Debt Collectors Endure Abuse as 13.1% of Card Balances Turn 90 Days Delinquent
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 7
Debt Collectors Endure Abuse as 13.1% of Card Balances Turn 90 Days Delinquent
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 7
Summary
Guybrielle Madison, a 31-year-old remote collector in Memphis, mutes abusive callers and crunches snacks to block out shouting, racial slurs and threats.
About 167,000 U.S. debt collectors work in one of the economy’s most reviled jobs, absorbing anger from debtors once unpaid balances are sent to collection after 90 to 180 days.
The pressure is rising: 13.1% of credit-card balances were at least 90 days delinquent in the first quarter of 2026, the highest rate in 15 years, according to the New York Fed.
For many collectors, the work still offers a needed foothold — remote schedules, no college degree requirement and average pay of about $22 an hour, sometimes with bonuses.