It should come as no surprise that collection agencies have stepped up their activities in the pursuit of monies owed by consumers. However, with the increase of collection actions there has also been an increase of unsavory collection practices, many of which are unacceptable or even illegal. USA Today published an article that exposes just the tip of the questionable debt collection practices iceberg. That article gives a glimpse of what consumers who are delinquent in payment are facing, and what they can do about improper collections practices.

According to USA Today, "Complaints against debt collectors, after plunging in 2005, are rising again, the Council of Better Business Bureaus says. Complaints surged 20% in 2006 and 26% in 2007, according to the BBB's preliminary figures. And the Federal Trade Commission, which receives more complaints about debt collectors than about any other industry, says it's seen a steady rise in complaints against debt collectors." Debtors need to be made aware that they have specific protections that are provided by law. I'll tell you where to get started.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Blackboard, Ruth's Chris Steak House, Texas Roadhouse, China Digital and Main Street were today's noteworthy initiations:

• Suntrust initiated shares of Blackboard (NASDAQ:BBBB) with a Neutral rating, as they sees risk to 2008 Street estimates due to minimal margin expansion.
  
• Deutsche Bank started shares of Ruth's Chris Steak House (NASDAQ:RUTH) with a Hold rating, as they find it difficult to recommend a high-end dining chain in this economic environment.
• The firm also initiated Texas Roadhouse (NASDAQ:TXRH) with a Buy rating and $15 target, citing the company's solid balance sheet, consistent operating history and low valuation.
  
• Piper expects shares of China Digital (NYSE:STV) will move higher as investors recognize the growth potential of the conditional access card market in China. The firm started shares off with a Buy rating and $43 target.
  
• Morgan Keegan resumed coverage of Main Street (NASDAQ:MAIN) with an Outperform rating and sees fair value range $15.50 to $17.00 based on MAIN's current yield of 9.2%.

OTHER INITIATIONS:

• Societe Generale initiated Centrica PLC (CPYYY) with a Sell rating.
  
• Conceptus (NASDAQ:CPTS) was initiated with a Buy rating and $27 target at Oppenheimer.
  
• JP Morgan resumed coverage of Eastman Kodak (NASDAQ:EK) with an Underweight rating, and Infinera (INASDAQ:INFN) and Starent Networks (NASDAQ:STAR) with Overweight ratings.