On September 5, the CFPB released its 2024 annual report on the FDCPA, which discussed several issues consumers face in debt collection and highlights practices in the collection of medical and rental debt. Medical debt collection has been a primary focus of the CFPB. The report noted that medical debt collection complaints comprised 11 percent of the 68,000 debt collection complaints received in 2023. A continuing trend among consumer complaints was that the debts have already been paid or should have been covered by financial assistance programs. The report also identified problems with the quality of information provided by debt collectors and healthcare providers, which the CFPB argued may lead to increased difficulty for consumers.

As it relates to rental debt, the report noted that rental debt collection complaints rose to over 1,700 complaints between August and December 2023. The CFPB found that many rental debt collectors charged consumers fees not owed under lease agreements or state law, and some engaged in allegedly “illegal price-fixing practices.” The Bureau emphasized that debt collectors might violate the FDCPA by attempting to collect inflated or incorrect amounts.