Debt collection

Three collection agencies agreed Monday to pay a total of $493,670 in civil penalties to resolve allegations that they committed unfair practices.

U.S. bankruptcy filings totaled 629,570 in the first nine months of the year, an 11% decrease from the 705,728 total filings during the same period a year ago, according to the American Bankruptcy Institute.

A fintech startup that wants to change the way lenders and consumers square bad debts has raised $10 million in financing from a group of prominent investors.

The head of a sham debt relief operation agreed to a judgment of more than $7.9 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that he deceived consumers and charged them thousands of dollars while providing nothing in return.

When Experian acknowledged Thursday that hackers had broken into one of its servers, it was bad news for everyone. Not just the 15 million T-Mobile customers whose personal information was compromised.

Collection agency Pioneer Credit Recovery on Thursday began a one-year contract to pursue nearly $3 million in unpaid Trenton (N.J.) Municipal Court fines from people who lost their traffic, drug or other court cases.

A server containing sensitive consumer information at Experian has been breached, with the records of as many as 15 million T-Mobile customers stolen, the companies said Thursday.

An auto finance company and its title lending arm must overhaul their collection practices and provide consumers $44.1 million in cash relief and balance reductions to settle federal charges.

A housing report released Thursday shows that buying a home was at the most affordable level in two years in the first quarter, despite the average home price increasing at more than twice the pace of the average weekly wage nationwide.

The FTC's second Debt Collection Dialogue event focused on regulatory compliance and the complexities of the current collections climate.