Guest Post: CFPB Seeks Information for Third Party Debt Collection Rules

Editor’s Note: On November 3, 2016, Smith Debnam’s Jerry Myers attended a meeting with the CFPB to discuss the proposed rules for third party debt collection.  Below, he shares his thoughts from the meeting.

On Thursday November 3, 2016 I joined a group of colleagues for a meeting with the CFPB to discuss its proposed rules for third party debt collection.  I was one of four attorney members of the National Creditors Bar Association in attendance.  We were joined by representatives from the American Collectors Association and the Debt Buyers Association. The CFPB had invited us to meet with them following their Small Business Review Panel discussion a couple of months earlier. 

Each of the industry groups was given an opportunity to speak about the impact of the proposed rules on their respective industries.  There were areas of common concern among the groups.  Examples include the numerous notices and disclosures the proposed rules would require, the limits on communications with consumers, and the definition of certain terms, such as “default” and “date of default” which are included in the rules on substantiation.  There was also considerable discussion about determining what constitutes a dispute and how disputes should be handled.  All of the groups are concerned about the costs of complying with the new rules. The groups also expressed a shared concern that the new rules, once effective, not be applied retroactively, as was the case in the PHH litigation.  Lastly, all groups encouraged the Bureau to publish the rules for creditors at the same time as the rules for the third party collectors.

The attorneys pointed out additional ways that the proposed rules raise difficult issues for attorneys handling debt collection cases.  First, the proposed rules require that the attorney provide the consumer with numerous disclosures and notices.  These notices, such as the proposed Statement of Rights, make it appear that the collection attorney is providing legal advice to the consumer.  Such advice would violate the Rules of Professional Conduct, since the attorney for the creditor may not also provide legal advice to the debtor.  The proposed rules would also require the attorney to provide a “litigation disclosure” in connection with each communication which includes or evidences a threat of litigation.  Since some have argued that most communications by a collection attorney at least imply a threat of litigation, must the attorney provide the litigation disclosure in every communication with a debtor?

The attorneys also pointed out the problems we will face under the proposed rules which impose restrictions on communication with consumers.  For example, contacts with a consumer are capped at two per week if the collector, or any collector who previously worked on the account, has had a “confirmed consumer contact” with the consumer.  Under the rules, a “confirmed consumer contact” exists once any collector, even a prior one, has communicated with the consumer about the debt, and the consumer has answered when contacted that he or she is the debtor or alleged debtor.  We explained that such a rule imposes an untenable restriction on attorneys involved in litigation.  Depending on how many contacts have been made in a given week, the attorney might not be able to inform a consumer, for example, that a hearing date had been changed by the court or that a settlement offer had been accepted by the creditor.

As mentioned above, the proposed rules require a collector to “substantiate” a debt before taking any action to collect it.  Among the items the attorney must substantiate are the date of default and amount owed at default; however, the terms “default” and “date of default” are used differently for different types of debt.  For example, on a credit card account, there could be several defaults, followed by charge-off, followed by additional payments.  Also, on an auto loan, there could be more than one missed payment, followed by a repossession, followed by a sale of the collateral and establishment of a deficiency balance.  Trying to define default, date of default, and amount due at default for all types of debt would be a daunting task.  We reminded the panel that accounts placed with third party collectors are by definition delinquent.  That being the case, we suggested that the creditor be allowed to pick a logical point in time, such as the date of charge-off for a credit card, to provide a statement indicating the balance at that time, and then account for any additional charges or credits experienced thereafter?

Representatives from the CFPB present at the meeting were actively engaged in the discussions and asked many questions seeking to clarify the information the industry panelists provided.  They invited written follow up expanding on points raised during the meeting.  Deadlines previously established for publication of the debt collection rules have been extended several times.  It appears likely that the deadline will be extended again as the CFPB seeks to better understand the inner workings of the industry they are attempting to regulate.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jerry Myers practices law with the Smith Debnam firm in Raleigh NC and serves as its Managing Partner. He concentrates his practice in creditors' rights with an emphasis on debt collection, judgment enforcement, and commercial litigation.  He is certified as a specialist in the field of Creditors' Rights Law by The American Board of Certification.  Jerry is also a past President of the Commercial Law League of America.  Having practiced in the creditors' rights field for more than 25 years, he has written and lectured extensively on debt collection and judgment enforcement. Jerry was also instrumental in forming the North Carolina Creditors Bar Association, a specialty bar whose members are committed to advocating for the rights of those who make credit available, as well as to educating the general public on managing credit effectively.  He served as the organization's President 2010-2012.