Maine amends Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to clarify licensing requirements

State Issues State Legislation Debt Collection Licensing

On February 6, Maine Governor Paul LePage signed updates to a provision of the state’s Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (Maine FDCPA), which clarify licensing requirements for persons engaged in the business of collecting debts in the state. S.P. 613, “An Act to Improve the Regulation of Debt Collectors,” includes the following: (i) removes the licensing condition that requires a debt collector to be “face to face” when soliciting business from Maine creditors; and (ii) requires a debt collector to be licensed in the state before collecting a debt from a consumer in the state, regardless of the debt collector’s actual location. The law will take effect 90 days following the adjournment of the legislative session.