Debt collection

Two payday lenders have settled Federal Trade Commission charges that they illegally charged consumers across the country undisclosed and inflated fees.

A key consumer confidence measure showed consumers had a more positive view of the economy in December than a month earlier and their optimism about the labor market also has improved.

After the death of former House Financial Services Committee Chairman Michael Oxley on Jan. 1, the media largely focused on his most famous accomplishment: the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

A New York resident can bring a lawsuit in federal court to challenge debt collection practices under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act for a loan that was discharged in bankruptcy, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled Monday.

Credit Bureau Systems Inc. has acquired the business of Fidelis EMS Billing LLC for undisclosed financial terms.

Itaú Unibanco Holding SA, Brazil's largest bank by market value, will pay approximately $305 million for a stake in a debt collection company and a pool of non-performing loans.

The CFPB can proceed with a lawsuit against loan servicer CashCall Inc., a federal judge has ruled, thus rejecting the company's objection that the agency was trampling on states' rights.

Recent high-profile settlements and a New York Times article have drawn fresh attention to problems in the debt collection industry. Many of these could be resolved with the deployment of a trusted national database for consumer debt.

Debt buyer PRA Group announced that Lance L. Weaver has been appointed by the company's board of directors to serve as an independent director.

A voter initiative in South Dakota to cap payday loan interest rates at 36% will be on the state’s ballot next year despite complaints from payday lenders that it will put them out of business.