If you get behind on your payments on a Navy Federal loan, J.M. Adjustment Services may come around and knock on your door. (According to their website, they may also knock on your neighbors’ door. )
This collection tactic by Navy Fed may violate Federal law.
What law? The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). That law says what debt collectors can and can’t do. For one thing, they have to say they are debt collectors. For another, they have to tell you the amount of the debt. They also have to tell you that you have the right to dispute the debt.
And debt collectors can’t talk to other people (except your spouse or your lawyer) about you.
J.M. Adjustment violates all that. I know that because my bankruptcy clients have told me.
J. M. Adjustment must think they are allowed to do what they do. I guess that’s because they don’t directly ask for a payment. Instead they ask you to call Navy Federal’s collection department.
Their website says they are a “field call service.” They also say they are a “professional door knock company.” To me, that’s just a dodge.
(The FDCPA says a debt collector is someone who “collects or attempts to collect, directly or indirectly, debts owed … another.” I don’t see how they argue that telling you to call the Navy Federal collection department isn’t attempting to collect a debt, at least “indirectly.”)
So, I think they are debt collectors. I’m suing them for violating the FDCPA on behalf of a couple of my bankruptcy clients. (I’m a Virginia bankruptcy lawyer.) And usually helping my bankruptcy clients is all I do.
This time, though, I might go beyond my own clients. I’d like to hear from anyone who has been harassed by these guys. Please email me, robertweed@robertweed.com. Or leave a comment.
Thanks.
P.S. The J. M. Adjustment website lists two dozen fairly small lenders, and then several arms of J.P. Morgan Chase. By some measures, Chase is the 2nd largest bank in America.
Before filing bankruptcy, get your money out of Wachovia
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Good luck with your case; I think it’s a good one. I don’t see how knocking on someone’s neighbor’s door to look for them doesn’t constitute a violation of their privacy, especially when they haven’t given the person the option to contest the supposed debt.
Did you know that someone else in VA is suing them? The case was filed on June 2, 2010. You might have some precedence for yours. Maybe the attorney is from your firm.
Thanks for your encouragement. Yes, that’s my law firm who sued them in June. 3:10-cv-00366-REP. United States District Court, Eastern District of Virginia. If people are interested, I’ll try to provide updates as it moves along.
they have done this to me. told neighbors and the rentors renting our house they were trying to repo my car. the scary part is where haven’t they gone? they have told everyone but me they were looking for me and telling my business.