Pennsylvania Debt Collection Laws: You’ve Got a Friend in Pennsylvania

Today, March 28, 2013, The National List of Attorneys published the white paper on debt collection law in Pennsylvania, written by Frederic I. Weinberg, Managing Partner of Gordon & Weinberg, P.C. They are the successor firm to Pepper, Gordon, Breen & Weinberg, P.C., which has roots dating back to 1928. After the deaths of Sam Pepper (1992) and Paul Breen (1995), Marc Gordon and Fred Weinberg have continued the firm’s tradition of providing excellent legal services to the firm’s clientele. They have been members of The National List since 1972.

Gordon & Weinberg, P.C., specializes in commercial and consumer collections and has provided statewide coverage in Pennsylvania and New Jersey for over 50 years. The firm utilizes a team of collectors, paralegals and attorneys to maximize collection efforts in an assertive, yet professional manner, in order to maximize recoveries. For retail claims, they stress strict compliance to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, as well as all other federal and state statutes and Uniform Commercial Code issues. They provide continuing education for their staff in these areas. With Gordon & Weinberg, as the state slogan says, “You’ve got a friend in Pennsylvania.”

Frederic I. Weinberg is a graduate of the National Law Center of the George Washington University. He has been a member of the firm since 1990. He specializes in creditors’ rights and commercial litigation.  He has advised and defended various agencies and debt buyers in FDCPA and other consumer claims on both the state and federal levels, including class action matters.

Fred Weinberg

Fred warns creditors, “There are many procedural difficulties in Pennsylvania, no wage garnishment being the most significant. However, bank garnishments are permitted. Following obtaining a judgment, finding a banking asset may be the best post-judgment remedy available.” We were interested to read in the paper, “Collection agencies, collectors and debt buyers do not need to be licensed in PA. Moreover, businesses do not need to be licensed in PA in order to collect a debt, provided that the company is not otherwise doing business in the state.”

Fred is a strong advocate of technology and told us, “Technology plays an essential role in our effort. Every new account is internally scored. Web-based dialer technology is utilized. Multiple skip tracing tools enhance our ability to locate parties and maximize service of process.”

Fred is currently an attorney board member of the Board of Governors of the Commercial Law League of America (CLLA), and he is an active member in the National Association of Retail Collection Attorneys (NARCA), the International Association of Commercial Collectors (IACC), ACA International and the Debt Buyers Association (DBA). Fred has also been a speaker for the CLLA, NARCA, IACC, Credit & Collections Risk and the Global Collection Summit. He is past chairman of the Eastern Region of the CLLA and hosted the CLLA New York convention in 2009.

The National List thanks Fred for submitting this paper and for telling us something about himself and his firm. You can access the paper at http://www.nationallist.com/white_papers/pennsylvania.