http://www.michigancollectionlawblog.com/ Published by Michigan Creditor Lawyers Nitzkin & Associates en-us 2010-03-11T10:18:24-05:00 http://www.michigancollectionlawblog.com/2010/03/has_the_michigan_legislature_m_1.html Payday Loan Companies (“PLCs”) have a place in the financial food chain in our society. While they are akin to bottom feeders due to the high interest rates that they extort from necessitous borrowers, the fact remains that they are... Collection Laws Michigan gary 2010-03-11T10:18:24-05:00 http://www.michigancollectionlawblog.com/2010/03/its_a_small_thing_to_plead_but_1.html Attorneys, when you file a complaint under the Fair Credit Reporting Act ("FCRA"), be sure that you can make the following allegations in good faith: a. Your client posited its consumer dispute with the credit reporting agency (and not just... Fair Credit Reporting Act issues gary 2010-03-09T19:33:42-05:00 http://www.michigancollectionlawblog.com/2010/02/alabama_ag_wrongfully_shuts_do_1.html The Alabama Attorney General shut down Keith Nalms' law practice known as Allegro Law. Mr. Nalms, according to the lawsuit filed by the Alabama AG: The State’s civil complaint alleges that Allegro promoted a risky practice known as debt settlement,... Collection Law Firms in the News gary 2010-02-26T06:48:50-05:00 http://www.michigancollectionlawblog.com/2010/02/debt_buyers_should_be_very_car_1.html My colleague, David Lerner, has been described by our mutual friends as "blisteringly smart." I have cross swords with Mr. Lerner and have a great deal of respect for his abilities as do most attorneys that know him. Mr. Lerner... Debt Collection Tricks and Traps gary 2010-02-10T19:12:37-05:00 http://www.michigancollectionlawblog.com/2010/01/need_a_loan_modification_get_y_1.html If you need a loan modification, you will have to prove that you qualify for one. There is an excellent article in today's USA Today that talks about the requirements that many lenders are asking of borrowers in connection with... Foreclosure Defense gary 2010-01-29T09:33:10-05:00 http://www.michigancollectionlawblog.com/2010/01/oral_argument_on_the_bona_fide_1.html The United States Supreme Court has taken up the issue of whether the Bona Fide Error (“BFE”) defense under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”) applies to mistakes of law committed by debt collectors. In Jerman v Carlisle, et... gary 2010-01-21T10:59:00-05:00 http://www.michigancollectionlawblog.com/2009/12/the_fdcpa_bona_error_defense_g_1.html The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is a federal statute that governs every debt collector involved in collecting debts related to personal, home or consumer items. In 1995, the United States Supreme Court in Heinz v Jenkins, made clear that... Debt Collection Laws - Federal gary 2009-12-15T07:37:54-05:00 http://www.michigancollectionlawblog.com/2009/12/collection_agency_posing_as_pr.html Some states have a bad check diversion program that is designed to facilitate the payment of bad checks to merchant victims. These programs usually involve a district attorney and sometimes even, a private collection agency. The idea behind these programs... Collection Agencies breaking the law gary 2009-12-14T11:32:09-05:00 http://www.michigancollectionlawblog.com/2009/12/nice_try_but_i_know_about_scam.html Last week I received a call from an "attorney" calling himself David Cook, from Ontario. He asked if I was interested in collecting a $500,000 case against a local steel company. Of course I am interested! But, I don't like... Debt Collection Tricks and Traps gary 2009-12-09T10:40:24-05:00 http://www.michigancollectionlawblog.com/2009/12/attorneys_beware_of_internet_c_1.html I receive a funky email at least three times a week stating: a. We, of the Xio Shung (or some other Chinese sounding name) corporation have decided that we need your legal services to represent us in North America..... or... Debt Collection Tricks and Traps gary 2009-12-09T08:39:47-05:00