An estimated 425 different collection agencies and creditors are named in 495 consumer statute lawsuits filed nationwide in the first half of May, according to data from U.S. District Court complaint dockets. The 15-day total is the lowest for a two-week period since early February, when consumers sued 293 different agencies and creditors.
The early May total includes 434 cases citing violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), down from 483 FDCPA cases in the previous two-week period but up from 381 FDCPA cases in the first two weeks of April. The number of Fair Credit Reporting Act lawsuits totaled 37 in early May, down from 41 in the previous two-week period and 44 in the first two weeks of April. Research firm WebRecon LLC, based in Grand Rapids, Mich., compiles the monthly data and commonly analyzes monthly trends.
Of the 495 consumer statute lawsuits filed in early May, there are 510 unique plaintiffs, including an estimated 195 who previously have sued citing consumer statute violations. Combined, those plaintiffs have filed an estimated 1,117 lawsuits since 2001. Some other consumer statutes listed in the monthly data include the Truth-in-Lending Act, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and the Electronic Fund Transfers Act.
In the first four months of 2010, the number of lawsuits filed citing FDCPA violations exceeded the record pace set in 2009,
