Terms Used In Maine Revised Statutes > Title 32 > Chapter 109-A - Maine Fair Debt Collection Practices Act

• Administrator: means the Superintendent of Consumer Credit Protection. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 11002
• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
• Attorney-at-law: A person who is legally qualified and licensed to practice law, and to represent and act for clients in legal proceedings.
• Bankruptcy: Refers to statutes and judicial proceedings involving persons or businesses that cannot pay their debts and seek the assistance of the court in getting a fresh start. Under the protection of the bankruptcy court, debtors may discharge their debts, perhaps by paying a portion of each debt. Bankruptcy judges preside over these proceedings.
• Charge-off: means the act of a creditor removing an account from its books as an asset and treating it as a loss or expense because payment is unlikely. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 11002
• Charity: An agency, institution, or organization in existence and operating for the benefit of an indefinite number of persons and conducted for educational, religious, scientific, medical, or other beneficent purposes.
• Collection action: means a lawsuit or arbitration proceeding initiated to collect a debt from a consumer. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 11002
• Commissioner: means the Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry or the commissioner's duly authorized agent. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 7 Sec. 2900
• Communication: means the conveyance or receipt of information regarding or facilitating the collection of a debt, directly or indirectly, to or from any person through any medium. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 11002
• Conducting business in this State: means the collection or attempted collection of a debt due another by a debt collector located in this State; the solicitation of creditors in this State as clients and the collection or attempted collection of their debts by a debt collector, wherever located; or the collection or attempted collection of a debt from a consumer in this State by a debt collector, wherever located. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 11002
• Consumer: means any natural person obligated or allegedly obligated to pay any debt. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 11002
• Creditor: means any person who offers or extends credit creating a debt or to whom a debt is owed, but that term does not include any person to the extent that he receives an assignment or transfer of a debt in default solely for the purpose of facilitating collection of that debt for another. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 11002
• Debt: includes any obligation or alleged obligation for payment of child support owed to, or owed by, a resident of this State and any obligation or alleged obligation relating to a check returned because of insufficient funds if a consumer is subject to an enforcement program operated by a private entity. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 11002
• Debt buyer: means a person that is regularly engaged in the business of purchasing charged-off consumer debt for collection purposes, whether the person collects the debt or hires a 3rd party, which may include an attorney-at-law, in order to collect the debt. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 11002
• Debt collector: includes persons who furnish collection systems carrying a name that simulates the name of a debt collector and who supply forms or form letters to be used by the creditor even though the forms direct the debtor to make payments directly to the creditor. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 11002
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Entitlement: A Federal program or provision of law that requires payments to any person or unit of government that meets the eligibility criteria established by law. Entitlements constitute a binding obligation on the part of the Federal Government, and eligible recipients have legal recourse if the obligation is not fulfilled. Social Security and veterans' compensation and pensions are examples of entitlement programs.
• Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
• Fair Debt Collection Practices Act: The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is a set of United States statutes added as Title VIII of the Consumer Credit Protection Act. Its purpose is to ensure ethical practices in the collection of consumer debts and to provide consumers with an avenue for disputing and obtaining validation of debt information in order to ensure the information's accuracy. It is often used in conjunction with the Fair Credit Reporting Act. ^{Source: OCC}
• Federal Reserve System: The central bank of the United States. The Fed, as it is commonly called, regulates the U.S. monetary and financial system. The Federal Reserve System is composed of a central governmental agency in Washington, D.C. (the Board of Governors) and twelve regional Federal Reserve Banks in major cities throughout the United States. ^{Source: OCC}
• Foreclosure: A legal process in which property that is collateral or security for a loan may be sold to help repay the loan when the loan is in default. ^{Source: OCC}
• Forgery: The fraudulent signing or alteration of another's name to an instrument such as a deed, mortgage, or check. The intent of the forgery is to deceive or defraud. ^{Source: OCC}
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• Garnishment: Generally, garnishment is a court proceeding in which a creditor asks a court to order a third party who owes money to the debtor or otherwise holds assets belonging to the debtor to turn over to the creditor any of the debtor
• Grantee: means the person to whom a freehold estate or interest in land is conveyed. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72
• Inhabitant: means a person having an established residence in a place. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• Lawsuit: A legal action started by a plaintiff against a defendant based on a complaint that the defendant failed to perform a legal duty, resulting in harm to the plaintiff.
