Debt collection

For financial institutions, there are scary parallels between the IRS' failure to protect sensitive personal information and their own such struggles.

The total balance of outstanding first mortgages in January jumped to more than $8.3 trillion, an increase of 2.1% year-over-year, according to data from the Equifax National Consumer Credit Trends Report.

The number of credit card accounts in the U.S. is increasing as the economy and job growth continue to improve, according to the American Bankers Association's latest Credit Card Market Monitor report.

The top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee on Wednesday asked the FCC to include a range of consumer protections in new rules - including limiting the number and duration of calls that can be made.

Sen. Sherrod Brown is pressing the Federal Communications Commission to limit the number of calls collectors of government-backed debt can make to delinquent borrowers. His appeal comes at a time when banking groups are challenging earlier robo-calling regulations that they say inhibit their ability to collect debt.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is clamping down on student loan lenders and servicers that automatically default on loans when a co-signer declared bankruptcy or dies. Because private student loans are often sold and securitized, some companies' promises to eliminate so-called "auto defaults" are not being upheld.

Southwest Bancorp in Stillwater, Okla., and LegacyTexas Financial Group in Plano have disclosed exposure to a commercial borrower that faces criminal and civil investigations.

New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman alerted consumers on Wednesday about collection and financial scams circulating in the state. The scams often target seniors, students and first-generation Americans.

One of the defendants in the IWorks scheme that allegedly took more than $280 million from consumers via deceptive trial memberships for bogus government-grant and money-making schemes has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges.

The CFPB revealed Tuesday that exams of banks and nonbanks resulted in the remediation of $14.3 million to roughly 228,000 consumers. Debt collection and credit reporting violations were frequently cited as troublesome.