Debt collection

WASHINGTON — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is raising questions about the policies and data banks use to vet consumers before allowing them to open a checking account.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has issued an unpublished opinion in Lynn v. Monarch Recovery Management Inc. that supports a ruling that the agency violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

AT&T Mobility LLC will pay $105 million to settle multi-agency charges it illegally billed third-party charges to consumers nationwide, federal authorities announced Wednesday.

The company attempted to claim tribal jurisdiction to avoid enforcement action.

Americans showed more caution in taking on non-mortgage debt in August, according to the latest consumer borrowing report from the Federal Reserve.

Congress should amend the bankruptcy code to permit borrowers to discharge student loan debt if their net monthly income is insufficient.

While year-to-date auto loan growth rates have slowed compared to last year, totals for new credit and the number of new loans originated for auto purchases are at record highest, according to a new report.

A sweepstakes operator that took millions of dollars from consumers throughout the U.S. and dozens of other countries - including Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Japan - is banned from the prize promotion business under a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission.

The gradual improvement in Americans' financial situations has led to a record low level of delinquency rates.

The order is part of a settlement with the company's owner in an unrelated fraudulent payment processing case.

In Australia, more than 2 million people, or 13% of the estimated 16 million in the country who are using credit, are at risk of credit default.

The House Oversight Committee, which earlier this year admonished the Department of Justice over its tactics for combating fraud in the payments system, has turned its focus to the role of the Federal Trade Commission in the ongoing crackdown.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau responded Friday to collection law firm Frederick J. Hanna & Associates' motion to dismiss a lawsuit that charges the firm with operating a collection lawsuit mill. Parts of the response likely will draw the collection industry's ire.

A federal court on Thursday halted a telemarketing scheme that duped senior citizens by pretending to be part of Medicare and took millions of dollars from consumers' bank accounts without consent.

Online payday lenders operate a Wild West marketplace full of financial fraud and consumer abuses, according to a new report released by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Just when it seemed that some banks might be putting their legal woes behind them, another threat has emerged that could involve the entire industry — debt- collections litigation.

New York's top banking regulator has the power to regulate online lenders owned by Native American tribes, the U.S. Court of Appeals in New York ruled Wednesday.

Kristen Albert, a supervisor at a Massachusetts collection agency, took the stand in a murder trial on Tuesday.

A lawsuit filed Wednesday by New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman's office accuses two law firms and their lead attorney of participating in a fraudulent mortgage rescue scheme.

Kristen Albert, a supervisor at a Massachusetts collection agency, took the stand in a murder trial on Tuesday.