Two Important Prosecutors Go After Debt Collection Agencies

In recent news it was revealed that powerful prosecutors in Louisiana and Washington made announcements of actions they had obtained against debt collection agencies and their owners and managers. Louisiana’s attorney general James Caldwell announced on Friday that his office had gotten a hold of injunctions against two collection agencies and their owners. On the same day, Rob McKenna, Washington’s Attorney General said that his office had settled charges with a collection agency that had promised to stay on the straightened arrow. In a press release, Caldwell’s office stated that in late December they had gotten a hold of an injunction against Bush and Kennedy, Inc, a Baton Rouge based collection company. The order he won placed restrictions on the business, banning them from operating further, and specifically, ordered that two of the firm’s principals, Quay W. Pattott Jr, and William S. Fesguson were banned from conducting business together. Late last week, a judge slammed Ferguson and Parrott with added injunctions as per the request of Caldwell’s office. Ferguson is banned from using deceptive and unfair acts and practices at his current place of business, Franklin, Grant and Associates Incorporated, a collection agency based out of Metairie Louisiana. Parrott is completely restricted against conducting any new business at his new place of work, Metairie based Halsey and Associates, LLC. McKenna’s Washington office said that Topco Financial Services Inc, a Washington based collection agency agreed not to threaten, harass or curse out consumers as part of a settlement. The collection company must pay around $38,000 in legal fees and penalties. An additional $82,000 in fees and penalties were suspended pending that the company agrees with the settlement terms. In accordance with their agreement, Topco is prohibited from harassing, intimidating, threatening and embarrassing debtors, including using profanity. They are restricted from implying that failure to pay a delinquent bill will result in suspension, a revocation, or impairment of the debtor’s driver’s license. They are banned from threatening debtors with impairment of their credit rating. However, the company is allowed to legally report debts to credit reporting agencies. Mallory Megan is employed by a debt collection agency. Also she writes articles on business and finance, consumer spending and collection agencies. This and other unique content ‘long island rapid recovery solution’ articles are available with free reprint rights.