Ohio Attorney General Fires Warning Shot at Debt Collectors Over Complaints

Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray said Monday that complaints his office has received in 2009 against debt collection agencies were on pace to set a new record and that “Ohioans’ tolerance of illegal debt collection tactics…has reached its limit.”

"In Ohio, we have received 2,067 complaints about debt collection in 2009 year-to-date, which is on pace to be almost double the number of complaints we received just three years ago," Cordray said in a press release.

In 2008, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office received 2,446 debt collection complaints; 2,123 were received in 2007, and 1,699 were received in 2006, according to data provided by Cordray’s office.

"A line must be drawn to keep debt collection from crossing over into harassment," Cordray said. "Consumers have the right to be treated with respect and dignity. Overly aggressive tactics, such as making threats and repeated phone calls, are not allowed.”

A spokesperson in Cordray’s office told insideARM that debt collection law enforcement was a priority for the office in the wake of rising complaints.

The announcement coincided with the release of complaint data from the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) Monday. The group noted that debt collection topped the list of consumer complaints received by states’ attorneys general in 2008. NAAG noted that their findings were based an annual non-scientific survey of states’ attorneys general.

A NAAG press release issued Monday included a plea from Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock for consumers to log complaints with their state’s AG office if they feel they have been wronged.