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Class Actions and Other Multi-Party Actions

The Eleventh Circuit rules that Capital One is not a debt collector under the FDCPA with respect to defaulted credit card debt it acquired from HSBC

In the case of Davidson v. Capital One Bank (USA), N.A., No. 14-14200 (August 21, 2015), the Eleventh Circuit had occasion to decide whether a bank that collects on defaulted debt it acquired from another bank is a “debt collector” under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), 15 U.S.C. §§ 1692-1692p.

The Sixth Circuit rules that making an offer to settle a valid but time-barred debt may give rise to an FDCPA violation.

In a case that will likely cause debt collectors seeking to collect time-barred obligations grave concern, the Sixth Circuit recently ruled that making an offer to settle a time-barred debt at a discount could mislead an unsophisticated consumer to believe the debt could be enforced in court in violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.  Buchanan v. Northland Group, Inc., No. 13-2523 (January 13, 2015).