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Release of Commission report: The Commission has authorized the staff to release publicly the 28th Annual Report to Congress on the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). This report, which is available now on the FTC’s Web site, summarizes the Commission’s administration and enforcement of the FDCPA during 2005. It presents an overview of the types of consumer complaints received by the Commission, descriptions of the Commission’s debt-collection law enforcement actions, and a summary of the Commission’s consumer and industry education initiatives. The report also reaffirms eight recommendations for amendments to the FDCPA that the Commission believes will strengthen the statute’s consumer protections, clarity, and effectiveness as a law enforcement tool.

The FDCPA prohibits abusive, deceptive, and otherwise improper collection practices by third-party debt collectors. Section 815 of the FDCPA requires the Commission to submit annual reports to Congress. The Commission vote to issue the report was 5-0. (FTC File No. P064804; the staff contacts are Seena D. Gressin and Thomas E. Kane, Bureau of Consumer Protection, 202-326-3224.)

Copies of the documents mentioned in this release are available from the FTC’s Web site at http://www.ftc.gov and from the FTC’s Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20580. Call toll-free: 1-877-FTC-HELP.