www.cambridge-credit.org — Since the start of the recession in 2007, the Better Business Bureau reports that it has received more than 3500 complaints regarding the debt-settlement industry, reinforcing the unfortunate fact that many people who seek assistance from debt-settlement companies never receive the services they so desperately require. Common among those complaints were stories of individuals who wound up deeper in debt, or who faced lawsuits for failure to make their scheduled payments. In an effort to protect consumers from unscrupulous debt settlement firms, the FTC recently introduced groundbreaking new rules to govern the industry’s practices. In announcing the regulations, FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz and Vice President Joe Biden noted that many debt-settlement companies use “a business model based on deceit,” and pledged to enforce the new rules aggressively.