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Debt Management Law News

July 6, 2010

Consumers, Lawyers Push Back Against Debt Collectors

Standing up to debt collectors can be difficult but a growing number of consumers and lawyers are doing just that.

Websites and individuals have started to teach consumers how to fight back against what they call unprincipled practices, harassment and violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, according to the New York Times.

Indeed, 8,287 lawsuits were filed in 2009 claiming violations of the act. That number marks a 60 percent increase over similar suits in the previous year.

Steven Katz runs a website designed to spread information among consumers on how to deal with collectors. “The bill collectors, when they call, make you feel like the only option you have is to lay down and play dead. That’s not true,” Katz told the news source.

Rozanne M. Andersen, chief executive of ACA International, a trade association for the debt collection industry says she is not pleased with the growing anti-debt collector movement. “We believe those types of websites are encouraging people to not take responsibility for just debt,” she told the Times.

One lawyer, Peter Barry, is so enthusiastic about the push-back against collectors that he has started offering "boot camps" to other attorneys, where professionals share advice on how to win cases involving the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

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Sometimes, debt can be overwhelming, and bankruptcy becomes necessary.
Bankruptcy can sometimes be difficult. If you are considering bankruptcy, contact the Houston bankruptcy lawyers of Weston & Associates, PLLC at 713-623-4242


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