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Debt Collectors Can Demand Payment on Facebook Once You ‘Friend’ or ‘Follow’ Them

According to an article in PaymentsJournal and the Register debt collectors now have the authority to make their payment demands public on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms
According to The Register – Debt collectors will be allowed to chase people over their social media accounts under new rules approved by the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
That means that your new Facebook friend request could come from an agency hounding you over that unpaid medical bill, next Twitter direct message chasing car payments, next Instagram interaction more financial than social. 
November 27, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (currently under the control of the Trump administration) recently ruled that debt collections agencies can now use social media outlet like Facebook and Twitter to try to recover outstanding debt. Further, email and text dunning notices are also fair game. The CPFB says it is simply modernizing the debt collection process to allow it to use more modern means of connecting to those who owe money.
The rules were released at the end of October but had gone largely unnoticed outside the industry because there was no mention of “social media” in the CFPB’s announcement and you had to dig inside its 132-page report [PDF] to discover the crucial changes.
Don’t assume that the person sending the friend request is going to say they are with a debt collector, they have a financial incentive to mislead you into thinking their request is innocent.
Also, email and text messages are now also an official part of a debt collector’s arsenal, raising both privacy and harassment concerns. The rules also state that an agency can contact consumers by phone up to seven times a week about each debt owed.

What is the debt collectors incentive?
Debt collectors are paid a percentage of whatever they collect from the borrower.  Therefore, there is significant financial incentive for the debt collector to lie, coerce or bully the borrower into paying the debt collector rather than buying food or paying rent.  You can imagine the fraud that will follow this ruling.  Debt collectors will and are, blackmailing the borrower into paying by threatening to tell all the borrower’s friends about the debt.

Statute of Limitations
Every state has a set of laws called the ‘statutes of limitations‘.  That means that once a certain time period passes the right to sue is gone.  For intance, in Arizona the right to collect on a contract is usually six years.  What debt collectors don’t share is that by paying just one penny the borrower has restarted the statute of limitations.  The debt collectors promise to give the borrowers additional time “if only they pay a small amount, say $25”.  Once that payment is made the statute of limitations starts all over.  DON’T FALL FOR THIS.
The debt may not even be yours
There have been numerous horror stories of people being publicly harassed and embarrassed over debts they didn’t even owe, due to bad record keeping by debt agencies.

As an article in Slash Gear reports:

Many people and consumer protection agencies are against the new regulations. Consumer Reports created a petition this week, aiming to stop abusive debt collection. The petition warns that the collectors could harass people even if they don’t owe money.

.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-7{width:100% !important;margin-top : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;}.fusion-builder-column-7 > .fusion-column-wrapper {padding-top : 0px !important;padding-right : 0px !important;margin-right : 1.92%;padding-bottom : 0px !important;padding-left : 0px !important;margin-left : 1.92%;}@media only screen and (max-width:980px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-7{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-7 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 1.92%;margin-left : 1.92%;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-7{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-7 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 1.92%;margin-left : 1.92%;}}@media only screen and (max-width:980px) {.fusion-title.fusion-title-3{margin-top:15px!important;margin-bottom:0px!important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-title.fusion-title-3{margin-top:10px!important;margin-bottom:10px!important;}}MUSINGS BY DIANE:Our private lives are more public today than ever before.  Social media gives anyone a look into our personal lives, whether their intentions are good or evil.  Personally, I know that everyone wants to pay their bills, but circumstances now make that impossible.  A financially healthy family can be devastated by medical expenses, unemployment, divorce, or now COVID. 
For more than three decades I have helped people deal with their financial challenges, and have never met a client who says “I WANT to file bankruptcy”.  Instead, the discussion starts with “I don’t know what to do.  If I feed my family then I cannot afford to pay my credit cards.  Even though I explained the situation to the debt collectors, they just garnished my wages and took all the money in my bank account.  Now I can’t pay the rent. I must stop this bleeding before my family is homeless.”  

