Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

Existing law, the Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, regulates the collection of consumer debts by debt collectors, as defined. The act defines "consumer debt" to mean money, property, or their equivalent, due or owing or alleged to be due or owing from a natural person by reason of a consumer credit transaction. The act further defines "consumer credit transaction" to mean a transaction between a natural person and another person in which property, services, or money is acquired on credit by that natural person from the other person primarily for personal, family, or household purposes. The act also defines "debt collector" to exclude an attorney or counselor at law. This bill would provide that consumer debt for purposes of the act includes mortgage debt. The bill would also remove the exception for an attorney or counselor at law from the definition of debt collector. The bill would also make nonsubstantive changes.