Good Story

[henry6906]

Wanted to share this story in the Boston globe. Long but worth reading. Some of the points they touch on are CA with limit info to V accounts. Just though it may be useful.

In states where records are available, such as Iowa, Michigan, Maryland, Indiana, South Dakota, and Florida, the caseload of debt collection lawsuits is as high or higher. In Allen County, Ind., which includes Fort Wayne, debt collectors filed 20,000 lawsuits in 2004 - one for every six households. In Maryland, judges in the Baltimore City District Court approve an estimated 300 judgments against debtors each day, on the say-so of debt collectors who are almost never asked - in Maryland or any other state - to provide evidence that the debt is owed or that they have the right to collect.

Thanks

The full story

http://www.boston.com/news/special/spotlight_debt/part4/page1.html

[Aerovette]

I anticipate this is the begining of things to come. There will be a great upheaval in the collection laws and I would bet all your combined debts that it is going to get worse for us and better for them. They are breaking laws without repercussion and the next step is just to do away with the laws they are breaking.

[BayStateMom]

Wow - I read all the info. Thanks for putting this in here.

I have a friend who I've helped with credit repair over the past several years. I think he's dealt with every collection agency mentioned!

He's dv'd them all - most go away after the letter and then it gets moved on to another collection agency. Though they have his current address and have corresponded through that, one company did call his grandmother (who lives about 100 miles away, but same last name) and told them they were calling from "Providian Bank" and needed his work and/or cell phone number. Not trusting them, she refused to give out the info and said she would get in touch with them herself. Of course, they didn't like that answer.

He has a car loan through a credit union which will be paid off soon. He checked his credit reports and there are no "public records" listed there, so no judments awarded. Now he's a little worried that one of these shady collection agencies would file for a judgment, submit the incorrect address, and get it on default and then come take his car after it's paid off.

[Robert Nashville/Savannah]

The lady they mention who had already settled her debt and now was being bothered by a JDB/CA is a good illustration of why you always get it in writing and you keep the paperwork forever!

The problem I have with articles like this is that they tend to ignore the true problem which is the existence of consumer debt in the first place. If you don’t owe anybody anything you don’t have much to worry about from bottom feeding JDBs/CAs.