In a major step to curb abusive debt collection practices and safeguard consumer rights across the Dominican credit industry, two key stakeholders have formalized a landmark regulatory agreement that sets clear new standards for how collection agencies operate.
The pact, signed by the country’s National Institute for the Protection of Consumer Rights (known locally as Pro Consumidor) and the Association of the Credit and Collection Ecosystem (COB-RD), directly addresses the most frequent consumer grievances that have plagued the Dominican debt collection sector for years. Two of the highest-volume complaints received by Pro Consumidor — aggressive collection efforts targeting third parties who bear no legal responsibility for an outstanding debt, and relentless unsolicited communication that disrupts daily life — are explicitly targeted for elimination under the new agreement.
Beyond banning these abusive practices, the accord creates a framework for advancing a culture of humane, responsible debt collection across the nation’s credit ecosystem. The framework outlines mandatory adoption of industry-wide best practice guidelines, requires regular training for collection staff to ensure teams understand legal and ethical boundaries, and commits both parties to rolling out public consumer education campaigns that help borrowers understand their rights when interacting with collection agencies. The agreement also imposes strict new oversight requirements for all collection procedures, holding agencies accountable for consistent adherence to the new standards.
Notably, the new rules extend to modern digital collection channels that have grown in popularity in recent years. All digital communication methods, including email, automated calling systems, consumer instant messaging platforms, and even artificial intelligence-powered collection tools, are required to align fully with existing national consumer protection regulations and official telecommunications laws.
To ensure the agreement does not remain an unenforced policy statement, the two organizations have agreed to launch a permanent joint technical committee. This cross-stakeholder body will be tasked with tracking on-the-ground implementation of the new standards, recommending policy updates as the credit and technology landscape evolves, facilitating the spread of proven responsible collection practices across the industry, and conducting formal reviews of consumer complaints related to potential violations of the agreed-upon rules.