Watch the FTC-CFPB Roundtable on Debt Collection & the Latino Community

The Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will co-host a roundtable in Long Beach, California today to examine how debt collection and credit reporting issues affect Latino consumers, especially those who have limited English proficiency (LEP).

The event, titled “Debt Collection & the Latino Community,” will bring together consumer advocates, industry representatives, state and federal regulators, and academics to exchange information on a range of issues. Topics will include:

• An overview of the Latino community, their finances, and the collectors who contact them;
• Pre-litigation collection from Latino consumers;
• The experience of LEP Latinos in debt collection litigation;
• Credit reporting issues among LEP Latinos; and
• Developing improved strategies for educating and reaching out to LEP Latinos about debt collection.

The event promises to be an important one for the debt industry. If you can’t make it to Longbeach today, the FTC is offering a free webcast of the proceedings from their homepage. The event begins at 9am Pacific, 12pm Eastern.

Visit http://www.consumerfinance.gov/blog/live-from-long-beach/ to view the event.