WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nationally known debt collector and industry insider Bill Bartmann, CEO of CFS II, today took his 50-state “Stop These Criminals” campaign to Washington, D.C. where he presented recommendations to U.S. Congressman Barney Frank and others for reducing debt collection abuse in America.
This comes less than a week after Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin signed into law measures that Bartmann recommended for providing new protection for citizens facing collection calls for delinquent credit card bills. Consumer-minded elected officials across the nation are seeking Bartmann’s experience inside the collections industry to close loopholes and end predatory practices.
“I was pleased to add this language to my bill to end abusive practices that some debt collectors have been using on law abiding citizens in our state,” said Oklahoma Senator Gary Stanislawski, who worked with Bartmann to craft the language.
Complaints against bill collectors are skyrocketing nationwide. In 2010, consumer complaints against debt collectors reached 140,036, up 17 percent from 2009, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
On Wednesday, Bartmann presented to Congressman Frank recommendations for updating parts of The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act of 1978, which is the guiding document for debt collection regulations across the nation.
Congressman Frank is the Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee who spearheaded the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010. The Dodd-Frank Act established the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the new policing agency for consumer financial services markets including debt collections. This week Bartmann is also scheduled to meet with CFBP Special Advisor Elizabeth Warren.
The action is part of his 50-state campaign to draw attention to debt collection abuse and the need for sweeping regulatory changes to the collections business. Bartmann has been called the ‘No. 1 Collection Industry Consumer Advocate’ in the world and was referred to by USA Today as the ‘Patron Saint of the Second Chance.’
The Harvard Business School published a case study on Bill Bartmann’s collection business. He has been named National Entrepreneur Of the Year by NASDAQ, USA Today, Merrill Lynch and the Kauffman Foundation. A best-selling author, Bartmann recently completed the book Out Of Control: Cases of Debt Collector Abuses in America and What We Can Do About It.