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Hundreds of thousands of former BankBoston customers have yet to claim $25 payments they are entitled to under a $12.5 million class-action settlement with Bank of America. Court documents indicate only about 58,000 account holders have filed claims so far, or less than 10 percent of the total. The precise size of the class is unknown, but it is estimated to be 584,000 to 1 million account holders.

A company that has a great deal of power in one market should not be able to legally use that power to leverage its way into other markets--this is the heart of many antitrust actions. A class action has been filed against American Express Company on behalf of merchants who accept the company's charge cards, alleging that American Express uses its market power unlawfully to force class members to accept its credit cards at excessive rates in violation of federal antitrust laws.

State and federal laws require that lenders deal with consumers in a straightforward and honest manner. The parties have reached a tentative partial settlement in a national class action against lenders First Union National Bank of Delaware, First Union Home Equity Bank, and First Union Home Equity Corporation on behalf of all persons who obtained a home equity or other loan that resulted in a mortgage from the lenders that was brokered or referred to First Union by either Pennsylvania Resource Corporation or First Liberty Financial Services at any time between May 10, 1995, and the eventual date of any judgment in the action.

A class action has been filed in Pennsylvania against collection specialist, NCO Financial Services, Inc. The action is brought on behalf of all Kentucky and Pennsylvania residents who received a collection letter from NCO Financial which included a due date for payment, a date which consumers claim has the effect of overshadowing the statutorily required statement entitling consumers to challenge the validity of the alleged debt. The action is brought under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and seeks statutory damages as well as injunctive and declaratory relief.

A statewide class action has been filed in Oklahoma Against Viking Collection Service, Inc. The action is brought on behalf of all Oklahoma consumers who were contacted by Viking regarding an alleged debt and who were subject to allegedly abusive and unfair collection attempts. The action is brought under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and seeks compensatory, statutory and punitive damages as well as injunctive and declaratory relief.

A class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of consumers nationwide who received collection letters from Zwicker and Associates purporting to be from or authorized by an attorney. The suit alleges that Zwicker’s letters were intentionally deceptive and failed to adhere to the requirements of the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act .

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