Debt Collection
63 articles · page 1 of 2
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Alabama Debt Collection Laws: Wage Garnishment, Statute of Limitations, and Repossession
Alabama debt collection laws explained: the 25% wage garnishment rules, the 3-year open account statute of limitations, revival traps, and repossession rights.
Alaska Debt Collection Laws: Wage Garnishment, Statute of Limitations, and Repossession
Alaska debt collection laws: the $473 weekly wage exemption, the 3-year debt statute of limitations, payment restart rule, bank protections, and repossession.
Arizona Debt Collection Laws: The 10% Garnishment Cap, Statute of Limitations, and Repossession
Arizona debt collection laws after Prop 209: the 10% wage garnishment cap, 6-year credit card statute of limitations, bank account exemption, and repo rules.
Arkansas Debt Collection Laws: Wage Garnishment, Statute of Limitations, and Repossession
Arkansas debt collection laws: the federal 25% garnishment formula, the 5-year written and 3-year oral debt statutes of limitations, and repossession rules.
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Bankruptcy Stay Tolls North Carolina Judgment Renewal Deadline
The Supreme Court of North Carolina held on October 23, 2026 that N.C.G.S. 1-23 tolls the ten-year judgment renewal deadline while a bankruptcy stay runs.
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California AB 2042 Rewrites How a Debt Collection Default Judgment Gets Undone
California AB 2042, Chapter 379, confirms a debt buyer default judgment can be set aside where lawful service produced no actual notice, and shifts the burden on service.
California Appeals Court Rejects Blank Loan Form as Debt Proof
A California appeals court ruled a blank loan template did not prove a debt, reversing summary judgment under the state's Fair Debt Buying Practices Act.
California Debt Collection Laws: Wage Garnishment, Statute of Limitations, and Repossession
California debt collection laws: the 20% wage garnishment cap, $2,325 bank exemption, 4-year debt statute of limitations, and Rees-Levering repo rights.
Can Social Security Be Garnished? What Section 407 Actually Protects
Social Security is protected from ordinary creditors under federal law, but not from the government. What section 407 and the two-month bank rule cover.
Car Repossession Laws: What the Repo Man Can and Cannot Do
Self-help repossession, breach of the peace, right-to-cure states, deficiency judgments, and why a voluntary repo still leaves you owing money.
Colorado Debt Collection Laws: Wage Garnishment, Statute of Limitations, and Repossession
Colorado debt collection laws explained: the 20% wage garnishment cap, strong anti-firing protection, debt statute of limitations, and repossession cure rights.
Connecticut Debt Collection Laws: Wage Garnishment, Statute of Limitations, and Repossession
Connecticut debt collection laws explained: the 25% wage garnishment cap, firing protection after seven garnishments, debt SOL, and repossession rules.
Court Vacates CFPB Funding Decisions, Declines FY2026 Injunction
An Oregon federal judge vacated two CFPB funding decisions on September 25, 2026 and declared combined earnings means gross Fed revenue. No FY2026 injunction.
Credit Acceptance to Pay $700 Million in Debt Relief, Restitution and Penalties Under New York Consent Order
A federal judge entered a $700M consent order against Credit Acceptance Corp. over subprime auto lending. What the NY AG order requires, by paragraph.
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DC Debt Collection Laws: Wage Garnishment, Statute of Limitations, and Repossession
DC debt collection laws explained: the most protective wage garnishment formula in the country, hardship exemptions, debt SOL, and repossession rules.
Debt Collection Laws by State: Garnishment, SOL, and Repossession Rules
Compare debt collection laws in all 50 states and DC: wage garnishment caps, statute of limitations, payment-revival rules, and car repossession rights.
Delaware Debt Collection Laws: Wage Garnishment, Statute of Limitations, and Repossession
Delaware debt collection laws explained: the 85% wage exemption, one-attachment-at-a-time rule, 3-year debt statute of limitations, and repossession rights.
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Florida Debt Collection Laws: The $750 Head of Family Rule, Garnishment, and Debt Time Limits
Florida debt collection laws: the $750 a week head of family garnishment exemption, the 20-day claim procedure, 5 and 4 year debt deadlines, and repossession.
FTC Wins Temporary Order Freezing Alleged $20M Phantom Debt Operation
A federal court froze the assets of a phantom debt collection operation the FTC says posed as a law firm and collected over $20 million since 2021.
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Georgia Debt Collection Laws: Garnishment Caps, the 10-Day Repo Notice, and Debt Time Limits
Georgia debt collection laws: the 25% wage garnishment cap and student loan exception, 6 and 4 year debt deadlines, revival rules, and the 10-day repo notice.
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Hawaii Debt Collection Laws: The Bracket Garnishment Formula, 6-Year Debt Limit, and Repossession
Hawaii debt collection laws: the unique 5-10-20 percent garnishment brackets, the most-favorable-calculation rule, the 6-year debt deadline, and repossession.
