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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C.
20580
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Division of Credit Practices
Bureau of Consumer Protection
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May 17, 1993
Carla J. Matthews
Administrative Assistant
CCCS of Central Ohio
697 E. Broad Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Dear Ms. Matthews:
Your letter of January 28, 1993 to Mary Jo Vantusko of the Federal
Trade Commission in Cleveland has been referred to me for reply.
I apologize for the delay.
Section 808 of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act makes it
an unfair practice to collect "any amount (including any
interest, fee, charge or expense . . .) unless such an amount
is expressly authorized by the agreement creating the debt or
permitted by law." The practice of charging the debtor a
fee for providing information concerning a debtor's account falls
within the ambit of this paragraph. To my knowledge, neither the
Commission staff nor the courts have previously addressed this
issue directly. However, it would appear that charging such a
fee to the debtor would violate Section 808 of the Act.
I hope this has been helpful.
Sincerely,
John F. LeFevre
Program Advisor for General Credit
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