Debt collection

KeyBank, Regions and others are using self-service portals, robotic processing automation and virtual assistants to digitize the collections process and make it more humane in anticipation of rising delinquencies.

Bankers are left wanting after details on PPP forgiveness plan emerge; why OnDeck is being sold on the cheap; Fannie, Freddie to face banklike liquidity standards starting Sept. 1; and more from this week’s most-read stories.

The legislation, which has yet to pass the House, is meant to ensure coronavirus relief funds go to consumers and are not diverted to debt collectors.

There will be lasting consequences for financial institutions that choose short-term protections for their bottom line over the economic security of the consumers they serve.

Tom Pahl, a former longtime regulator at the Federal Trade Commission, has led key rulemaking efforts for the consumer bureau.

Now perhaps more than ever, banks and their proxies need to show tact when communicating with past-due borrowers.

Loan forbearances are wreaking havoc with firms that normally clean up during recessions; the Fed’s latest rescue plan is off to a rocky start as few banks show interest in making the loans.

A budget item establishing a new agency to protect consumers from predatory lenders has been put on hold as state officials deal with the coronavirus response and other priorities. But it could be revived in legislative talks later this summer.

The consumer bureau said Approved Cash Advance improperly collected amounts that were five times higher the legitimate fee schedule disclosed to borrowers.

The new legislation directs the Treasury Department to protect electronic payments that Americans receive through the pandemic rescue package.