How to Stop Wage Garnishment: Exemptions, Deadlines, and the Bankruptcy Stay
Wage garnishment usually follows a lawsuit and judgment first. Steps to claim exemptions, vacate a default judgment, negotiate, and stop it with bankruptcy.
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Idaho Debt Collection Laws: Garnishment Limits, Debt Deadlines, and Repossession
Idaho debt collection laws: the 25% wage garnishment cap, 5 and 4 year debt deadlines, the part-payment revival trap, and no general repo cure right.
Illinois Debt Collection Laws: The 15% Wage Cap, 2026 Exemption Increases, and Debt Deadlines
Illinois caps wage garnishment at 15% of gross pay, tighter than the federal 25% floor. Debt deadlines, 2026 exemption increases, and repossession rules.
Indiana Debt Collection Laws: Garnishment Limits, Verified Exemption Figures, and Debt Deadlines
Indiana caps wage garnishment at 25% (or less for good cause). DFI-verified exemption figures, the correct garnishment statute cite, and debt deadlines.
Iowa Debt Collection Laws: Garnishment Limits, the Right to Cure, and Debt Deadlines
Iowa caps wage garnishment two ways and gives consumer borrowers a 20-day right to cure before repossession. Debt deadlines and bank exemptions explained.
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Kansas Debt Collection Laws: The Debt-Buyer Garnishment Bar, Wage Limits, and Repossession
Kansas bars debt buyers from wage garnishment, caps ordinary garnishment at 25%, and lets a bare payment revive old debt. Deadlines and repossession rules.
Kentucky Debt Collection Laws: Garnishment Limits, the $1,000 Exemption Myth, and Debt Deadlines
Kentucky copies the federal 25% garnishment cap, but its $1,000 exemption only works in bankruptcy. Two-track debt deadlines and repossession rules.
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Louisiana Debt Collection Laws: Prescription, Garnishment, and Repossession
Louisiana debt collection laws: the 25% garnishment ceiling, 3-year prescription on open accounts, interruption by payment, and licensed repossession rules.
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Maine Debt Collection Laws: Wage Garnishment, Statute of Limitations, and Repossession
Maine debt collection laws: an unusually protective 40x-minimum-wage garnishment floor, the 6-year statute of limitations, and repossession right-to-cure rules.
Maryland Debt Collection Laws: Wage Garnishment, Statute of Limitations, and Repossession
Maryland debt collection laws: the 75%/30x wage garnishment formula, the 2016 no-revival-by-payment rule, and repossession notice and redemption rights.
Massachusetts Debt Collection Laws: Wage Garnishment, Statute of Limitations, and Repossession
Massachusetts debt collection laws: the 85%/50x trustee-process formula, the self-executing $2,500 bank exemption, and the court-hearing repossession rule.
Michigan Debt Collection Laws: Wage Garnishment, Statute of Limitations, and Repossession
Michigan debt collection laws: the federal 25% garnishment floor, the 6-year statute of limitations, the writing-only revival rule, and repossession licensing.
Minnesota Debt Collection Laws: Wage Garnishment, Statute of Limitations, and Repossession
Minnesota debt collection laws: the 2024 Debt Fairness Act's tiered garnishment caps (10/15/25%, no 5% tier), the 6-year SOL, and repossession rules.
Mississippi Debt Collection Laws: Wage Garnishment, Statute of Limitations, and Repossession
Mississippi debt collection laws: the 30-day full wage exemption, the 3-year statute of limitations, and the extinguishment rule that outright kills old debt.
Missouri Debt Collection Laws: Wage Garnishment, Statute of Limitations, and Repossession
Missouri debt collection laws: the 10% head-of-family garnishment cap you must claim, the 5-year credit-card SOL, and repossession cure and deficiency limits.
Montana Debt Collection Laws: Garnishment Limits, the New 6-Year Rule, and Repossession
Montana caps wage garnishment at 25% of disposable earnings, and a 2025 law cut the written-contract statute of limitations to 6 years.
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Nebraska Debt Collection Laws: The 15% Head-of-Family Cap, Debt Deadlines, and Repossession
Nebraska cuts wage garnishment to 15% of disposable earnings for heads of family. Garnishment limits, 5- and 4-year debt deadlines, and repo cure rights.
Nevada Debt Collection Laws: The Two-Tier Garnishment Cap, Bank Protections, and Repo Rules
Nevada garnishment runs on a two-tier formula with a $770 weekly threshold, plus bank protections of $400 to $2,000. Deadlines, revival, and repo rules.
New Hampshire Debt Collection Laws: The State Without Continuing Wage Garnishment
New Hampshire has no ongoing wage garnishment for consumer debt. How RSA 512:21 works, periodic payment orders creditors use instead, and the 3-year deadline.
