New Debt Collection Rules in the Works

The federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is considering new debt collection rules about how debt collectors can go about trying to recover money owed. As part of the process, the agency is asking consumers to weigh in with their thoughts and to share their experiences when they’ve been the subject of debt collection activities.

CFPB is offering a few ways to submit comments. The deadline for comments is Feb. 10, 2014.

• Formal comments are being collected at regulations.gov

• There’s also a more informal non-government website where comments can be submitted at RegulationRoom.org.

• Comments also can be mailed to:

Monica Jackson
Office of the Executive Secretary
Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection
1700 G Street NW
Washington, DC 20552

The agency is looking for feedback from consumers who have had either good or bad experiences with debt collectors, people who counsel consumers about debts, business owners who do their own account collection, or people who work in the debt collection industry.

From the standpoint of a lawyer who represents consumers, it’s especially important for consumers to tell CFPB what kinds of harassing or inappropriate techniques debt collectors have used so that consumers’ voices are heard in this process. Debt collectors have powerful lobbyists working on their behalves to ensure the laws work in their favor while consumers often are lost in the wilderness with no idea what to do when they become the victims of aggressive debt collection practices.

If you’ve been harassed by a debt collector, CFPB also will take complaints and add them to their Consumer Complaint Database.

Or you can call Attorney Jeremiah Heck at (888) 726-3181 to talk about what’s happening and whether a lawyer might be able to help stop the collection activities.