According to federal regulators, the total number of consumer complaints against debt collectors has been steadily rising over the past few years. Not coincidentally, the rise in complaints has coincided with an increase in the number of bankruptcy filings.
As the toll of the recent recession continues to wear on beleaguered consumers, collection agencies may be [...]

Deciding to file for bankruptcy is a major financial move. Once a person takes the plunge, it can be jarring and frustrating if the court rejects the case. A rejected bankruptcy case is one that’s dismissed without discharge; in other words, the court kicks the case out with granting any debt relief.
Here’s a look at [...]

The Department of Justice has issued a statement indicating that it has filed and settled a number of lawsuits against Morgan Stanley and Bank of America for improperly foreclosing on properties owned by active members of the military.
A total of $22 million was apparently secured as compensatory funding for the service members whose homes were [...]

United States bankruptcy laws specifically prohibit modifications of primary mortgages for those in bankruptcy court, even when filers are in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure. Despite those restrictions, some news sources have reported that judges in certain parts of the country (primarily California, Louisiana and Texas) have been doing just that for filers.
What [...]

A piece of legislation designed to keep consumer information private in online transactions was proposed in the Senate this week by John McCain (R-Ariz.) and John Kerry (D-Mass.). Unveiled Tuesday, the Commercial Privacy Bill of Rights addresses many issues of consumer privacy that the Obama administration has pushed for.
In its current form, the proposed legislation [...]

In the last few years, legislators in various states who worked to put tough restrictions on payday lenders were generally lauded as heroes by consumer rights advocates. But a recent report from Credit.com suggests that tight limits on interest rates might not be enough to prevent customers from getting trapped by high-cost loans.
Why? Because, it [...]

If you’re recovering from a bankruptcy filing, trying to get out of debt or otherwise attempting to improve your finances, there’s nothing quite as frustrating as thinking you’re doing well spending-wise, only to find unexpected charges on your credit card bill.
Now, thanks to a new law passed at the end of December, your chances of [...]

A recent story reported on WalletPop.com tells of a debt collector behaving badly – specifically, it seems, this debt collector actually took to “Facebook stalking” a woman in an attempt to get her to pay her debt.
The woman has reportedly sued the debt collector; her case is interesting in part because it highlights some of [...]

U.S. Senator Al Franken (D – Minn.) has proposed new legislation that would require debt collectors to follow more stringent guidelines when attempting to collect on debts.
The proposal should be welcome to anyone who has ever felt frustrated, overwhelmed or simply stressed out by aggressivedebt collection practices. Here’s a look at the terms of the [...]

While the Great Recession, touched off by the abuses in the housing market in the years leading up to 2007, has wreaked havoc on the economy of the United States, it has also caused some positive changes in the economic landscape. One of these changes, reported by Reuters, is a system of monitoring and registering [...]

In an exciting decision handed down by the Supreme Court this week, the justices ruled that individuals who file for protection under Chapter 13 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code are entitled to have their repayment plans based on their expected income during the next three- to five-year period, rather than on the six-month period preceding [...]

The taxes may be done, but what should you do if the IRS decides to conduct an audit? A recent article from CNNMoney asks just this question, and they offer some tips that could be good to know if you find yourself in that situation.
The number of audits is going up
Over the last ten years, [...]

A variety of consumer protection measures have been proposed in the past week or so, and some of them would be pretty exciting if they passed into law. Here’s a look at what to watch out for in the coming months.
FCC to Help with Cell Phone Bills
The Federal Communications Commission reported this week that it [...]

Bankruptcy fraud has gone largely un-prosecuted this year, thanks to greater attention being paid by FBI investigators to other types of white-collar crime, according to a report from Bloomberg News.
According to sources, only 82 cases of bankruptcy fraud were tried in the fiscal year ending September 30. This total is apparently the lowest it’s been [...]

Creditors in Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases would need to verify their claims to debts in order to be included in a repayment plan under new local rules currently under consideration in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
The requirement of secured creditors would provide more transparency for debtors whose loans may have [...]

The House of Representatives passed a sweeping financial reform bill Friday, but failed to approve an amendment that would have allowed bankruptcy judges to renegotiate mortgages of homeowners filing Chapter 13 bankruptcy.
Mortgages in Bankruptcy
Under current bankruptcy law, some filers can prevent or postpone mortgage foreclosure by filing for Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Here’s what Chapter 13 [...]

It’s a concept that many weary consumers can’t even imagine: mortgages and credit card applications so straightforward that they make up just a single page.
This was the Obama administration’s vision this summer as officials talked about possible plans for regulating the country’s financial sector in the interests of consumers.
One cornerstone of the current plan is [...]

A House bill may give more than 1 million jobless Americans an extra 13 weeks of unemployment benefits. The bills is expected to pass the House vote today and make its way to the Senate, according to CNN.
The bill will extend benefits in states with unemployment rates exceeding 8.5%—which includes 27 states plus Washington, D.C. [...]