Debt collection

Complaints filed with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in 2014 totaled 39,185, a number that should rise by a few hundred as the totals are refined in the coming weeks.

Overall consumer litigation against collection agencies and creditors fell in 2014 thanks to a third straight year seeing a decline in Fair Debt Collection Practices Act cases.

For better or worse, banking is a balancing act these days.

An Ohio County's tax lien sale of unpaid penalties and taxes on more than 1,000 properties resulted in more than $1.1 million.

A federal credit report accuracy study found that most consumers who previously reported an unresolved error on one of their three major credit reports believe that at least one piece of disputed information is still inaccurate.

Two Minnesota senators introduced a bill Tuesday to add language to the definition of "collector" and "collection agency" that includes debt buyers, a move that would require buyers to become licensed as collectors in the state.

The FTC has issued a complaint against a Texas-based debt collection operation and its current and former principals for threatening consumers with false claims that unless they pay a debt, they will face legal action or wage garnishment.

The total balance of auto loans reached $975 billion in December, representing 33.2% of total outstanding non-mortgage consumer debt, according to the latest Equifax Inc. National Consumer Credit Trends Report.

A Tampa Bay, Fla. couple, harassed by Bank of America over their delinquent mortgage payments, recently won a $1 million default judgment in a collection lawsuit.

To help Spanish-speaking consumers understand their rights when dealing with debt collectors, the Federal Trade Commission has created a Spanish-language graphic novel, Cobradores de Deuda

The average loan size of new homes increased to $311,398 in December from $306,975 in November, according to a Mortgage Bankers Association survey.

A Maine Supreme Court justice has ordered the withdrawal of a public reprimand of a lawyer involved in a mortgage foreclosure scandal related to robo-signing documents.

The S&P/Experian Consumer Credit Default Indices, a measure of changes in consumer credit defaults, continued to show an increase in default rates through December, according to data released Tuesday by S&P Dow Jones Indices and Experian.

The FTC is sending more than $700,000 in refund checks to people who lost money in a "Rachel from Cardholder Services" scheme that promised to reduce the interest rate on consumers' credit cards for an upfront fee.

VantageScore Solutions LLC announced Thursday that the results of a consumer survey found Millennials remain cautious about key life events years after the recession.

In a record Federal Trade Commission settlement involving payday lenders, two companies will pay $21 million to resolve charges that they violated the law by charging consumers undisclosed and inflated fees.

The Washington State Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) Consumer Services Division announced this week that it has fined illegal payday lenders more than $280,000 in fines since 2013.

New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced Thursday plans to propose legislation to overhaul the state's data security law while requiring new safeguards for the personal data of consumers.

A Minnesota state senator who filed for bankruptcy was relieved of $840,00 in debt last year, including $613,000 owed to the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Global Debt Registry, a debt repository for storing and tracking consumer debt, announced it has secured $7 million in funding. The investment comes on the heels of a landmark year for the company.