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Coalition of state Attorneys General announce settlement to resolve allegations concerning debt buyers’ collection and litigation practices

On December 4, the North Carolina Attorney General, along with 41 other state Attorneys General and the District of Columbia, announced a $6 million settlement with a national group of debt buyers to resolve allegations concerning the debt buyers’ collection and litigation practices. According to the press release, the debt buyers allegedly engaged in robo-signing practices by signing and filing large quantities of affidavits in state courts without first verifying the provided information. Under the terms of the settlement, the debt buyers have agreed to (i) completely eliminate or reduce the judgment balances for affected consumers in the participating states; (ii) reform their business practices by carefully verifying the information in affidavits for the courts and present accurate documents in court proceedings; (iii) review original account documents and provide substantiating documentation to consumers free of charge when a consumer disputes a debt; (iv) “maintain proper oversight and training over its employees and the law firms that it uses”; and (v) refrain from reselling debt for two years.

State Issues State Attorney General Debt Collection Settlement Robo-signing