CFPB

On December 18, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau) issued a final rule (December 2020 Rule) amending Regulation F to provide additional requirements regarding validation information and disclosures provided at the outset of debt collection communications, prohibit suits and threats of suits regarding time-barred debt, and identify actions that must be taken before a debt collector may report information about a debt to consumer reporting agencies (CRAs).

The Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (Bureau) is issuing this final rule to revise Regulation F, which implements the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and currently contains the procedures for State application for exemption from the provisions of the FDCPA. The Bureau is finalizing Federal rules governing the activities of debt collectors, as that term is defined in the FDCPA.

Debt buyers, debt collectors, and others who furnish information to credit reporting agencies have a variety of obligations under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) 1 and Regulation V2. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issues this bulletin3 to highlight one of those obligations – the obligation of furnishers to investigate disputed information in a consumer report.