source:
  type: regulation
  id: fdcpa-15usc-1692a
  authority: FDCPA (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U.S.C.) § 1692a — Definitions
  description: 'FDCPA (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U.S.C.), §1692a Definitions. Captured section-complete
    from Cornell LII (verbatim).

    '
obligations:
- id: fdcpa-15usc-1692a-full
  canonical_id: fdcpa-15usc-1692a-full
  section: 15 U.S.C. §1692a
  description: 'Definitions: As used in this subchapter— (1) The term “ Bureau ” means the Bureau of Consumer Financial
    Protection. (2) The term “ communication ” means the conveying of information regarding a debt directly or indirectly
    to any person through any medium. (3) The term “ consumer ” means any natural person obliga…'
  type: definition
  tags:
  - regulator-direct
  - gap-fill
  - section-complete
  - usc-statute
  primary_source:
    tier: 1
    authority: FDCPA (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U.S.C.) § 1692a
    source_class: usc-statute-lii
    source_url: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1692a
    snapshot_id: 75e809f2e80714aa
    fetched_at: '2026-06-18T00:00:00+00:00'
    content_hash: sha256:1cc690c8dc3ec46fe28e0b3695af7b79a7c952a2ca33f2b70b4fc07d8c2650fd
    paragraph_quote: As used in this subchapter— (1) The term “ Bureau ” means the Bureau of Consumer Financial
      Protection. (2) The term “ communication ” means the conveying of information regarding a debt directly or
      indirectly to any person through any medium. (3) The term “ consumer ” means any natural person obligated
      or allegedly obligated to pay any debt. (4) The term “ creditor ” means any person who offers or extends credit
      creating a debt or to whom a debt is owed, but such 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 such debt for another. (5) The term “ debt ” means any obligation or alleged obligation of a consumer to
      pay money arising out of a transaction in which the money, property, insurance, or services which are the
      subject of the transaction are primarily for personal, family, or household purposes, whether or not such
      obligation has been reduced to judgment. (6) The term “ debt collector ” means any person who uses any instrumentality
      of interstate commerce or the mails in any business the principal purpose of which is the collection of any
      debts, or who regularly collects or attempts to collect, directly or indirectly, debts owed or due or asserted
      to be owed or due another. Notwithstanding the exclusion provided by clause (F) of the last sentence of this
      paragraph, the term includes any creditor who, in the process of collecting his own debts, uses any name other
      than his own which would indicate that a third person is collecting or attempting to collect such debts. For
      the purpose of section 1692f(6) of this title , such term also includes any person who uses any instrumentality
      of interstate commerce or the mails in any business the principal purpose of which is the enforcement of security
      interests. The term does not include— (A) any officer or employee of a creditor while, in the name of the
      creditor , collecting debts for such creditor ; (B) any person while acting as a debt collector for another
      person, both of whom are related by common ownership or affiliated by corporate control, if the person acting
      as a debt collector does so only for persons to whom it is so related or affiliated and if the principal business
      of such person is not the collection of debts; (C) any officer or employee of the United States or any State
      to the extent that collecting or attempting to collect any debt is in the performance of his official duties;
      (D) any person while serving or attempting to serve legal process on any other person in connection with the
      judicial enforcement of any debt ; (E) any nonprofit organization which, at the request of consumers , performs
      bona fide consumer credit counseling and assists consumers in the liquidation of their debts by receiving
      payments from such consumers and distributing such amounts to creditors ; and (F) any person collecting or
      attempting to collect any debt owed or due or asserted to be owed or due another to the extent such activity
      (i) is incidental to a bona fide fiduciary obligation or a bona fide escrow arrangement; (ii) concerns a debt
      which was originated by such person; (iii) concerns a debt which was not in default at the time it was obtained
      by such person; or (iv) concerns a debt obtained by such person as a secured party in a commercial credit
      transaction involving the creditor . (7) The term “ location information ” means a consumer’ s place of abode
      and his telephone number at such place, or his place of employment. (8) The term “ State ” means any State
      , territory, or possession of the United States , the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
      , or any political subdivision of any of the foregoing. ( Pub. L. 90–321, title VIII, § 803 , as added Pub.
      L. 95–109 , Sept. 20, 1977 , 91 Stat. 875 ; amended Pub. L. 99–361 , July 9, 1986 , 100 Stat. 768 ; Pub. L.
      111–203, title X, § 1089(2) , July 21, 2010 , 124 Stat. 2092 .)
    drafter_attestation: Verbatim slice of 15 U.S.C. §1692a from Cornell LII snapshot 75e809f2e80714aa; body isolated
      between nav and Editorial/Statutory Notes; substring-verified.
  judgment: false
