Title 19, Title 19 Institutions

(1) Any person who engages in the business of a debt collector without a registration as required by § 19-14.9-12, shall, upon conviction, be fined not more than two thousand dollars ($2,000) or imprisoned not more than one year, or both. (2) Any debt collector who fails to compl…

If any provision of this chapter or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of the chapter that can be given effect without the invalid provision or applica…

The purpose of this chapter is to establish standards, by defining unfair or deceptive acts or practices, for the collection of debts from consumers within the state of Rhode Island, and to establish requirements for the registering and supervision of debt collectors.

For the purposes of this chapter, the following terms shall have the following meaning unless the context otherwise requires: (1) “Consumer” means any person obligated or allegedly obligated to pay any debt, as defined by 15 U.S.C. § 1692a. (2) “Consumer reporting agency” means a…

Any debt collector communicating with any person, other than the consumer, for the purpose of acquiring location information about the consumer shall: (a) Identify himself/herself, state that he/she is confirming or correcting location information concerning the consumer, and, on…

(1) Without the prior consent of the consumer given directly to the debt collector or the express permission of a court of competent jurisdiction, a debt collector may not communicate with a consumer in connection with the collection of any debt: (a) At any unusual time or place …

A debt collector may not engage in any conduct the natural consequence of which is to harass, oppress, or abuse any person in connection with the collection of a debt. Such conduct shall include, but not be limited to: (a) Using or threatening to use violence or other criminal me…

A debt collector may not use any false, deceptive, or misleading representation or means in connection with the collection of any debt. Such false or misleading means shall include, but not be limited to: (a) The false representation or implication that the debt collector is vouc…

A debt collector may not use unfair or unconscionable means to collect or attempt to collect any debt. Such unfair or unconscionable means shall include, but not be limited to: (a) Collecting any amount (including any interest, fee, charge, or expense incidental to the principal …

(1) Within five (5) days after the initial communication with a consumer in connection with the collection of any debt, a debt collector shall, unless the following information is contained in the initial communication, or the consumer has paid the debt, send the consumer a writt…