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In the News
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The City: How Old Subway Fines Blocked New Yorkers’ State Tax Refunds
The City — Marc Davis was set to get $168 back from the state in his tax refund this year. And the 53-year-old Bronx resident says that money would have gone a long way to keeping him on his feet.
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The City: Debt Collectors Freeze Funds of New Yorkers Struggling in Pandemic
The City — As the coronavirus crisis unfolded in New York, Robert McNamara thought he should take some money out of the bank, just to be safe. On March 19, the substitute teacher and father of two figured he’d be out of work for a while. Public schools had just closed, possibly for the rest…
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Law 360: Virus Sparks Calls To Pump The Brakes On Debt Suits
Law 360 — As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to envelop the country, some consumer advocates are calling for greater protections for consumers until the crisis abates, arguing that the economic crisis is negatively impacting the ability of Americans to not only pay their debts but also fight collection actions in court.
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ProPublica: Coronavirus Put Her Out of Work, Then Debt Collectors Froze Her Savings Account
ProPublica — Late last month, Kim Boatswain sat down at her computer in her southeast Austin home and logged into her credit union account. Her bills and mortgage were coming due soon, and she needed to move money from her savings to checking so she could pay them.
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CBS News: Debt collectors are going after Americans’ stimulus checks—and the CARES Act allows it
CBS News — The U.S. Treasury is sending out 80 million stimulus checks this week, the first part of its effort to put cash into Americans’ hands to ride out the coronavirus pandemic. But many of those checks will never reach the people they’re intended for.
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Gothamist: “Backdoor Bailout For Banks”: Stimulus Checks Can Be Seized By Creditors And Banks
Gothamist — The $1,200 stimulus checks that began hitting millions of Americans’ bank accounts on Wednesday could turn into a “backdoor bailout” for banks and creditors—which can currently seize the payments for individuals’ existing debt under a loophole the Treasury Department has not yet addressed.
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Daily News, Op-Ed: Call Off The Debt Collectors: The Coronavirus Pandemic is No Time to Demand Payment and Freeze Bank Accounts
Daily News, Op-Ed — In the best of times, predatory debt collection is a scourge that siphons wealth from New Yorkers, destabilizes neighborhoods and perpetuates racial and economic inequality. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing debt collectors to continue to hound New Yorkers and take their money is jeopardizing people’s lives.
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Daily News: Wanted, debt or alive: Put a pause on private debt collection during the coronavirus crisis
Daily News — At a time when millions of freshly jobless people are practicing emergency economic triage, debt collectors continue to chase judgments and seek to freeze bank accounts of those they say are in default. This is madness.
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The City: Court’s Halt on Filings Gives Partial Reprieve on New York Debt Collection
The City — New Yorkers facing down private debts in court will see some relief after advocates pushed Gov. Andrew Cuomo to put all collections on pause amid the coronavirus crisis.
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The City: Creditors Are Still Calling in People’s Debts. Advocates Beg Cuomo: Stop Them
The City — Gov. Andrew Cuomo has paused the collection of medical and student debt owed to New York State, ordered evictions halted and put a 90-day stay on mortgage payments and foreclosures for owners facing financial hardship.