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Policy will hold bankers to debt-collection standards

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Under a policy announced Wednesday, federal regulators will prohibit banks from mistreating debtors who are behind on their payments.

"It doesn't matter who is collecting the debt — unfair, deceptive or abusive practices are illegal," said Richard Cordray, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The bureau's announcement plugs a gap in the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Until now, anti-harassment laws did not apply to banks or other lenders who went after debtors themselves, as opposed to farming the debt out to a third-party collection agency. No more, says the CFPB. The agency says it has authority under the Dodd-Frank Act to regulate these entities.

We find out what changes consumers may see as a result of this announcement.