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New Rules Proposed for Debt Collectors and Reporting Agencies

BY ALM Staff
March 29, 2012

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) announced a proposed rule on Feb. 16, 2012 to include debt collectors and credit reporting agencies under its nonbank supervision program. These consumer financial market participants are not currently subject to federal supervision.

The proposed rule includes law firms and covers consumer debt collectors earning more than $10 million from the activity. Based on available data, the CFPB estimates that the proposed rule would cover approximately 175 debt collection firms ' or 4% of debt collection firms ' and that these firms account for 63% of annual receipts from the debt collection market.

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which created the CFPB, authorizes the CFPB to supervise nonbanks in the specific markets of residential mortgage, payday lending, and private education lending. In addition, for other nonbank markets for consumer financial products or services, the CFPB has the authority to supervise “larger participants.” As directed by Dodd-Frank, the Bureau must define such “larger participants” by rule, and an initial such rule must be issued by July 21, 2012. Last summer, the CFPB sought public comment about possible markets to include in the initial rule and available data sources the Bureau could use to define larger participants in nonbank markets.

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