Researchers tracked lawsuits in eight states where collectors use the courts to garnish wages and recover medical, credit-card, utility and other debt. Lawsuits filed by debt collectors over unpaid credit-card bills and other outstanding balances have surged to their highest levels in years, according to a report released Thursday by the Pew Charitable Trusts. The number of debt collection lawsuits filed in several states and metropolitan areas in 2025 outpaced prepandemic levels, continuing a trend that began a year earlier, according to the Pew report.

Researchers tracked lawsuits in eight states where collectors use the courts to garnish wages and recover medical, credit-card, utility and other debt. Lawsuits filed by debt collectors over unpaid credit-card bills and other outstanding balances have surged to their highest levels in years, according to a report released Thursday by the Pew Charitable Trusts. The number of debt collection lawsuits filed in several states and metropolitan areas in 2025 outpaced prepandemic levels, continuing a trend that began a year earlier, according to the Pew report.