Debt collection

ACA International has filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission in support of United Healthcare Services Inc.'s petition seeking to address mobile phone number reassignment issues under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

The DBA International Board of Directors and Certification Council have adopted version 2.0 of its Debt Buyer Certification Program.

The defendants behind the operation allegedly misrepresented their background and authority, disclosed debts to third parties and threatened consumers with arrest and other legal consequences.

Illinois taxpayers had to fund more than $318 million in interest payments in fiscal year 2013 to vendors who weren't paid as a result of the state's ongoing cash flow woes.

The United Kingdom's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will conduct an in-depth review of debt collection practices of payday lenders when it takes on responsibilities for regulating consumer credit markets on April 1.

Total foreclosure filings were reported on 112,498 U.S. properties in February, a 10 percent drop from January and down 27 percent from February 2013, according to RealtyTrac, an Irvine, Calif., data firm. The total is the lowest monthly figure since December 2006.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Federal Trade Commission jointly filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, arguing that a federal district court wrongly dismissed a consumer’s class action complaint against collection agency Northland Group Inc.

The Federal Trade Commission settled a complaint against a Massachusetts-based home security company that illegally called millions of consumers on the FTC’s National Do Not Call Registry to pitch home security systems.

Allstate has elected Siddharth Mehta, former CEO at TransUnion, to its board of directors.

Liberty Pawnshop & Gold LLC in Fredericksburg, Va., charged with making 54 vehicle title loans between August 2011 and February 2013 without having a valid license, reached a settlement Tuesday with the Virginia attorney general's office.

In 30 states and the District of Columbia, attorneys general are urging the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to adopt new debt collection rules that will "better protect consumers and military service members."

A Louisiana town approved hiring collection agency American Municipal Service to pursue an estimated $750,000 in debts including unpaid court costs and utility bills. Some of the debt is up to 15 years old.

A New Jersey appeals court ruled that debt buyers do not have to provide notice to consumers when debts are purchased and assigned but must prove they own the debt and the amount before they can collect. Further, electronic business records are sufficient for proof.

A class action lawsuit filed against student loan collection company, the National Collegiate Student Loan Trust, and the Law Offices of Patenaude & Felix APC, alleges that they used deceptive practices to collect student loan debts in California.

Service members, veterans and their families who filed complaints about financial products or services have recovered more than $1 million, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced.

NCO Financial Systems, a collection agency arm of Horsham, Pa.-based NCO Group, plans to lay off 107 workers at its Virginia Beach, Va. call center, according to a notice filed with the Virginia Employment Commission.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a formal notice that it will mail surveys to consumers to learn about their experiences with debt collectors. Specifically, the survey will ask whether consumers have been contacted by collectors and whether they recognized the debt being collected.

The Utah Senate approved payday lending reform on Thursday and will be sent to Gov. Gary Herbert's office for a signature.

DECA Financial Services, an Indiana consumer debt collection firm previously lauded by Inc. magazine as one of the fastest-growing U.S. companies, is now facing serious debt problems of its own.

Total outstanding balances of bank and retail-issued cards and home finance increased in January for the third consecutive month, the first time that has happened in more than three years, according to the latest Equifax National Consumer Credit Trends Report.