Published: December 2018

More could be done by the CFPB to stop harassment from debt collectors

Nearly 75 advocate groups joined together in urging the new CFPB director, Kathy Kraninger, to implement stronger rules that protect the 71 million adults in the United States with debt from abusive and harassing debt collection practices.

Even though it’s been more than 40 years since the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act became law, debt collection problems are a leading source of consumer complaints to the Consumer Protection Bureau (CFPB). The CFPB received approximately 84,500 complaints about debt collectors in 2017 alone. The CFPB has the power to protect consumers from these harassing tactics, and should do more to protect their privacy, limit the collection of time-barred debt, and improve the clarity and accuracy of debt collection notices.

Lead Organization

American's for Financial Reform (AFR)

Other Organizations

Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund | Affordable Homeownership Foundation Inc. | Allied Progress | Arkansans Against Abusive Payday Lending | Arkansas Community Institute | Arkansas Community Organizations | California Reinvestment Coalition | Center for Civil Justice | Center for Economic Integrity | Center for Responsible Lending | Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy | Colorado Cross Disability Coalition | Communications Workers of America | Connecticut Legal Services, Inc. | Consumer Action | Consumer Advocacy and Protection Society (CAPS) | Consumer Federation of America | Consumer Reports | Covenant House | Demos | East Bay Community Law Center | Empire Justice Center | Financial Protection Law Center | Florida Alliance for Consumer Protection | Florida Consumer Action Network | Georgia Watch | Greater Boston Legal Services, on behalf of its low-income clients | Green Forest CDC | Heartland Alliance | Housing and Economic Rights Advocates | Interfaith Alliance of Colorado | Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility | Kentucky Equal Justice Center | Legal Aid Service of Broward County | Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, Inc. | Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia | Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition | Mississippi Center for Justice | Mobilization for Justice | Mountain State Justice, Inc. | NAACP NAACP COMTWY State Conference | National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders | National Association of Consumer Advocates | National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA) | National Association of Social Workers West Virginia Chapter | National Center for Law and Economic Justice | National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low income clients) | National Consumers League | National Fair Housing Alliance | National Health Law Program | National Legal Aid & Defender Association | National Rural Social Work Caucus | Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Cleveland, Inc. | North Carolina Justice Center | Prosperity Now | Public Citizen | Public Counsel | Public Good Law Center | Public Justice Center | Public Law Center | Reinvestment Partners | SC Appleseed | Statewide Poverty Action Network (WA) | Texas Appleseed | Texas Legal Services Center | The Bell Policy Center | Tzedek DC | U.S. PIRG | Virginia Citizens Consumer Council | Virginia Poverty Law Center | West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy | Woodstock Institute | WV Citizen Action Group

More Information

For more information, please visit AFR.

Download PDF

More could be done by the CFPB to stop harassment from debt collectors   (CFPBDebtCollectionLetter.pdf)