New Jersey Debt Collection Laws: The 10% Garnishment Ceiling and the Medical Debt Ban
New Jersey caps wage garnishment at 10% of gross pay and bans medical-debt garnishment below 600% of the poverty level. Deadlines and repo rules.
New Mexico Debt Collection Laws: The 75%-or-40x Garnishment Floor and the Medical Debt Bar
New Mexico protects whichever is greater: 75% of your pay, or 40 times the highest local minimum wage. Collection is barred outright for lower-income patients.
New York Debt Collection Laws: The 10% Income Execution Cap and the 3-Year Credit Card Deadline
New York caps most wage garnishment at 10% of gross income, shields bank funds automatically, and gives credit card debt only 3 years with no revival.
North Carolina Debt Collection Laws: No Wage Garnishment Procedure, and the Piercers That Reach Anyway
North Carolina gives private creditors no way to garnish wages, but state tax, local tax, and ambulance debt can still take 10% of a paycheck.
North Dakota Debt Collection Laws: The Uniform 6-Year Deadline and Strong Firing Protection
North Dakota applies a single 6-year deadline to nearly all debt, lets a payment alone restart it, and gives fired garnishment victims double back pay.
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Ohio Debt Collection Laws: Garnishment Formula, the 6-Year Consumer Debt Rule, and Repossession
How Ohio wage garnishment works, why the exemption floor tracks the federal minimum wage, the 6-year consumer debt statute of limitations, and repo cure rights.
Oklahoma Debt Collection Laws: Garnishment Formula, the Head-of-Household Hearing, and the 3-Year Account Debt Rule
How Oklahoma wage garnishment and the 90-day wage exemption work, the hardship-hearing head-of-household exemption, the 3-year account SOL, and repo rules.
Oregon Debt Collection Laws: SB 1595 Garnishment Floors, the 6-Year SOL, and Repossession
Oregon shields 75% of pay plus a flat floor, $338 a week through June 2026 and rising every July 1. Wage garnishment, bank exemptions, 6-year SOL, repo rules.
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Pennsylvania Debt Collection Laws: The Wage Garnishment Ban and Its Exact Exceptions
Pennsylvania bars wage garnishment for ordinary consumer debt. The exact 42 Pa.C.S. 8127 exception list, the 4-year SOL, bank account risks, and repo rules.
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Rhode Island Debt Collection Laws: The Medical Debt Garnishment Ban and the 10-Year SOL
Rhode Island now bans wage garnishment for medical debt judgments (P.L. 2025 ch. 300). Plus the 10-year debt SOL, bank exemptions, and the one-hour repo rule.
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South Carolina Debt Collection Laws: The Wage Garnishment Bar and the Tax-Levy Exception
South Carolina bars consumer wage garnishment, but SCDOR still levies 25% of gross pay for taxes and public debts. SOL, revival, and repo cure rights.
South Dakota Debt Collection Laws: The 20% Garnishment Cap and 120-Day Lien
South Dakota caps wage garnishment at 20% with a 120-day continuing lien. How the formula, 6-year debt SOL, and repossession rules work.
Statute of Limitations on Debt: The 50-State Payment-Revival Table
A debt's statute of limitations bars a lawsuit, not the debt itself. See if payment restarts the clock in your state and the credit-report-7-years myth.
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Tennessee Aqua Finance Settlement: $1.86M and Lien Removals
Tennessee AG Skrmetti announced a $1,864,319.86 Aqua Finance settlement on October 8, 2026: debt cancellation, refunds, credit report deletions and UCC fixture filing removals.
Tennessee Debt Collection Laws: The 25% Cap and the Child Credit Most Debtors Miss
Tennessee caps wage garnishment at 25%, plus a per-child credit and a way to pause it with a payment plan. What is verified, and what Tennessee law leaves open.
Texas Debt Collection Laws: Protected Wages, Exposed Bank Accounts
Texas bars wage garnishment for most debts, but deposited paychecks lose that protection. The 4-year SOL, debt buyer no-revival rule, and repossession rights.
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Utah Debt Collection Laws: The 25% Cap, the 15% Student Loan Break, and What Third-Party Payments Do
Utah caps consumer garnishment at 25%, bars it before judgment, and lets even a third party's payment restart the six-year clock. What Utah law protects.
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Vermont Debt Collection Laws: The 85% Consumer-Debt Shield, and a Medical-Debt Ban That Is Not Actually Law
Vermont protects 85% of earnings on consumer debt. What is real, and why the medical-debt garnishment ban you may have read about is not law.
Virginia Debt Collection Laws: The 40x Formula, the Charity-Care Medical Rule, and a Real 10-Day Cure
Virginia protects wages above 40x minimum wage, adds a per-child credit, and gives car buyers a 10-day cure right. Medical debt garnishment rules explained.
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Washington Debt Collection Laws: Four Garnishment Tiers and a $600 Weekly Floor
Washington protects about $600 a week from consumer-debt garnishment, shields bank accounts automatically, and never revives an expired debt. Full state guide.