Legal Activity and Complaints Surge in July

FCRA filings rose nearly 19% for the month, and CFPB complaints more than doubled YTD.

After a brief slowdown in June, legal activity in the accounts receivables industry picked back up in July, with filings, complaints, and class actions all on the rise, according to the latest WebRecon report.

In July, TCPA filings rose 6.2% for the month and are up 52.7% year-to-date. FDCPA filings increased 4.9% in July but remain down 5.3% YTD, though that gap continues to narrow.

The biggest movement came in FCRA cases, nearly 19% higher in July alone, underscoring continued consumer focus on credit reporting disputes. TCPA remains the most elevated year-to-date with a 53% increase.

Meanwhile, CFPB complaints jumped 10.8% in July and are up a staggering 103.9% YTD — more than double last year’s volume. The uptick shows how the industry is facing sharper scrutiny than ever before from both regulators and consumers.

Other notable trends:

• Putative class actions represented:
  • 72.5% of TCPA lawsuits (Extraordinarily high by historical standards, WebRecon noted.)
  • 3.3% of FDCPA lawsuits
  • 1% of FCRA lawsuits
• Nearly 45% of plaintiffs filing in July were repeat filers.

Here’s how the numbers break down across key ARM statutes and CFPB complaints for July 2025.

Fair Debt Collection Practices Act

FDCPA filings rose 4.9% in July to 362, slightly below the 368 cases recorded in July 2024. Year-to-date, FDCPA remains down 5.3%, though the gap has continued to shrink month over month.

Telephone Consumer Protection Act

TCPA filings increased 6.2% in July to 273, more than doubling the volume recorded in July 2024. Year-to-date, TCPA cases are up 52.7%, making it one of the most significant ongoing litigation risks for the industry.

Fair Credit Reporting Act

FCRA activity showed the sharpest rise, with filings jumping 18.9% in July to 788. Compared to a year ago, that’s a 73.6% increase, and year-to-date filings are also up 23%, signaling persistent consumer disputes around credit reporting.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Complaints

CFPB complaints climbed to 26,963 in July, an increase of 10.8% from June and up 116.9% compared to July 2024. Year-to-date, complaints have more than doubled, reaching 160,937 — a 103.9% increase over the same period last year.

The types of debt behind the complaints were:

• 14,504 I do not know (54%)
• 5,191 Other debt (19%)
• 3,466 Credit card debt (13%)
• 1,008 Rental debt (4%)
• 990 Telecommunications debt (4%)
• 737 Medical debt (3%)
• 568 Auto debt (2%)
• 257 Payday loan debt (1%)
• 104 Federal student loan debt (0%)
• 87 Private student loan debt (0%)
• 51 Mortgage debt (0%)

The most common type of complaint was about attempts to collect debt not owed, at 41% or 11,051 complaints, followed by written notification about debt at 27% or 7,241 complaints.

For ARM professionals, July’s data points to intensifying legal and regulatory risk, particularly around FCRA disputes, TCPA class actions, and surging CFPB complaints. Monitoring these areas and strengthening compliance processes will be critical in the months ahead.

Read the complete WebRecon report here.

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