CFPB Issues Guidance to Protect Homeowners from Illegal Collection Tactics on Zombie Mortgages 

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued guidance on debt collectors, covered by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, threatening to foreclose on homes with mortgages past the statute of limitations. The advisory opinion clarifies that a covered debt collector who brings or threatens to bring a state court foreclosure action to collect a time-barred mortgage debt may violate the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and its implementing regulation. A time-barred debt is one whose statute of limitations has expired.