@media only screen and (max-width:980px) {.fusion-title.fusion-title-4{margin-top:0px!important;margin-bottom:6px!important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-title.fusion-title-4{margin-top:10px!important;margin-bottom:10px!important;}}– Diane L. Drain.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-8{width:100% !important;margin-top : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;}.fusion-builder-column-8 > .fusion-column-wrapper {padding-top : 0px !important;padding-right : 30px !important;margin-right : 1.92%;padding-bottom : 0px !important;padding-left : 45px !important;margin-left : 1.92%;}@media only screen and (max-width:980px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-8{width:100% !important;order : 0;}.fusion-builder-column-8 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 1.92%;margin-left : 1.92%;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-8{width:100% !important;order : 0;}.fusion-builder-column-8 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 1.92%;margin-left : 1.92%;}}.fusion-body .fusion-flex-container.fusion-builder-row-6{ padding-top : 0px;margin-top : 0px;padding-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;padding-left : 0px;}.fusion-button.button-2 {border-radius:10px;}.fusion-button.button-2.button-3d{-webkit-box-shadow: inset 0px 1px 0px #fff,0px 5px 0px #003d00,1px 7px 7px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.3);-moz-box-shadow: inset 0px 1px 0px #fff,0px 5px 0px #003d00,1px 7px 7px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.3);box-shadow: inset 0px 1px 0px #fff,0px 5px 0px #003d00,1px 7px 7px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.3);}.button-2.button-3d:active{-webkit-box-shadow: inset 0px 1px 0px #fff,0px 5px 0px #003d00,1px 7px 7px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.3);-moz-box-shadow: inset 0px 1px 0px #fff,0px 5px 0px #003d00,1px 7px 7px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.3);box-shadow: inset 0px 1px 0px #fff,0px 5px 0px #003d00,1px 7px 7px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.3);}Click here for steps to your free bankruptcy consultation
.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-10{width:25% !important;margin-top : 0px;margin-bottom : 20px;}.fusion-builder-column-10 > .fusion-column-wrapper {padding-top : 0px !important;padding-right : 0px !important;margin-right : 10px;padding-bottom : 0px !important;padding-left : 0px !important;margin-left : 10px;}@media only screen and (max-width:980px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-10{width:100% !important;order : 0;}.fusion-builder-column-10 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 10px;margin-left : 10px;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-10{width:100% !important;order : 0;}.fusion-builder-column-10 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 10px;margin-left : 10px;}}

• Debt Collectors Profit because of COVID
• 60 and Over in the Time of COVID-19? Tips to Stay Financially Healthy.
• Bankruptcy after COVID-19. What Should You Do to Avoid Mistakes?
• 10 Things You Need to Know Before Filing Bankruptcy

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The post Warning – Debt Collectors ‘Friending’ You on Facebook Make Public Demand for Payment appeared first on Diane L. Drain - Phoenix Arizona Bankruptcy Attorney.

CFPB Settles with Discover Bank, the Student Loan Corporation and Discover Products for violating a consent order and other unlawful practices

December 22, 2020 Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a consent order that Discover must pay at least $10 million to consumers, and $25 million as a penalty for their unfair acts and practices.  Below is a reprint of the CFPB’s announcement and Order.
The Bureau previously issued a consent order against Discover in July 2015 (2015 Order). The Bureau’s 2015 Order was based on the Bureau’s finding that Discover misstated the minimum amounts due on billing statements as well as tax information consumers needed to get federal income tax benefits. The Bureau also found that Discover engaged in illegal debt collection practices. The Bureau’s 2015 Order required Discover to refund $16 million to consumers, pay a penalty, and fix its unlawful practices servicing and collection practices. The Bureau found that Discover violated the 2015 Order’s requirements in several ways. Discover misrepresented the minimum loan payments consumers owed, the amount of interest consumers paid, and other material information, such as interest rates, payments, due dates, and the availability of rewards, among other things. Discover also did not provide all of the consumer redress the 2015 Order required.

The Bureau found that Discover engaged in unfair acts and practices by withdrawing payments from more than 17,000 consumers’ accounts without valid authorization and by cancelling or not withdrawing payments for more than 14,000 consumers without notifying them. This conduct violated the CFPA, EFTA, and Regulation E. The Bureau also found that Discover engaged in deceptive acts and practices in violation of the CFPA by misrepresenting to more than 100,000 consumers the minimum payment owed and to more than 8,000 consumers the amount of interest paid. Some consumers ended up paying more than they owed, others became late or delinquent because they could not pay the overstated amount, while others may have filed inaccurate tax returns.
Today’s order prohibits Discover from making any misrepresentations about minimum payments consumers owe, the amount of interest consumers paid, and other material servicing terms. The order also prohibits Discover from withdrawing loan payments from consumers’ bank accounts in amounts or at times not authorized by consumers.

