Compliance

A trio of lawmakers in Washington, D.C., are working on proposed legislation that would remove an exemption allowing debt collectors working on behalf of the federal government to comply with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. For Sen. Edward Markey [D-Mass.], Sen. Mike Lee [R-Utah], and Rep. Anna Eshoo [D-Calif.], this …

A Buffalo-area man has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud as part of his role in a debt collection scam that netted $22 million in payments from individuals who were threatened and duped into paying debts multiple times. Carmelo Collana pleaded guilty yesterday. He joins a number of …

A District Court judge in Illinois has granted a motion to dismiss after a collection agency was sued by a plaintiff for allegedly violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act by sending a straightforward letter merely referencing payment options and leaving a voicemail during the 30-day validation period that overshadowed …

A bill has been introduced in the California legislature that would protect $2,000 from being garnished from an individual’s bank account in the event a judgment has been awarded. The proposed legislation — Senate Bill 616 — was introduced last week by state Sen. Bob Wieckowski, a Democrat. “A substantial …

A group of 22 state Attorneys General are calling on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau not to adopt proposals related to expanding the agency’s use of No-Action letters and use of a fintech sandbox to foster innovation in financial services. The CFPB announced the new proposal back in December. [Editor’s …

The Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has affirmed a lower court’s decision that a credit union did not violate the Americans with Disabilities Act because its website was not completely accessible to a blind man, because the blind man was not eligible to join the credit union. A …

A bill has been introduced in the Oregon legislature that seeks to govern how hospitals and healthcare facilities handle charity care, but also includes several provisions related to how unpaid medical debts are collected. House Bill 3076 was introduced earlier this week by state Rep. Andrea Salinas, a Democrat. The …

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has filed a lawsuit against a collection law firm, seeking to compel the firm to comply with a civil investigative demand letter related to possible violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, while the firm is asserting that the agency is looking for documents …

Working with California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, a state Senator has introduced additional legislation that would strengthen the consumer protection provisions of the California Consumer Privacy Act. Under the proposed legislation, individuals would be able to sue companies that do not comply with requests to delete individuals’ personal information. Currently, …

Sen. Chuck Grassley [R-Iowa] has written a letter to the commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service seeking, among other things, information about the debt collection practices at non-profit hospitals nationwide. The information is part of a broader examination into making sure that non-profit hospitals “are fulfilling the standards for serving …