Author Archives: Jonathan Summers

To help small businesses and other entities, the Federal Trade Commission employees will heighten its efforts to educate them about compliance with the “Red Flags” Rule and ease compliance by supporting additional resources and guidance to clarify whether businesses are covered by the Rule and what they must do to comply. To give creditors and financial institutions extra time to review this guidance and develop and implement written Identity Theft Prevention Programs, the FTC will further delay enforcement of the Rule until November 1, 2009.

The phrase collection agency is commonly applied to third-party agencies, named that because they were not a party to the original contract. The creditor designates accounts directly to such an agency on a contingency-fee basis, which commonly initially costs nothing at first to the creditor or merchant, except for the cost of communications. This on the other hand is dependent on the individual service level agreement that exists between the creditor and the collection agency.

Bankruptcies can hang on your credit report for up to 10 years and can butcher your credit score by hundreds of points. But by using these tactics, you could improve your credit score and become creditworthy several years before the bankruptcy drops off your credit report.

Due to the fresh credit card modifications that are starting up next year, card issuers will have a hard time getting teenagers on college campuses to apply for credit cards without their parents’ knowledge. As students arrive on campus, card issuers will be there to speak to them at many schools.

It is about time that someone stepped up in an effort to tutor the public on legal debt collection practices and general financial literacy. With a multitude of fake debt collectors throughout the United States preying on unwary consumers, Ask Doctor Debt serves to solve this ever growing situation by giving consumers an outlet in which to ask questions concerning their rights and any and all debt related questions.

The truth of the matter is, the more time that passes between the time the payment was overdue and the time the consumer is contacted, the less likely you are to get any sort of payment. If you’re serious about making money back, there are three ways to handle collection on past debt; in house efforts, hiring a collection agency, or taking legal action.

When looking for a Business Collection agency, it is vital for corporations to find a collection agency that services their specific needs. Some enterprises may rely on collection companies more than others. For example, a independent graphic designer may only need to use a Collection agency’s services once during his or her entire career. However, a larger corporation, such as a credit card company, may require the services of a Collection agency more often.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court revealed last week that it has amended some of the rules governing the use of small claims courts. The Court said that the changes were formed specifically to address the amount of debt collection cases that are filed in small claims courts.

In order to battle the matters associated with harassing debt collectors and debt collection companies, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (also known as the FDCPA) was formed. The laws and regulations authorized by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act not only safeguard consumers, but they also help debt collection agencies as well by encouraging them to perform in a serious and professional manner when engaging in speech with supposed debtors.

The U.S. Attorney’s office forwarded a criminal complaint Friday in U.S. District Court charging Timothy E. Arent and Neil G. Wieczkowski, both of Buffalo, N.Y., with mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Arent is also charged with bankruptcy fraud. The charge of mail fraud has a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The bankruptcy and conspiracy fraud charges each carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and fine of $250,000.