FDCPA and Regulation F

What it is

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act governs how third-party debt collectors in the United States may contact consumers. Regulation F, issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and effective from November 2021, sets out the detail. The provision buyers meet first is 12 CFR 1006.14: a collector is presumed to have violated the Act if it places more than seven call attempts about a particular debt within seven consecutive days, or places a call within seven days after having a telephone conversation about that debt. The rule also restricts calls to inconvenient times (presumed to be before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. local time) and places, including a workplace where the employer prohibits such calls.

The rule as published applies to third-party collectors; first-party creditors collecting their own debts sit under other rules and state laws, and many follow Regulation F voluntarily.

Why it matters when buying

A voice agent makes call attempts cheap, which is precisely what the frequency presumption guards against. The platform must count attempts per debt, not per number, across every channel and every campaign, and it must stop. It must also know the consumer's local time, honour "do not call me at work" and route disputes and validation requests correctly. Collections is also where agents are most often tested by regulators and plaintiffs. Informational only; confirm with counsel.

What to ask

Ask how the platform tracks attempts per debt across campaigns and channels, and whether the cap is enforced automatically. Ask how time-zone and inconvenient-time rules are applied to each number. Ask how the agent handles a dispute, a request to cease, or an attorney representation statement mid-call. Ask for the audit log a regulator would receive.