Debt-Collection Reforms Draw Congressional Focus Post-COVID

In April 2021, House Financial Services Committee Chair Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) introduced H.R. 2547, the “Comprehensive Debt Collection Improvement Act.” This article examines the bill’s proposed reforms, takes a closer look at a few of the key provisions related to nonjudicial foreclosure, student loan and servicemember debt-collection practices, and considers its prospects for passage in the Senate. With respect to nonjudicial foreclosures, the legislation seeks to amend the definition of “debt collector” under the FDCPA to include entities that conduct non judicial foreclosures. As for student loans, the bill proposes an amendment that would slightly expand private student loan protections to mandate discharge of student borrower liability where a student is “totally or permanently disabled.” Finally, the legislation seeks to expand servicemember protections by protecting them and their dependents from debt-collector abuses, such as threats to reduce their rank, revoke their security clearance, or have them prosecuted under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. To read the full article, click here.