Collections, Repossessions, Utilities

More than 20,000 civilians receive treatment each year in Department of Defense (DoD) military treatment facilities. The DoD aggressively pursues collection for medical services provided to these civilians at military treatment facilities pursuant to its authority under the Debt Collection Improvement Act. A new NCLC Digital Library article describes new regulations that provide pathways to financial assistance, including details of eligibility and how to apply for assistance.

This article explains how to respond to IRS tax debt. Always file a return even without paying taxes owed, almost never use a credit card, and press various exemptions against an IRS levy. Options are detailed to pay in installments, eliminate collections, and even reduce the debt owed. Special rights for spouses and debtors in bankruptcy are discussed, and sources of help are listed.

This article provides tips to assist clients struggling with debt incurred by an abusive partner through identity theft or coercion (coerced debt): establishing a safety plan; protecting bank accounts; dealing with credit card abuse, credit reporting, debt collection, and home mortgages; and preventing new accounts being opened in the victim’s name. Nine new state laws dealing with coerced debt are summarized.

Ratio Utility Billing Systems (RUBS) is increasingly used in rental housing and creates potential for abusive landlord practices in tenants’ gas, electricity, and water bills. This article explains RUBS and the disadvantages of RUBS compared to traditional utility billing, provides a checklist to determine if a RUBS bill is accurate, mentions RUBS legislation and litigation, and links to additional resources.

This article examines the most significant 2025 Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) developments, including summaries of all reported FDCPA circuit courts of appeals decisions, a discussion of withdrawn guidance at the CFPB, and the just-released Eleventh Edition of NCLC’s Fair Debt Collection treatise.

A new NCLC Digital Library article examines the most significant 2024 FDCPA developments, including summaries of all reported circuit court of appeals decisions, the latest approaches to dealing with FDCPA standing problems, CFPB guidance on collection of medical debt, and important FDCPA claims related to new legislation that limits credit reporting of medical debt.

Even though federal law prohibits nursing homes from requiring a third party to guarantee payment of their loved one’s bill, nursing homes still frequently pursue payment from friends and family of debts that can exceed $100,000. A new NCLC Digital Library article explains a new federal guidance that nixes these nursing home evasions. The article provides practice advice for consumer advocates representing the resident’s family or friends.

The article explains two big mistakes taxpayers too often make when unable to repay their taxes, and describes three alternative options the IRS offers that can eliminate IRS harsh collections and even reduce the amount owed. Also described are the “innocent spouse” relief, the impact of the taxpayer’s bankruptcy, and limits on IRS seizure of a taxpayer’s wages and Social Security and other public benefits.

This article summarizes all 2023 Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) reported appellate court decisions, organized by topic. A highlight are eight appellate decisions examining standing in FDCPA cases. Some of the other topics include attorney fees, the bona fide error defense, the "debt collector" definition, and the FDCPA statute of limitations.

A new CFPB report highlights the astonishing amount of debt collection seeking medical debt not owed or owed in a lesser amount. This article describes reasons medical debt amounts are often inaccurate (including non-compliance with new federal and state legislation), details why such collection violates several FDCPA provisions, and explains how to overcome the medical debt collector’s legal defenses.