Debt collectors: McCollum takes aim
Florida's Attorney General Bill McCollum today plans to ask state legislators to enhance his offices' ability to bring cases against unscrupulous debt collectors.
“As Attorney General, I am willing to go above and beyond what the law currently requires so that people who have complained about abusive practices by debt collectors may finally get some relief,” McCollum said.
Debt collections topped the list of consumer complaints among the nation's attorneys general last year. McCollum's office has received more than 4,400 complaints about debt collectors this year, but has not opened a single case, according to an upcoming story by The Orlando Sentinel. The attorney general's office told the newspaper it has little authority over debt collectors.
McCollum, a Republican, is running for governor, as is Democratic Alex Sink, Florida's chief financial officer.
Sink overseas the Office of Financial Regulation, which licenses debt collectors and which also receives consumer complaints about them.
The Orlando Sentinel story notes that the Office of Financial Regulation has not fined or revoked a debt collector's license in at least two years.
McCollum's office said it also plans to form a task force with the Office of Financial Regulation to address consumer complaints.
McCollum's Chief of Staff Joe Jacquot said the office will ask the Florida Legislature to increase its powers under the state's deceptive trade paractices statue to make it easier for prosecutors to demonstrate that debt collectors have violated the law with such tactics as harassment.
In addition, McCollum is asking for authority to bring lawsuits against out-of-state debt collectors in state court.
Harriet Johnson Brackey, the personal finance columnist for the Sun Sentinel, is an award-winning business reporter. Her columns for 2008 were named "The Best in the Business," a national award chosen by her colleagues at the Society of American Business Editors and Writers.
Comments
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Posted by: in the know | November 3, 2009 10:34 AM
Outstanding. If what is written is true and he is committed. It's about time.
Posted by: Leanne DeCoste-Arcacha | November 3, 2009 11:39 AM
ABOVE AND BEYOND LAW?
Is that not why we voted Bushies Out?
When will they learn that law of the land is law of the land
Posted by: Tanzer Kalayci | November 3, 2009 11:43 AM
If you would all just pay your bills then this wouldn't be a problem. Stop living above your means and learn some responsibility. We all lose when people stop paying in the form of higher interest rates, reduced property values, higher retail prices, etc. I know some people fall on hard times when they lose jobs, get divorced, have medical issues, etc. but for the rest of you that just overspent and have no means to repay it, you reap what you sow. So stop pointing the finger at debt collectors and take care of your own issues first.
Posted by: Pay Your Bills Deadbeats | November 3, 2009 1:27 PM
The Law of the Land is only the law of the land until it is CHANGED....
Posted by: Joe | November 3, 2009 3:45 PM
It is about time. I was hit twice by debt collectors trying to collect a debt on behalf of companies I never did business with. In both instances, I learned that the debt collectors simply used The Terminator tactics by sending debt collection letters to everyone with the same name in hopes that one person would pay it. It is disgusting that debt collectors can attempt to hold you hostage yet they do absolutely nothing to verify the validity of the bounty they are trying to collect.
What is worse is that the U.S. Postal Service is aiding and abetting these thieves by delivering millions of false notices and then failing to investigate the fraud.
Posted by: Chris | November 3, 2009 5:08 PM
What took Bill McCollum so long? He and most Floridian pols are terrible when it comes to protecting consumers. This place is like the wild west where you cannot trust any business because the scoundrels are always ahead of the GOP led government which is always more interested in farce of "free markets" rather than doing the job they are elected to do - care for the citizens (i.e. consumers).
Posted by: MP | November 4, 2009 2:59 PM
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