The Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have announced the agenda for the roundtable the agencies will co-host in Long Beach, California, on October 23, 2014.
The event, titled “Debt Collection & the Latino Community,” will examine how debt collection and credit reporting issues affect Latino consumers, especially those who have limited English proficiency (LEP). The roundtable will bring together consumer advocates, industry representatives, state and federal regulators, and academics to exchange information on a range of issues. The following is a list of the day’s events. Note that all times are Pacific Daylight Time (PDT).
| 8:00-9:00 a.m. | Registration |
| 9:00-9:30 a.m. | Welcome |
| 9:30-10:25 a.m. | Presentation: Debt Collection & the Latino Community |
| 10:25-10:35 a.m. | Break |
| 10:35 a.m.-12:05 p.m. | Panel 1: Pre-Litigation Debt Collection from Latino Consumers This session will address topics including how some Latinos experience the debt collection process and industry practices for collecting debts from LEP Latinos. |
| 12:05-1:05 p.m. | Lunch |
| 1:05-2:30 p.m. | Panel 2: The Experience of LEP Latinos in Debt Collection Litigation This session will consider topics such as access to justice in court for LEP Latinos sued by debt collectors, the incidence of debt collection litigation involving Latino consumers, and debt collection litigation methods involving LEP Latino consumers. |
| 2:30-3:30 p.m. | Panel 3: Credit Reporting Issues Among LEP Latinos This session will address topics such as LEP Latino consumers’ access to credit reports, their options for disputing inaccurate information, and some of the potential barriers in the credit reporting marketplace for these consumers. |
| 3:30-3:45 p.m. | Break |
| 3:45-4:45 p.m. | Panel 4: Developing Improved Strategies for Educating and Engaging LEP Latinos About Their Debt Collection Rights This session will address topics including what education materials on debt collection exist for Latinos, and how the FTC, CFPB, consumer advocates, and debt collectors can help ensure LEP Latinos have access to the information they need about their debt collection and credit reporting rights. |
| 4:45-5:00 p.m. | Lessons Learned and Next Steps |
The roundtable is free and open to the public. It will be held at California State University, Long Beach, in the Grand Ballroom at the University Student Union. It will not be held at The Pointe, as originally planned. The event will also be streamed live online. The address for the University is 1250 Bellflower Boulevard, Long Beach, California, 90840. Directions to the Grand Ballroom are available on the roundtable event page.
Additional information, including pre-registration and the agenda, is posted on the event page, www.ftc.gov/LatinoDebtCollection. To register for the event, please send your name, affiliation, and email address to Pre-registerRT@ftc.gov.
Send your ideas and comments regarding the roundtable event to the following email address: DebtCollectionRT@ftc.gov or info@consumerfinance.gov.
The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s website provides free information on a variety of consumer topics. Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.
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