Debt Buyers Less Restricted than Collection Agencies

 Posted on November 08, 2018 in Debt Collection

Debt buyers and debt collection agencies may operate similarly, but there is an important difference between them. A creditor hires a debt collection agency to pursue debtors on its behalf. A debt buyer purchases the debt from the creditor, making it the new creditor. Still, governments often put debt buyers in the same category as collection agencies. Illinois law states that debt buyers are subject to the terms, conditions, and requirements of the Collection Agency Act, except in four instances:

1. Surety Bonds: Debt buyers are not required to purchase and maintain surety bonds. Collection agencies must have surety bonds through an insurance company as guarantors for its clients. The bond will compensate the creditor if the collection agency fails to return the money it has collected. A debt buyer does not have client obligations.
2. Trust Account: Debt buyers are not required to put the money they collect into a separate bank account, called a trust account. Collection agencies must hold the payments they receive in these accounts because the money is ultimately going to the creditors that hired them. Unlike collection agencies, debt buyers are not holding the debts for another party because they own the debts they are collecting.
3. Lawsuit Requirements: A collection agency cannot consult an attorney about filing a lawsuit against a debtor without first notifying the creditor it is working for. The creditor has five days after receiving the notice to respond and deny permission to consult an attorney. As both the creditor and debt collector, a debt buyer does not need permission to file a lawsuit against a debtor.
4. Assignment for Collection: The collection agency and creditor must create an assignment for collection contract, giving the agency the right to collect the debt in its own name. Once again, a debt buyer does not work for a client, meaning that it already has the authority to collect the debt.

Debt Buyer’s Rights

Debt buyers can profit from paying low prices to purchase old debts that creditors may have stopped pursuing. Even if the debtor does not repay the full value of the debt, the debt buyer may still receive several times the value of what it paid for the debt. Debt buyers also have the same right as creditors to take a noncompliant debtor to court. A Chicago debt collection attorney at Dimand Walinski Law Offices, P.C., can help you legally enforce repayment by debtors. To schedule a consultation, call 312-704-0771.

Source:

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1355&ChapterID