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Legal age: means the age of 18 and over. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Location information: means a consumer's place of abode and his telephone number at that place or his place of employment. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 11002
• Milk: means the lacteal secretion, practically free from colostrum, obtained by the complete milking of one or more healthy cows, goats or sheep. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 7 Sec. 2900
• Milk products: means cream, light cream, light whipping cream, heavy cream, heavy whipping cream, whipped cream, whipped light cream, sour cream, acidified sour cream, cultured sour cream, milk, butter, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, nonfat dry milk solids, half-and-half, sour half-and-half, acidified sour half-and-half, cultured sour half-and-half, concentrated milk and milk products, skim milk, reconstituted or recombined milk and milk products, low-fat milk, light milk, reduced fat milk, homogenized milk, frozen milk concentrate, eggnog, cultured milk, buttermilk, yogurt, cottage cheese, creamed cottage cheese, acidified milk, low-sodium milk, lactose-reduced milk, aseptically processed and packaged milk and milk products, milk with added safe and suitable microbial organisms and any other milk product, frozen dairy dessert or frozen dairy dessert mix, cheese or other product designated as a milk product by the commissioner that is made by the addition or subtraction of milkfat or addition of safe and suitable optional ingredients for protein, vitamin or mineral fortification. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 7 Sec. 2900
• Month: means a calendar month. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Municipality: shall include cities, towns and plantations. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 36 Sec. 501
• National Credit Union Administration: The federal regulatory agency that charters and supervises federal credit unions. (NCUA also administers the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund, which insures the deposits of federal credit unions.) ^{Source: OCC}
• Person: means any individual, plant operator, partnership, corporation, company, firm, trustee, association or institution. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 7 Sec. 2900
• Person: means any natural person, corporation, trust, partnership, incorporated or unincorporated association and any other legal entity. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 11002
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Power of attorney: A written instrument which authorizes one person to act as another's agent or attorney. The power of attorney may be for a definite, specific act, or it may be general in nature. The terms of the written power of attorney may specify when it will expire. If not, the power of attorney usually expires when the person granting it dies. ^{Source: OCC}
• Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
• Real estate: includes lands and all tenements and hereditaments connected therewith, and all rights thereto and interests therein. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72
• Remand: When an appellate court sends a case back to a lower court for further proceedings.
• Residential real estate property preservation provider: means a person who regularly provides residential real estate property preservation services. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 11002
• Residential real estate property preservation services: means those services undertaken at the direction of a person holding or enforcing a mortgage on residential real estate that is in default or in which the property is presumed abandoned in entering or arranging for entry into a building to perform the services of winterizing the residence, changing the door locks or removing unsecured items from the residence. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 11002
• Resolved debt: means a debt that has been paid, settled or discharged in bankruptcy. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 11002
• Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
• Return: means any document, digital file or electronic data transmission containing information required by this Title to be reported to the State Tax Assessor. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 36 Sec. 111
• Revolving credit: A credit agreement (typically a credit card) that allows a customer to borrow against a preapproved credit line when purchasing goods and services. The borrower is only billed for the amount that is actually borrowed plus any interest due. (Also called a charge account or open-end credit.) ^{Source: OCC}
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• Statute of limitations: A law that sets the time within which parties must take action to enforce their rights.
• Tax: means the total amount required to be paid, withheld and paid over or collected and paid over with respect to estimated or actual tax liability under this Title, any credit or reimbursement allowed or paid pursuant to this Title that is recoverable by the assessor and any amount assessed by the assessor pursuant to this Title, including any interest or penalties provided by law. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 36 Sec. 111
• Tax collector: shall mean any person chosen, appointed or designated by a municipality or the officers thereof to collect any tax due a municipality; or his successor in office. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 36 Sec. 501
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Trust account: A general term that covers all types of accounts in a trust department, such as estates, guardianships, and agencies. ^{Source: OCC}