Knowing your rights during debt collection can protect you from harassment, misinformation and costly mistakes.

Debt collectors generally descend after a creditor has given up sending bills and resorts to contacting the consumer by phone. Some creditors use in-house debt collectors. Others sell delinquent ...

Before you hand over money to a debt collector, take these steps to protect both your finances and your rights.

If you have unpaid credit card bills that are sent to collections, you have several options when it comes to repaying the debt. You can wait for the debt to reach the statute of limitations in your ...

I wrote a column a few years ago about joint enforcement actions by the FTC and 50 other state and federal government agencies against crooked debt collectors. The initiative was dubbed Operation ...

This could change how collections and repayments work, as private lenders may be less forgiving than the federal government.