Collection Service Board accepts legal report; new rules to take effect Sept. 24, 2025

The Tennessee Collection Service Board voted to accept the legal report for the meeting, which Counsel Joseph Wharton said includes 21 complaints and six recommended consent orders tied to statutory violations.

The legal report was presented by Joseph Wharton, board counsel, who told members, “The legal report for this meeting has a total of 21 cases on it.” He read a list of complaint numbers into the record and recommended six consent orders tied to statutory licensure and surety-bond violations. The board approved the report by voice vote; no members recorded opposition.

Why it matters: the legal report identifies enforcement matters against collection-service providers and sets the department’s next steps, including consent orders and, where respondents do not respond, formal legal action.

Board discussion focused on how cases are presented and on the scope of the board’s jurisdiction. Several members asked why respondent names appeared on the draft legal report; Wharton said that the published report should be redacted and that the…