Montgomery Ward Credit Corporation

9723188

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

Commissioners:: Robert Pitofsky; Sheila F. Anthony; Mozelle W. Thompson; Orson Swindle

In the Matter of

MONTGOMERY WARD CREDIT CORPORATION, a corporation, and GENERAL ELECTRIC CAPITAL CORPORATION, a corporation.

DOCKET NO. C-3839

DECISION AND ORDER

The Federal Trade Commission having initiated an investigation of certain acts and practices of the respondents named in the caption hereof, and the respondents having been furnished thereafter with a copy of a draft of complaint which the Chicago Regional Office proposed to present to the Commission for its consideration and which, if issued by the Commission, would charge respondents with violations of the Federal Trade Commission Act; and

The respondents, their attorneys, and counsel for the Commission having thereafter executed an agreement containing a consent order, an admission by the respondents of all the jurisdictional facts set forth in the aforesaid draft of complaint, a statement that the signing of said agreement is for settlement purposes only and does not constitute an admission by respondents that the law has been violated as alleged in such complaint, and waivers and other provisions as required by the Commission's Rules; and

The Commission having thereafter considered the matter and having determined that it had reason to believe that the respondents have violated the said Act, and that complaint should issue stating its charges in that respect, and having thereupon accepted the executed consent agreement and placed such agreement on the public record for a period of sixty (60) days, and having duly considered the comments filed thereafter by interested persons pursuant to Section 2.34 of its Rules, the Commission hereby issues its complaint, makes the following jurisdictional findings and enters the following order:

1.a. Respondent Montgomery Ward Credit Corporation is a Delaware corporation with its principal office or place of business at 4246 South Riverboat Road, Taylorsville, Utah 84123.

1.b. Respondent General Electric Capital Corporation is a New York corporation with its principal executive office or place of business at 260 Long Ridge Road, Stamford, Connecticut 06927.

2. The acts and practices of the respondents alleged in this complaint have been in or affecting commerce, as "commerce" is defined in the Federal Trade Commission Act.

3. The Federal Trade Commission has jurisdiction of the subject matter of this proceeding and of the respondents, and the proceeding is in the public interest.

ORDER

DEFINITIONS

For purposes of this order, the following definitions shall apply:

Unless otherwise specified, "respondents" shall mean Montgomery Ward Credit Corporation, a corporation, General Electric Capital Corporation, a corporation, their successors and assigns, and their officers, agents, representatives, and employees.
"Debt" shall mean any obligation or alleged obligation of a consumer to pay money arising out of an extension of open-end credit under a plan to finance the purchase of goods or services, such goods or services not including real estate or motor vehicles.
"Debtor" shall mean any person who owes or is claimed to owe a Debt.
"Reaffirmation Agreement" shall mean any written agreement between a respondent and a Debtor who has filed a petition under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code, the consideration for which, in whole or in part, is based on all or a part of any dischargeable prepetition Debt incurred by a Debtor.
"Commerce" shall mean as defined in Section 4 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, 15 U.S.C. § 44.

IT IS ORDERED that respondents, directly or through any corporation, subsidiary, division, or other device, in connection with the collection of any Debt, shall not:

A. Misrepresent, expressly or by implication, to Debtors who have filed petitions for bankruptcy protection under the United States Bankruptcy Code that Reaffirmation Agreements have been or will be filed in bankruptcy court;

B. Misrepresent, expressly or by implication, to Debtors who have filed petitions for bankruptcy protection under the United States Bankruptcy Code that any Reaffirmation Agreement is legally binding on the consumer; or

C. Collect any Debt (including any interest, fee, charge, or expense incidental to the principal obligation) that has been legally discharged in bankruptcy proceedings and that respondents are not permitted by law to collect.

II.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that respondents, directly or through any corporation, subsidiary, division, or other device, shall not make any material misrepresentation, expressly or by implication, in the collection of any Debt subject to a pending bankruptcy proceeding.

III.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that respondents, for five (5) years after the date of issuance of this order, shall maintain and upon request make available to the Federal Trade Commission business records demonstrating their compliance with the terms and provisions of this order, including but not limited to all Reaffirmation Agreements in connection with Debt and records sufficient to show that such Reaffirmation Agreements were filed in bankruptcy courts and were subsequently approved by bankruptcy courts as part of the underlying bankruptcy proceedings, if required by the United States Bankruptcy Code.

IV.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that respondents, for five (5) years after the date of issuance of this order, shall deliver a copy of this order to all current and future officers, directors, managerial employees, and bankruptcy court representatives having responsibilities for the collection of any Debt subject to a pending bankruptcy proceeding ("Covered Persons"), and shall secure from each such person a signed and dated statement acknowledging receipt of the order. Respondents shall, for five (5) years after each such statement acknowledging receipt of the order is signed and dated, maintain and upon request make available to the Federal Trade Commission for inspection and copying such statements. Respondents shall deliver this order to current Covered Persons within thirty (30) days after the date of service of this order, and to future Covered Persons before any new Covered Person makes contact with a respondent’s customer or a respondent’s customer’s attorney for the collection of any Debt subject to a pending bankruptcy proceeding.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that respondents shall notify the Commission at least thirty (30) days prior to any change in the corporation(s) in each case that may affect compliance obligations arising under this order, including but not limited to a dissolution, assignment, sale, merger, or other action that would result in the emergence of a successor corporation; the creation or dissolution of a subsidiary, parent, or affiliate that engages in any acts or practices subject to this order; the proposed filing of a bankruptcy petition; or a change in the corporate name or address. Provided, however, that, with respect to any proposed change in the corporation about which respondents learn less than thirty (30) days prior to the date such action is to take place, respondents shall notify the Commission as soon as is practicable after obtaining such knowledge. All notices required by this Part shall be sent by certified mail to the Associate Director, Division of Enforcement, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Federal Trade Commission, Washington, D.C. 20580.

VI.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that respondents shall provide notification of all proposed settlement terms relating to allegations made by the Attorneys General of various states, any other legal actions by government entities not cited herein, and all class action lawsuits against respondents or any of their predecessors or affiliates, pending on the date that proposed respondents sign this order, that challenge conduct similar to that challenged by the Commission in this proceeding, to the Associate Director, Division of Enforcement, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Federal Trade Commission, in writing, at least ten (10) days before any such proposed settlement is submitted to a court for final approval.

VII.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that respondents shall, within sixty (60) days after the date of service of this order, and at such other times as the Federal Trade Commission may require, file with the Commission a report, in writing, setting forth in detail the manner and form in which they have complied with this order.

VIII.

This order will terminate on December 11, 2018, or twenty (20) years from the most recent date that the United States or the Federal Trade Commission files a complaint (with or without an accompanying consent decree) in federal court alleging any violation of the order, whichever comes later; provided, however, that the filing of such a complaint will not affect the duration of:

A. Any Part in this order that terminates in less than twenty (20) years;

B. This order's application to any respondent that is not named as a defendant in such complaint; and

C. This order if such complaint is filed after the order has terminated pursuant to this Part.

Provided, further, that if such complaint is dismissed or a federal court rules that the respondents did not violate any provision of the order, and the dismissal or ruling is either not appealed or upheld on appeal, then the order will terminate according to this Part as though the complaint had never been filed, except that the order will not terminate between the date such complaint is filed and the later of the deadline for appealing such dismissal or ruling and the date such dismissal or ruling is upheld on appeal.

By the Commission.

Donald S. Clark
Secretary

SEAL

ISSUED: December 11, 1998