On February 12, Representative Steve Stivers (R-Ohio) reintroduced bi-partisan legislation that would require the Senate to confirm an independent inspector general for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, arguing it would provide greater oversight.

The Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection-Inspector General Act of 2015 (H.R. 957) is co-sponsored by Tim Walz (D-Minn.), Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.), and

The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals recently decided a case involving a debt collector that had verified the existence of a debt in response to a consumer reporting agency’s inquiry, even though the debtor had allegedly disputed the debt to the same reporting agency.  The Eighth Circuit affirmed the lower court’s ruling that the debtor

On January 20, a Missouri federal judge issued an order granting a debt collector’s Motion to Compel Arbitration in an action under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.  Although such motions are frequently granted, the judge here rejected an argument from the plaintiff that her loan agreement – including its arbitration provision – was entirely

On January 21, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania struck a class action under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1692 et seq. (“FDCPA”) and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991, 47 U.S.C. §§ 227 et seq. (“TCPA”).  Although the judge allowed the lead plaintiff to pursue

On February 3-5, 2015, DBA International will host its annual conference – Passport to the Future – at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

DBA International describes this year’s event:

“This conference brings together all the players in the industry – welcoming over 1,200 attendees and showcasing over 130 exhibit booths – and

On January 20, 2015, the Department of Justice, on the Federal Trade Commission’s behalf, filed a complaint against Commercial Recovery Systems, Inc. (CRS), a Texas-based debt collector, including its current and former principals, for allegedly using illegal tactics, such as threatening consumers with false claims of lawsuits and potential garnishments, in the United States District

Last week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced four appointments to its leadership team.

In addition to naming Anthony Alexis as assistant director of enforcement, the CFPB also announced the hiring of Leandra English as deputy chief operating officer, Agnes Bundy Scanlan as the regional director of supervision examination, and Jeffrey Sumberg as chief

Freddie Mac is selling three pools of deeply delinquent loans with the combined unpaid principal balance of $410 million.  According to Freddie Mac’s spokesman, the loans involved in the sale include “a large share that are more than two years delinquent,” which is consistent with Freddie Mac’s “continued goal of reducing illiquid assets from its

On January 5, the Federal Communications Commission announced that it was creating a new complaint portal.  As shown on the FCC form for complaints, which can be found here (Word format) and here (.pdf), this portal is very much designed to capture complaints arising from the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and, specifically, automatic telephone

The Colorado Attorney General’s Office, in a recent press release, warned its in-state consumers of a “debt-collection” scam whereby imposters pose as law enforcement officials or government agencies.  This warning was triggered by a sharp increase in the number of reports to the AG’s Office of threatening telephone calls and emails as part of