FDCPA Lawsuits Rise in Second Half of July; Year-over-Year Suits Still Down

The number of lawsuits filed against accounts receivable management firms claiming violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) jumped in the second half of July after a broad trend of declines in FDCPA suits in 2012 compared to 2011.

From July 16 to July 31, suits filed by consumers claiming violations of the FDCPA increased a whopping 36 percent compared to the previous period (the first half of July). The gains can be at least partially attributed to the Independence Day holiday keeping suits low in the first half of July. But FDCPA lawsuits were also up nearly 15 percent compared to the same period in 2011.

Still, FDCPA lawsuits are down more than 5 percent compared to the same point in 2011. But consumers and their attorney representatives have been focusing on other statutes.

Lawsuits claiming violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) are up 62 percent over this time in 2011 and Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) suits have increased nearly 47 percent.

FDCPA and Other Consumer Lawsuit Statistics, July 16-31, 2012