have four priorities as director of the BCFP:

 

REPORT ATTEMPTS TO TIE KRANINGER TO FAILED POLICIES, INITIATIVES AT AGENCIES SHE OVERSEES

• In advance of her confirmation hearing today, Sen. Elizabeth Warren [D-Mass.], has released a report highlighting the “disastrous tenure” at the White House Office of Management & Budget for Kathy Kraninger, who has been nominated to be the next director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, an agency that Sen. Warren helped establish.

 

WOMAN CONTACTED BY COLLECTION AGENCY AFTER CALLING AMBULANCE FOR MAN HIT BY CAR

• Good Samaritans in Australia are coming forward with reports about how they are being contacted by debt collectors after calling for ambulance services for others. One woman, who called for an ambulance after seeing a homeless man get hit by a car, received two calls from a collection agency seeking payment for the unpaid ambulance bill.

 

BCFP HIRES NEW DIRECTOR FOR OFFICE OF INNOVATION

• The Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection has hired Paul Watkins to run its new Office of Innovation. The BCFP’s Office of Innovation will “promote competition, innovation, and consumer access within financial services,” according to the agency, and will do this by focusing on “creating policies to facilitate innovation, engaging with entrepreneurs and regulators, and reviewing outdated or unnecessary regulations.”

 

WORTH NOTING: An increase in unemployment following the 2008 financial crisis is one possible explanation for a huge spike in deaths likely fueled by increased alcohol use leading to more cases of liver disease and cancer … An outbreak of wildfires inside the Arctic Circle … People like going to see Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden … A four-day work week may not be that far off for everyone … It’s a good thing my kids were asleep during this … How to build a high-performing culture in the office … Open offices actually lead to people avoiding each other more … A woman is going to jail for taking queen conch shells off a beach in Florida … How much you need to make to afford rent in every state … The best photos of 2018 taken with an iPhone … How to deal with an embarrassing boss … A Russian warship, which may have $130 billion in gold on board, has been found after being sunk 113 years ago.

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The Daily Digest is sponsored by Beam Software. A Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, Beam is a thought leader in portfolio management and collection software. They offer both cloud-based and on-premise solutions to accommodate the entire collection continuum. For more information, please visit www.beamsoftware.com or call (800) 212-2326.