The short version
Quick answer
Start with two questions: what kind of debt is involved, and who is collecting it? Regulation F defines both consumer debt and debt collector, with exclusions. A payment request alone does not answer those questions.
Identify the transaction
Regulation F defines debt by reference to transactions primarily for personal, family or household purposes. An obligation can fall within that definition even if it is only alleged or has not been reduced to judgment. Keep the account documents rather than relying only on the label in a message.
Source basis: 12 C.F.R. § 1006.2 · § 1006.2(h)
Identify the collector’s role
The definition includes businesses whose principal purpose is collecting debts and persons who regularly collect debts owed to another. It also contains exclusions. Original-creditor status, a purchased account and the name used in a collection message require careful examination; no single label settles every coverage question.
Source basis: 12 C.F.R. § 1006.2 · § 1006.2(g), (i), including official interpretation
Keep coverage separate from conduct
This is an introduction to a federal framework, not a determination that a particular business is covered or that any message was unlawful. State-law questions and the merits of the underlying debt require separate research.
Source basis: 12 C.F.R. § 1006.2 · Scope limitation; § 1006.2