As millions of Americans fall behind on bills, debt collection law firms have been clogging courtrooms with suits seeking repayment.

Some judges are fuming at debt collectors, scolding them over excessive interest rates and abusive practices.

A few judges have fumed at debt collectors and their lawyers, scolding them for excessive interest and berating for them for abusive practices.

A class-action suit claims more than 100,000 New Yorkers are victims of a network of debt collectors who used fraudulent documents to surreptitiously win court judgments.

A class-action suit claims more than 100,000 New Yorkers are victims of a network of debt collectors who used fraudulent documents to surreptitiously win court judgments.

Robert Bowman, an aspiring lawyer, was refused entry to the New York bar because of $400,000 in student debt.

A group of five state appellate judges decided that Robert Bowman’s student loans were too big and his efforts to repay them too meager to allow him admission to the bar.

The attorney general, Andrew M. Cuomo, plans to file a civil suit Tuesday against a company that failed to give notice to debtors of collections proceedings.

As the final stop on the subprime lending train, the Civil Court has become the 21st-century debtors’ court.

As the final stop on the subprime lending train, the Civil Court has become the 21st-century debtors’ court. Filings have nearly tripled since 2000.