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Collector & State Rules Watch · Monthly

Collector & State Rules Watch: September 2026 complaints and rule changes through Oct 25, 2026

Edition of · By Michael Gonzales · Latest edition

The CFPB received 2,536 complaints in September 2026 about the 3 collectors DebtHaus covers that appear under their own names. 8 state and local rule changes took effect or were enacted in the period.

  • 2,536CFPB complaints in September 2026, 3 collectors
  • 1,596Portfolio Recovery Associates (PRA), September 2026Down from 1,711 in August 2026
  • 622I.C. System, September 2026Up from 587 in August 2026
  • 318Transworld Systems Inc. (TSI), September 2026Down from 342 in August 2026
  • 8State and local rule changes in this edition

CFPB complaints in September 2026

Portfolio Recovery Associates (PRA)

1,596 complaints received in September 2026 (1,711 in August 2026); 21,841 in the 12 months to Sep 30, 2026, filed under "Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC".

Source: CFPB Consumer Complaint Database

I.C. System

622 complaints received in September 2026 (587 in August 2026); 7,959 in the 12 months to Sep 30, 2026, filed under "I.C. System, Inc.".

Source: CFPB Consumer Complaint Database

Transworld Systems Inc. (TSI)

318 complaints received in September 2026 (342 in August 2026); 5,139 in the 12 months to Sep 30, 2026, filed under "TRANSWORLD SYSTEMS INC".

Source: CFPB Consumer Complaint Database

Rule changes now in effect

Louisiana: Banks can send garnished account funds to the sheriff without a further court orderAugust 1, 2026

Act 250 (SB 173) lets a federally insured bank remit a judgment debtor's deposited funds directly to the sheriff when no opposition to the garnishment has been filed. Amounts of $1,000 or less may be remitted right away, and larger amounts 30 days after the garnishment answer is filed. The change does not apply to garnishment of wages, salaries, tips or commissions.

Source: Louisiana State Legislature - SB 173 (2026 Regular Session), Act 250

Louisiana: Higher vehicle exemptions from seizure; health savings accounts now protectedAugust 1, 2026

Act 55 (HB 135) raises the exemption from seizure for one vehicle from $7,500 to $15,000 in equity, allows a second $15,000 vehicle exemption for a married debtor or a household with a licensed-driver child, and raises the exemption for a disability-modified vehicle from $7,500 to $20,000. Health savings accounts are added to the property exempt from all debts except alimony and child support.

Source: Louisiana State Legislature - HB 135 (2026 Regular Session), Act 55

Louisiana: Clerk must certify no answer was filed before a default judgment on a debt suit is signedAugust 1, 2026

Act 127 (HB 142), a revision of the Code of Civil Procedure, provides that in suits on an open account, promissory note or other conventional obligation, the clerk of court must certify that no answer or other pleading has been filed by the defendant before a default judgment is signed. The act also changes rules on abandonment of cases and notice of trial.

Source: Louisiana State Legislature - HB 142 (2026 Regular Session), Act 127

Colorado: Medical debt interest cap clarified to cover direct medical costs onlyAugust 12, 2026

HB26-1426, the Department of Law's 2026 SMART Act bill, clarifies that the state's recently enacted cap on interest for medical debt applies only to direct medical costs. The bill was signed June 2, 2026 and took effect 90 days after the session ended.

Source: Colorado General Assembly - HB26-1426

District of Columbia: Medical Debt Mitigation Amendment Act becomes lawAugust 20, 2026

B26-0438, the Medical Debt Mitigation Amendment Act, was enacted without the Mayor's signature and became D.C. Law L26-0172, effective August 20, 2026. It addresses medical debt credit reporting, wage garnishment and liens on a primary residence; the Council record has the enacted text.

Source: Council of the District of Columbia - B26-0438 (Law L26-0172)

Florida: Judgment interest rate drops to 7.87% for the fourth quarterOctober 1, 2026

The Florida Chief Financial Officer set the statutory interest rate on judgments at 7.87% per year for the quarter beginning October 1, 2026, down from 8.06% for the quarter that began July 1, 2026. The rate is set under section 55.03, Florida Statutes.

Source: Florida Department of Financial Services - Current Judgment Interest Rates

Enacted or coming up

California: Easier to set aside default judgments in debt buyer lawsuitsJanuary 1, 2027

AB 2042 (Chapter 379, Statutes of 2026), approved September 20, 2026, clarifies that a defendant in a debt buyer lawsuit who did not receive actual notice of the case may move to set aside a default or default judgment even if service of the summons was lawfully made. It also clarifies that new process-server proof-of-service rules apply to service attempted or completed on or after January 1, 2027.

Source: California Legislative Information - AB 2042 (2025-2026)

New York (New York City): NYC debt collection SHIELD Rule start date moved to January 1, 2027January 1, 2027

New York City's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection published a notice changing the effective date of its amended debt collection rules (the SHIELD Rule) from September 1, 2026 to January 1, 2027. The rule covers debt collection on NYC consumer accounts, including communication frequency limits, validation and itemization notices, medical debt, time-barred debt and language access.

Source: NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection - FAQ: New Rule for Debt Collectors

Sources

Complaint counts are not a rating. A complaint is one consumer's account, and the CFPB does not verify every claim. Larger collectors handle more accounts and tend to draw more complaints.

Counts are complaints received by the CFPB under each collector's exact company name, checked Oct 26, 2026. Credit Collection Services (CCS), Enhanced Recovery Company (ERC), Jefferson Capital Systems, LVNV Funding, Midland Credit Management have no complaints filed under their own names (they are filed under a parent or affiliate), so no figure is shown, the same as on their DebtHaus pages.

This is general information, not legal advice. DebtHaus is not a law firm.

Written by

Michael Gonzales

Founder & Editor

Michael Gonzales is the founder of Cloudalien Technologies LLC, the company that owns DebtHaus. DebtHaus is not a lender, broker, settlement company or law firm.