The consent order can be found at: https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_discover-bank-et-al_consent-order_2020-12.pdf. 

.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-7{width:100% !important;margin-top : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;}.fusion-builder-column-7 > .fusion-column-wrapper {padding-top : 0px !important;padding-right : 0px !important;margin-right : 1.92%;padding-bottom : 0px !important;padding-left : 0px !important;margin-left : 1.92%;}@media only screen and (max-width:980px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-7{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-7 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 1.92%;margin-left : 1.92%;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-7{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-7 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 1.92%;margin-left : 1.92%;}}@media only screen and (max-width:980px) {.fusion-title.fusion-title-3{margin-top:15px!important;margin-bottom:0px!important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-title.fusion-title-3{margin-top:10px!important;margin-bottom:10px!important;}}MUSINGS BY DIANE:Most students in higher-education are looking for ways to improve their future, and that of their family.  Yes, there are a few who see student loans as “free money” and damn the consequences of taking out these loans.  But, I am going to ignore that group and focus on the honest borrowers. 
Honest borrowers assume that their student loan lender will be honest and treat them with respect.  Unfortunately, we are seeing time after time that the banks and student loan companies and servicers just see the borrowers as easy marks and cash registers.  Among other things, they mislead the borrowers about the cost of the loans and about the options to work out payments during difficult times.  The successful future of our country depends on quality education for everyone.  Right now student loan lenders are preying on the most vulnerable members of our society – those who see higher education as the path to a better life, but cannot afford to pay for that costly education.

@media only screen and (max-width:980px) {.fusion-title.fusion-title-4{margin-top:0px!important;margin-bottom:6px!important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-title.fusion-title-4{margin-top:10px!important;margin-bottom:10px!important;}}– Diane L. Drain.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-8{width:100% !important;margin-top : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;}.fusion-builder-column-8 > .fusion-column-wrapper {padding-top : 0px !important;padding-right : 30px !important;margin-right : 1.92%;padding-bottom : 0px !important;padding-left : 45px !important;margin-left : 1.92%;}@media only screen and (max-width:980px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-8{width:100% !important;order : 0;}.fusion-builder-column-8 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 1.92%;margin-left : 1.92%;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-8{width:100% !important;order : 0;}.fusion-builder-column-8 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 1.92%;margin-left : 1.92%;}}.fusion-body .fusion-flex-container.fusion-builder-row-6{ padding-top : 0px;margin-top : 0px;padding-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;padding-left : 0px;}.fusion-button.button-2 {border-radius:10px;}.fusion-button.button-2.button-3d{-webkit-box-shadow: inset 0px 1px 0px #fff,0px 5px 0px #003d00,1px 7px 7px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.3);-moz-box-shadow: inset 0px 1px 0px #fff,0px 5px 0px #003d00,1px 7px 7px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.3);box-shadow: inset 0px 1px 0px #fff,0px 5px 0px #003d00,1px 7px 7px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.3);}.button-2.button-3d:active{-webkit-box-shadow: inset 0px 1px 0px #fff,0px 5px 0px #003d00,1px 7px 7px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.3);-moz-box-shadow: inset 0px 1px 0px #fff,0px 5px 0px #003d00,1px 7px 7px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.3);box-shadow: inset 0px 1px 0px #fff,0px 5px 0px #003d00,1px 7px 7px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.3);}Click here for steps to your free bankruptcy consultation
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• Navient & FedLoan Mismanagement of Student Loans
• Don’t Fall Into a Student Loan Relief Scam
• Seniors Saddled with Student Loans
• Do Student Loans Debts Die With You?

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The post Discover Bank and The Student Loan Corporation to Refund Millions to Consumers appeared first on Diane L. Drain - Phoenix Arizona Bankruptcy Attorney.

How Does the Consolidated Appropriation Act Intersect with Bankruptcy?
December 27, 2020 Congress passed the longest bill ever – 5,600 pages. The Consolidated Appropriation Act “CAA”, I can only assume, like so many of the other laws created by the Legislative branch, that this huge Act contains lots of special interest provisions, but I regress.  My focus here is to discuss how this Act interconnects with bankruptcy (note – the entire Bankruptcy Code is less than 200 pages).  The following is reprinted for educational purposes only.

