In parts one and two in this set of articles on the very basics of debt collection, I spoke about the differences between an in house collector and a third party collection agent. I let you know about the different types of ways that debt collectors will locate the debtors, and described a number of statements that the debt collector must say before they can proceed in their attempt to collect debt from you.

You should call in a credit collection agency sooner rather than later. The longer you wait to begin the collection process on overdue accounts, the less of a chance you’ll have at recovering your money.

Recently the CARD act went into effect, which means that consumers will be able to enjoy relief from double cycle billing and arbitrary rate increases. The CARD act also promises that credit card bills will be much easier to read. However, with the new act comes a new series of rules and regulations that savvy consumers should know about.