Last week, Missouri's attorney general proposed reforms to
address collection practices that he believes target low-income and
minority residents.
Attorney General Chris Koster said he sent a letter to the Missouri Supreme Court's
Commission on Racial and Ethnic Fairness requesting changes in
court rules that he said would help prevent unscrupulous collection
practices.
"These proposed regulations would expose these types of
debt-collection practices for what they truly are — unfair
and deceptive," Koster said at a news conference in St. Louis.
"The problem needs to be fixed."
Koster wants to require debt collectors to prove, with
sufficient documentation, at the very outset of litigation the
ability to seek judgment on the debt. He further wants to stop the
practice of collectors repeatedly asking consumers to appear in
court, since frequent court dates can be costly to consumers and
make it difficult for them to maintain a job. He also wants
stricter
