Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit January 11, 2000, 98-4180, 98-4328, 98-4329 (Patricia White, on Her Behalf and on Behalf of All Others Similarly Situated v. Jerome Goodman)

POSNER, Chief Judge.

One of the practices that the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1692

et seq.,

forbids is “flat-rating,” the term popularly applied to providing a form which creates the false impression that someone (usually a collection agency) besides the actual creditor is “participating” in collecting the debt. § 1692j(a); see S.Rep.No. 95-382, 95th Cong. 1st Sess.