What is the difference between a professional collection service and a creditor collecting on its own behalf?
Sometimes consumers confuse third-party collectors with the in-house collection department of a creditor. Professional debt collection services are third-parties to the transaction that created the debt and are collecting for the creditor. The collection practices of third-party collectors are directly regulated by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act administered by the Federal Trade Commission, but creditors’ collection practices are governed by law only under certain conditions.
