A decision of the Court of Appeal blocks the process and transfer of personal data of debtors and credit card holders, and puts rules on numerous phone calls made by credit collection agencies to the debtors.

Additionally, the court decision provides a compensation of least 5,869 euros in favour of the debtor in case of privacy violation.

Some lawyers also criticized the fact that the Athens Bar Association remains indifferent to the growing tendency of law firms becoming credit collection agencies for the sake of profit.

Indeed, some of them having political connections are turned into big firms that have many lawyers and employees, taking advantage of the debtors’ inability to meet their loan obligations forcing them to mortgage their houses

According to the Court of Appeal of Athens, banks are obliged to inform their customers before transferring their personal data to credit collection agencies.

The credit collection agencies are obliged before proceeding to any action to inform in written the debtors that they have their personal data.

Moreover, the credit collection agencies on the first phone call to the debtor should state the name of the responsible company, the purpose of use of personal data and that they will make use of the data.