Maine debt collection laws: 1 year to file

the short answer

Maine wrote the federal rules into its own statute rather than pointing at them. A debt collector may not engage in conduct the natural consequence of which is to harass, oppress or abuse anyone; may not use a false, deceptive or misleading representation; and may not use unfair or unconscionable means — including collecting any interest, fee or charge that the agreement or the law does not actually authorize.

source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

governing statute15 U.S.C. § 1692d source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

plain englishA debt collector may not harass, oppress or abuse you to collect a debt — no threats, no obscenity, no publishing your name as someone who will not pay, and no repeated calls meant to annoy. It may not lie about the amount, about who it is, or about what will happen to you. It may not call before 8 in the morning or after 9 at night your time, or at work once you have said your employer forbids it, and once you tell it in writing to stop contacting you it must stop.source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

deadline5 dayssource ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

penaltyYour actual damages, plus additional damages the court may allow up to $1,000, plus the costs of the action and a reasonable attorney's fee (15 U.S.C. § 1692k(a)). The fee shifts on any successful action, which is what makes a small case worth a lawyer's time.source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

limit1 yearsource ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

free routeThe Consumer Financial Protection Bureau takes a complaint about a debt collector online, in any state, for nothing. It forwards the complaint to the company and expects a response, and it publishes the complaint and the response in a public database. That is a national route that runs alongside — not instead of — the state office named below.source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

alsoThe Act reaches debt collectors — third-party agencies, and buyers of debt that was already in default. A creditor collecting its own debt in its own name is usually outside it, and that is the gap the state law below is often there to close. Two more things worth knowing: within five days of first contacting you the collector must put the amount, the creditor's name and your right to dispute in writing, and if you dispute in writing within thirty days it must stop collecting until it sends you verification. Under Regulation F a collector is presumed to be harassing you if it calls more than seven times in seven days about the same debt, or at all within seven days of speaking to you (12 C.F.R. § 1006.14(b)(2)(i)).source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

Which debt collection law applies in Maine?

governing statute

32 M.R.S. § 11013

source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

Where do you report a debt collector in Maine?

free route

The Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection licenses debt collectors in Maine and takes the complaint. It is a licensing regulator that also runs compliance examinations, so a complaint here lands somewhere that already has a file on the company. Licences run for a year and expire on 31 December, which means an unlicensed collector is a check anyone can make.

source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

How much can you sue for in Maine small claims court?

small claims limit

$10,000

source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

What else should you know in Maine?

also

Maine also limits what a collector may report about you: it may not report credit or debt information to a credit bureau solely in its own name, and there are separate limits on reporting overdue medical expenses.

source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

your situation

That is the rule. Whether it is your answer is a different question.

Everything above is the law as it reaches everyone in Maine. What it means for you turns on facts only you have. Tell us what happened and we'll ask the same questions a lawyer would — about 90 seconds, free, and anonymous.

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Can I sue for a debt collector harassing me in Maine?

Which debt collection law applies in Maine?

Where do you report a debt collector in Maine?

How much can you sue for in Maine small claims court?

What else should you know in Maine?

That is the rule. Whether it is your answer is a different question.