A comprehensive analysis of consumer-debt collection practices, this book examines how creditors use self-help and judicial collections remedies that are often socially beneficial, but in other instances counterproductive. It also describes how debtors use and abuse Chapter 7 and 13 bankruptcy proceedings, and how both debtors and creditors have increasingly benefited from the workout-facilitating services of a private sector initiative recently made available to most Americans — the various Consumer Credit Counseling Services affiliated with the National Foundation for Consumer Credit. In this fascinating and well-written work, Williams analyzes the positive and negative results of collection, as well as the results of debtor response.