The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) was enacted in 1977 to protect consumers from abusive, unfair, and deceptive practices by third-party debt collectors. The law details when and how a collector may contact a debtor. The government enforcer of the law has historically been the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), but some regulatory duties may be shared with the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection housed within the Federal Reserve, created in 2010. The FDCPA is a strict civil liability law, which means that a consumer need not prove actual damages in order to claim statutory damages of up to $1,000 per violation plus reasonable attorney fees.

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FDCPA Reform Coming? Senate Subcommittee to Hold Hearings on Debt Collection

12 July 2013

Variety of Voices Featured at CFPB Debt Collection Field Hearing

10 July 2013

CFPB Tackles Debt Collection: Issues Bulletins for Collectors, Form Letters for Consumers, Warning for Banks

10 July 2013

NCO Group to Pay $3.2 million Penalty in FTC Action

9 July 2013

Think Your Debt Dispute Process is Solid? Three Overlooked Laws Cause Turmoil

17 June 2013

New Report Targets Debt Buyers' Use of Courts in New York

11 June 2013

Collection Letter with Written Dispute Demand Violates FDCPA: Court

10 June 2013

ARM Data Exchange Standards Focus of FTC/CFPB Collection Roundtable

7 June 2013

CFPB Panel 2: Verifying Disputed Debts Under the FDCPA/FCRA

6 June 2013

CFPB Panel 1: Info Available to Debt Collectors at Time of Assignment, Sale

6 June 2013

John Tonetti: Flow During the Debt Cycle

6 June 2013

Powerful Senator Calls for FDCPA Reform in Letter to CFPB

5 June 2013

FTC, CFPB Invite Public to Submit Questions During Debt Collection Roundtable

5 June 2013

Multi-State Investigation Into Debt Collection Reportedly Underway

4 June 2013

Bill Introduced to Amend FDCPA for Medical Debt Reporting

29 May 2013

Small Claims Courts are Not Judicial Districts Subject to Section 1692i of FDCPA

16 May 2013

CFPB Returns Focus to Debt Collection: CFPB in Action

13 May 2013

Collecting Debt One Manually Dialed Call at a Time

10 May 2013

Dismissed Lawsuit Against Debt Buyer Tried to Hop on Robo-Signing Bandwagon

3 May 2013

Ontario Systems Webinar Offers Best Practices on Dialing Smarter

3 May 2013