According to a blog by David Warfield and David Farrell, Thompson Coburn, LLP, there are nine amendments to the Bankruptcy Code in the CAA.  Below are brief descriptions of each of these amendments.  It is possible that these interpretations of the new Act will change with new legislation or court decisions, so never assume what you read one day will be interpreted the same way the next day.
A brief description of the amendments follows.
1. PPP loans to debtors (or trustees)
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”), enacted on March 27, 2020, created the Paycheck Protection Program (the “PPP”), the now-familiar forgivable loan program administered by the Small Business Administration (“SBA”). Almost immediately after the passage of the CARES Act, debtors began applying for PPP loans, triggering a controversy about the availability of such loans to companies in bankruptcy. The SBA consistently opposed PPP loans for debtors, and the caselaw around the country was inconsistent. As recently as December 22, 2020, the Eleventh Circuit held that debtors could not obtain PPP loans. See USF Federal Credit Union, et al. v. Gateway Radiology Consultants, P.A., 2020 WL 7579338 (11th Cir. December 22, 2020).
The CAA addresses the PPP loan issue but regrettably only adds to the uncertainty. The CAA amends the Bankruptcy Code to permit PPP loans to certain debtors. However, the statute also says such PPP loans will be available only if the SBA Administrator sends a letter to the Director of the Executive Office for United States Trustee acquiescing to PPP loans in bankruptcy. Therefore, the new statute seemingly delegates to the SBA administrator the discretion whether to approve PPP loans during bankruptcy, so we do not yet know whether these PPP loans will be available.
Assuming the SBA Administrator acquiesces to PPP loans in bankruptcy, the loans will be available: (a) only in cases filed after the date the SBA sends the aforementioned letter to the Office of the United States Trustee, and (b) only to certain types of debtors, namely Subchapter V small business debtors, Chapter 12 family farmer debtors, and self-employed Chapter 13 debtors. This provision, if it becomes effective, will sunset on December 27, 2022.
2. Chapter 13 discharge available even if certain plan payments have not been made
The CAA amends Section 1328 to give the bankruptcy court discretion to grant a discharge to a Chapter 13 debtor even though the debtor defaulted on or after March 13, 2020 in not more than three monthly payments under a residential mortgage because of a material COVID-19 related financial hardship. Furthermore, the court can also grant a discharge to a debtor whose confirmed plan provides for curing defaults on a residential mortgage, and the debtor has entered into a qualifying loan modification or forbearance agreement with the lender. This does not mean the debtor will be discharged of the mortgage debt, but a debtor will be eligible to receive a plan discharge of other debts even though the debtor did not pay all mortgage payments when due under the plan. This provision sunsets on December 27,2021.
3. No discrimination because of bankruptcy filing
The CAA amends Section 525 of the Bankruptcy Code to provide that no person may be denied relief under three enumerated CARES Act provisions solely because the person is or was a debtor in a bankruptcy case. The three CARES Act provisions are: (a) the foreclosure moratorium and right to request forbearance (15 U.S.C. § 9056), (b) the forbearance of mortgage payments for multifamily properties (15 U.S.C. § 9057), and (c) the temporary moratorium on eviction filings (15 U.S.C. § 9058). This provision sunsets on December 27, 2021.
4. CARES forbearance claims; modification of Chapter 13 plan
Under the CARES Act, mortgagors under federally-backed residential and multifamily mortgages can request payment forbearance because of COVID-19 hardships. In the case of federally-backed residential mortgage, the forbearance period can be as long as 12 months. At the end of the forbearance periods, the mortgagor must pay the deferred mortgage payments in a lump-sum. These deferred mortgage payments caused significant procedural and administrative complications in Chapter 13 cases. To remedy these complications, the CAA allows qualified servicers to file a proof of claim for the deferred payments, even if the claims bar date has passed. The CAA also authorizes debtors to modify a confirmed Chapter 13 plan to address the deferred payment plan. If the debtor fails to modify his plan, the bankruptcy court (on its own motion), the U.S. Trustee’s office, the Chapter 13 trustee and/or any party in interest may move for such a modification. These changes sunset in on December 27, 2021.
5. Extended time for performance under an unexpired non-residential real property lease in a Subchapter V case
The CAA amends Section 365(d) of the Bankruptcy Code to allow the court to extend a Subchapter V small business debtor’s time to perform under an unexpired lease of non-residential real property if the debtor is experiencing or has experienced a material financial hardship due, directly or indirectly, to COVID-19. The extension is limited to 60 days after the filing unless the court finds the debtor is continuing to experience a COVID-19 financial hardship, in which case the court may extend the period for an additional 60 days. Any deferred obligations that are unpaid at confirmation constitute administrative expenses, but the debtor may spread the payments out over time under the confirmed plan. These changes apply only to cases commenced under Subchapter V, and they sunset in two years on December 27, 2022.
6. Extended time to assume or reject an unexpired non-residential real property lease
The CAA amends Section 365(d)(4)(A) of the Bankruptcy Code to give the debtor (or trustee) 210 days after the order for relief to assume an unexpired non-residential real property lease, thereby extending the period under prior law by an additional 90 days. This change applies to cases under all chapters, and it sunsets in two years on December 27, 2022.
7. Preferences
The CAA amends Section 547 to prohibit a debtor or trustee from avoiding payments made by a debtor during the preference period for “covered rental arrearages” and “covered supplier arrearages.” To qualify for the exemption, (a) the debtor and the counterparty must have entered into a lease or executory contract before the filing, (b) they must have amended the lease or contract after March 13, 2020, and (c) the amendment must have deferred or postponed payments otherwise due under the lease or contract. The preference exemption will not apply to the payment of fees, penalties, or interest imposed in the post-March 13, 2020 amendment. This provision sunsets in two years on December 27, 2022.
8. Utilities
The CAA amends Section 366 of the Bankruptcy Code to prohibit a utility from discontinuing utility services to an individual debtor so long as the individual debtor pays the utility company for services rendered in the twenty-day post-filing period and continues to make all other postpetition utility payments, even if the individual debtor did not otherwise provide the utility company with adequate assurance of payment. This provision sunsets in one year on December 27, 2021.
9. Customs duties
The CAA amends Section 507(d) of the Bankruptcy Code so that a party that pays the United States government a customs duty on behalf of an importer is subrogated to the government’s priority status under Section 507(b)(8)(F) for customs duties. This provision benefits customs brokers and forwarders who frequently pay the government for customs duties on behalf of their importer-clients. This provision sunsets in one year on December 27, 2021.
David Warfield is the co-chair of Thompson Coburn’s Financial Restructuring Group. David Farrell represents secured lenders, securitization participants, unsecured trade creditors, creditors’ committees, and buyers and sellers of distressed businesses.

