The Structure and Practices of the Debt Buying Industry

"The FTC initiated this debt buyer study in late 2009 for two main purposes. First, the FTC sought to
obtain a better understanding of the debt buying market and the process of buying and selling debt. Second, the Commission wanted to explore the nature and extent of the relationship, if any, between the practice of debt buying and the types of information problems that the FTC has found can occur when debt collectors seek to recover and verify debts..."
http://www.ftc.gov/os/2013/01/debtbuyingreport.pdf
Structure and Practice of the Debt Buying Industry