Paul Kiel

Journalist (NATIONAL)
Covers consumer finance for ProPublica.
Tags: Consumer Protection, Predatory Lending

Links: ProPublica bio | Twitter | (Current as of: February 3, 2015)


CONTENT BY THIS PERSON

Investigative

Debt Collectors Have Made a Fortune This Year. Now They’re Coming for More.

Paul Kiel
ProPublica
October 5, 2020
After a pause for the pandemic, debt buyers are back in the courts, suing debtors by the thousands.

Investigative , News Story

Capital One and Other Debt Collectors Are Still Coming for Millions of Americans

Paul Kiel, Jeff Ernsthausen
ProPublica
June 8, 2020

Investigative

Capital One and Other Debt Collectors Are Still Coming for Millions of Americans

Paul Kiel, Jeff Ernsthausen
ProPublica
June 8, 2020

Analysis , News Story

For Americans With Bills to Pay, Help Is on the Way. Sort Of.

Jeff Ernsthausen, Paul Kiel
ProPublica
April 2, 2020

News Story

Where in The U.S. Are You Most Likely to Be Audited by the IRS?

Paul Kiel
ProPublica
April 1, 2019
The five counties with the highest audit rates are all predominantly African American, rural counties in the Deep South.

News Story

Who’s More Likely to Be Audited: A Person Making $20,000 — or $400,000?

Paul Kiel, Jesse Eisinger
ProPublica
December 12, 2018
If you claim the earned income tax credit, whose average recipient makes less than $20,000 a year, you’re more likely to face IRS scrutiny than someone making twenty times as much. How a benefit for the working poor was turned against them.

Op-Ed

What happens when you can’t afford to go bankrupt

Paul Kiel
Washington Post
March 2, 2018
It happens every tax season. With many more people suddenly able to pay a lawyer, the number of bankruptcy filings jumps way up in March, stays high in April, then declines.

News Story

When You Can’t Afford to Go Bankrupt

Paul Kiel
ProPublica
March 2, 2018
There’s ample evidence many people don’t file for bankruptcy simply because they can’t pay an attorney. It’s a fixable problem.

News Story

How to Get Away With Bankruptcy Fraud

Paul Kiel
ProPublica
December 22, 2017
Los Angeles is the nation’s hub for bankruptcy crime. Scammers prey on struggling homeowners with little fear of getting caught, because criminal enforcement of bankruptcy laws is rare.

News Story

In Nebraska, New Bill Proposes Protections Against Rampant Debt Collection

Paul Kiel
ProPublica
January 24, 2017
Bill seeks to block collectors from cleaning out debtors’ bank accounts over medical debts of a few hundred dollars.

News Story

In Bill, Lawmakers Propose New Limits for Seizing Workers’ Pay Over Old Debts

Paul Kiel
ProPublica
July 12, 2016
Last week, two lawmakers introduced a bill to put new limits on what debt collectors can take from debtors’ paychecks and bank accounts.

News Story

Nonprofit Hospital Stops Suing So Many Poor Patients: Will Others Follow?

Paul Kiel, Chris Arnold
ProPublica, National Public Radio (NPR)
June 1, 2016
A story by ProPublica and NPR and a Senate investigation prompt a Missouri nonprofit hospital to change its policies and forgive thousands of patients’ debts. But without similar scrutiny, it’s unclear if other hospitals that sue the poor will change.

Investigative

For Nebraska’s Poor, Get Sick and Get Sued

Paul Kiel
ProPublica, Daily Beast
April 28, 2016
Cheap court fees and looser rules make suing over medical debts as small as $60 easy. Every year Nebraska collection agencies file lawsuits by the tens of thousands.

Investigative

At Capital One, Easy Credit and Abundant Lawsuits

Paul Kiel
ProPublica
December 28, 2015
A ProPublica analysis of state court filings reveals that Capital One sues its customers far more than any other bank.

News Story

To Address Race Gap, Missouri AG Pushes Debt Collection Fixes

Paul Kiel
ProPublica
December 3, 2015
Missouri’s attorney general proposed reforms to the state court rules to address the prevalence of debt collection suits in black neighborhoods.

Investigative

In Alabama, A Public Hospital Serves the Poor — with Lawsuits

Paul Kiel
ProPublica
December 22, 2014
Public hospitals can be among the most aggressive in collecting debts from poor patients, not only garnishing their wages, but cleaning out their bank accounts. “It makes me sick,” said one legal aid attorney.



This page last modified: Tue, April 14, 2015 -- 8:23 am ET