.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-1{width:100% !important;margin-top : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;}.fusion-builder-column-1 > .fusion-column-wrapper {padding-top : 0px !important;padding-right : 0px !important;margin-right : 1.92%;padding-bottom : 0px !important;padding-left : 0px !important;margin-left : 1.92%;}@media only screen and (max-width:980px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-1{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-1 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 1.92%;margin-left : 1.92%;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-1{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-1 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 1.92%;margin-left : 1.92%;}}@media only screen and (max-width:980px) {.fusion-title.fusion-title-1{margin-top:15px!important;margin-bottom:0px!important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-title.fusion-title-1{margin-top:10px!important;margin-bottom:10px!important;}}MUSINGS BY DIANE:The last few years has shined a spotlight on a dirty little secret known only by a few.  That being the role of the politician is the same as that of the magician – to mislead their audience.  Unfortunately, the politician can cause significant long term consequences when misleading their audience (you and me).  It will take years, if ever, to uncover what this latest bill (5,600 pages of legal mumble-jumble) hides.  Meanwhile, those who really need help are left with $600 to buy a few groceries.  Very few small businesses will survive COVID, those who do will be faced with a long climb to rebuild. 
One good thing came out of COVID – that was to question the way we conduct business or share information.  It is my hope that we will never return completely to our pre-COVID business structures.  Instead, we learned that we can still do our jobs while taking care of our family and walking the dog.  We realized that family and friends are just as important as our jobs and that we can take time for ourselves without feeling guilty.
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Student loans might be discharged through bankruptcy.