Financial Services Law Developments: FYI: Illinois Amends Collection Agency Act to Exclude Non-Bank Mortgage Servicers

Thursday, August 27, 2015

FYI: Illinois Amends Collection Agency Act to Exclude Non-Bank Mortgage Servicers

As you may recall, an Illinois appellate court held in 2012 unreported opinion that mortgage servicers may be subject to Illinois Collection Agency Act, 225 ILCS 425/1, et seq. ("ICAA"), including the licensing and other requirements of the ICAA.

The Court held that, "[d]epending on what a mortgage servicer does other than elicit and receive routine or timely mortgage payments and attempt to collect delinquent payments, it may or may not be a debt collector" under the ICAA.

A copy of the opinion is available at: http://www.illinoiscourts.gov/R23_Orders/AppellateCourt/2012/1stDistrict/1113501_R23.pdf

The State of Illinois recently amended ICAA to among other things:

1. Clarify that non-bank mortgage lenders and servicers, and other "entities licensed pursuant to the Residential Mortgage License Act of 1987" are exempt from the ICAA;

2. Increase the scope of the ICAA to now apply to "commercial" debts, as well as "consumer" debts;

3. Clarify that emails "or any other Internet communication" can constitute collection activity subject to the ICAA;

4. Increase the civil penalty for unlicensed activity to $10,000 per violation;

5. Clarify that "credit unions" are subject to the ICAA if they own or operate a collection agency, just like "banks" and "financing and lending institutions;"

6. Clarify that entities engaged "in the business of collection of a check or other payment that is returned unpaid by the financial institution upon which it is drawn" are subject to the ICAA; and

7. Extend the automatic repeal date of the ICAA to January 1, 2026.

The amendments became effective immediately, on August 3, 2015.

A copy of the Public Act is available at:

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/99/PDF/099-0227.pdf

Ralph T. Wutscher
Maurice Wutscher LLP
The Loop Center Building
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Chicago, Illinois 60602
Direct: (312) 551-9320
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Email: rwutscher@MauriceWutscher.com

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The Editor's Bio

Ralph T. Wutscher
Maurice Wutscher LLP
20 N. Clark Street, 33rd Floor
Chicago, Illinois 60602
Direct: (312) 493-0874
RWutscher@MauriceWutscher.com
https://www.MauriceWutscher.com/

Ralph Wutscher's practice focuses primarily on representing depository and non-depository mortgage lenders and servicers, as well as mortgage loan investors, distressed asset buyers and sellers, loss mitigation companies, automobile and other personal property secured lenders and finance companies, credit card and other unsecured lenders, and other consumer financial services providers. He represents the consumer lending industry as a litigator, and as regulatory compliance counsel.

Ralph has substantial experience in defending private consumer finance lawsuits, including cases ranging from large interstate putative class actions to localized single-asset cases, as well as in responding to regulatory investigations and other governmental proceedings. His litigation successes include not only victories at the trial court level, but also on appeal, and in various jurisdictions. He has successfully defended numerous putative class actions asserting violations of a wide range of federal and state consumer protection statutes. He is frequently consulted to assist other law firms in developing or improving litigation strategies in cases filed around the country.

Ralph also has substantial experience in counseling clients regarding their compliance with federal laws, and with state and local laws primarily of the Midwestern United States. For example, he regularly provides assistance in connection with portfolio or program audits, consumer lending disclosure issues, the design and implementation of marketing and advertising campaigns, licensing and reporting issues, compliance with usury laws and other limitations on pricing, compliance with state and local “predatory lending” laws, drafting or obtaining opinion letters on a single- or multi-state basis, interstate branching and loan production office licensing, evaluations and modifications of new or existing products and procedures, debt collection and servicing practices, proper methods of responding to consumer inquiries and furnishing consumer information, as well as proposed or existing arrangements with settlement service providers and other vendors, and the implementation of procedural or other operational changes following developments in the law.

Ralph is a member of the Governing Committee of the Conference on Consumer Finance Law. He is also the immediate past Chair of the Preemption and Federalism Subcommittee for the ABA's Consumer Financial Services Committee. He served on the Law Committee for the former National Home Equity Mortgage Association, and completed two terms as Co-Chair of the Consumer Credit Committee of the Chicago Bar Association.

Ralph received his Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law, and his undergraduate degree from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). He is a member of the national Mortgage Bankers Association, the American Bankers Association, the Conference on Consumer Finance Law, DBA International, the ACA International Members Attorney Program, as well as the American and Chicago Bar Associations.

Ralph is admitted to practice in Illinois, as well as in the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, the United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Illinois, and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, and has been admitted pro hac vice in various jurisdictions around the country.