Released: January 21, 2019

Help Desk FAQ

Creditors collecting their own debts, in their own names, are excluded from the definition of "debt collector" under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).

However, a creditor “who, in the process of collecting his own debts, uses any name other than his own which would indicate that a third person is collecting or attempting to collect such debts” is considered a debt collector for the purposes of the FDCPA and is subject to the laws requirements and restrictions.

Learn more about the FDCPA in Consumer Action's "The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act: How it restricts collectors and protects consumers."