Illionois Attorney General Lisa Madigan took further action to reform an abusive debt settlement industry that wreaks havoc on financially strapped consumers who are increasingly desperate to manage their rising debts in these difficult economic times. Madigan proposed legislation to prohibit debt settlement firms from engaging in unfair practices that harm consumers including charging upfront …
Interesting article worth reading out of Texas about debt settlement and the Debt Relief USA mess. People in desperate financial straits will sometimes go to desperate lengths to get out. And some companies use questionable practices to capitalize on their plights. The most recent example is an Addison-based company that promised to cut consumers’ credit …
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott today took legal action to recover $4.6 million that a bankrupt “debt settlement” company wrongly withheld from its clients in Texas and other states. In June, Debt Relief USA Inc. of Addison filed for bankruptcy protection in the Northern District of Texas. As a result, more than 2,500 financially distressed …
The Federal Trade Commission recently annound operation Short Change, an effort to help curb abuses of consumers by groups claiming to offer help. Here is a summary of the companies targeted under Operation Short Change. California Mezey & Associates, Inc., Campos Chartered Law Firm, The Consumer Protection Law Center dba Consumer Law Center, LLC Desist …
Debt settlement company Debt Relief USA has filed bankruptcy in Texas following recent investigations and suits by the attorney general of several states. The bankruptcy petition can be viewed here and shows the ownership of Debt Relief USA to be Kelly E. Reilly, Alvin B. Bell, and James F. Wojcik. What will be significantly up …
Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Acting Secretary of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) Michael T. McRaith warned consumers facing significant credit card debt about the risks of debt settlement offers as she announced two lawsuits filed against debt settlement firms. Attorney General Madigan s lawsuits allege that these companies engage in …
Joe Doyle, Administrator of the Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA), announced that the agency has entered into a settlement with Debt Relief USA, Inc., a debt adjustment company, over allegations that it violated Georgia’s Debt Adjustment Act. The company agreed to refund all fees it has received from its Georgia clients, a total of …