New York City's New Limited English Proficiency Rules for Creditors and Debt Collectors

On June 27th, the newly enacted limited English proficiency (“LEP”) rules first published by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs earlier in March of this year took effect. While the Department has committed to honoring a 60-day stay of enforcement, the fact remains that as of now, the LEP rules are in effect and stand to impose requirements on creditors and debt collectors alike with respect to how they collect on debts owed by New York City consumers.

During this webinar, we will cover the following to help orient attendees on these new requirements and what they mean. In particular, we will:

• Provide a comprehensive overview of the new LEP rules, including what provisions apply to whom when collecting debts (creditors vs. debt collectors vs. licensed agencies);
• Update the current state of the Department’s promised guidance and FAQs, which the Department has suggested will be out later this month;
• Explore potential strategies for compliance, including discussing various approaches to providing and disclosing any existing LEP support services; and
• Highlight potential areas of risk, including considering the extent to which the LEP rules might interfere with existing requirements for federal student loans, mortgage servicers, and others.