It also said that the script used on the phone by its in-house debt collecting staff had not been used since January 2010.

BBC: Wonga debt collection methods criticised by OFT

Investor recently spent 360 million euros buying a Norwegian debt collecting company, Lindorff, and Ekholm said he expected that company to "participate in consolidation" and buy other smaller players.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Campaigners have called on the government to ensure debt collectors have high standards when collecting tax credit overpayments.

BBC: Concerns over tax credit overpayment collection

We buy debt for pennies on the dollar, but instead of collecting it, we abolish it.

FORBES: Links 10 Nov: Finally, An Occupy Wall Street Idea We Can All Get Behind, The Rolling Jubilee

The FTC has been collecting and reporting to the public complaints about debt collectors for years (as with most other industries).

FORBES: Two Shades of Debt Collection

The Law Society of Scotland has also raised concerns the move could turn solicitors into "unpaid debt collectors", saying the Scottish Legal Aid Board was the "obvious body" for collecting money.

BBC: Lawyers threaten action over Scottish legal aid change

Though Lula has won praise from investors for honouring Brazil's public debt, critics point out that he has done so not by cutting other spending but by collecting record levels of tax.

ECONOMIST: A tax revolt against a spendthrift state

As a result of the tax preference for munis, the federal government not only forgoes the revenue that it would otherwise be collecting from the interest income, but more importantly, it effectively subsidizes greater spending and debt by state and local government agencies.

FORBES: For the Sake of Tax Reform, The Muni Bond Exemption (and State Tax Deduction) Must Go