Compliance · Updated 15 April 2026
Compliance at Syntharra
Syntharra calls on behalf of the creditor — never as a third-party agency. Every dollar amount, due date, and legal disclosure comes from the creditor’s accounting system and is injected deterministically into the call. The AI handles tone, timing, and empathy; the compliance layer handles everything legal. This page is the working reference for how that works in practice across the TCPA, FDCPA, state call-window statutes, the federal Do Not Call registry, and call-recording consent laws.
This page is a plain-language summary, not legal advice. Statutes are cited by section number so you can verify each claim against the source text directly.
TCPA — 47 U.S.C. § 227
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (47 U.S.C. § 227) restricts autodialed and artificial-voice calls to mobile numbers without prior express consent. It also sets the 8am-9pm debtor-local-time calling window that most state collection statutes mirror.
Syntharra calls on behalf of the creditor into a pre-existing commercial relationship — the debtor already gave a phone number as part of the transaction being collected on. Every call opens with a hardcoded call-recording notice and an AI identification statement, and every call carries a one-word opt-out that removes the debtor from the global DNC list instantly.
- Calling window: 9am – 8pm in debtor’s local timezone, tighter than the federal 8am-9pm baseline.
- Never on weekends, regardless of state rule.
- Maximum 3 attempts per invoice; minimum 3 days between attempts on the same invoice.
- Instant, global DNC on any opt-out phrase.
FDCPA — 15 U.S.C. § 1692
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (15 U.S.C. § 1692 et seq.) is the federal law that governs how debt is collected. It sets the 8am-9pm rule, the workplace-contact restrictions, the validation-notice requirements, and the prohibitions on harassment, false representations, and unfair practices.
The first-party / third-party distinction
The FDCPA applies to third-party debt collectors (collection agencies, debt buyers, attorneys regularly collecting debts for others). It does not directly apply to first-party creditors collecting on their own debt under their own name. Syntharra operates as a first-party extension of the creditor: calls go out in the creditor’s name, about invoices the creditor issued, into a pre-existing commercial relationship. This means the FDCPA’s letter does not bind us, but state consumer-protection statutes (California’s Rosenthal Act, Florida’s FCCPA, and many others) do extend FDCPA-style restrictions to first-party creditors — and the federal FTC Act prohibits unfair or deceptive practices regardless of which party is calling. Syntharra therefore treats FDCPA requirements as a baseline floor, not a ceiling, on every call.
In practice this means: no calls outside the 8am-9pm window (tightened to 9am-8pm at Syntharra), no calls to the workplace if the debtor indicates it is inconvenient, no threats, no misrepresentations of amount or legal status, and immediate cessation on request. The compliance layer enforces all of these; the LLM cannot override them.
State call-window rules
Federal baseline under the FDCPA is 8am-9pm in the debtor’s local timezone. Many state consumer-collection statutes adopt that window; a few (California, New York, Texas, Florida) have their own consumer-collection statutes that track or tighten the federal rule. For the rest, the rule is unsettled or contract-dependent and we defer to counsel rather than invent a value.
| State | Start | End | Weekends | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALAlabama | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| AKAlaska | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| AZArizona | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| ARArkansas | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| CACalifornia | 8am | 9pm | see statute | Rosenthal Act Cal. Civ. Code § 1788 |
| COColorado | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| CTConnecticut | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| DEDelaware | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| DCDistrict of Columbia | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| FLFlorida | 8am | 9pm | see statute | Fla. Stat. § 559.72 (FCCPA) |
| GAGeorgia | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| HIHawaii | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| IDIdaho | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| ILIllinois | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| INIndiana | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| IAIowa | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| KSKansas | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| KYKentucky | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| LALouisiana | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| MEMaine | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| MDMaryland | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| MAMassachusetts | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| MIMichigan | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| MNMinnesota | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| MSMississippi | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| MOMissouri | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| MTMontana | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| NENebraska | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| NVNevada | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| NHNew Hampshire | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| NJNew Jersey | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| NMNew Mexico | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| NYNew York | 8am | 9pm | see statute | 23 NYCRR 1 |
| NCNorth Carolina | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| NDNorth Dakota | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| OHOhio | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| OKOklahoma | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| OROregon | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| PAPennsylvania | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| RIRhode Island | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| SCSouth Carolina | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| SDSouth Dakota | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| TNTennessee | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| TXTexas | 8am | 9pm | see statute | Tex. Fin. Code § 392 |
| UTUtah | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| VTVermont | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| VAVirginia | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| WAWashington | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| WVWest Virginia | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| WIWisconsin | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
| WYWyoming | See state statute | See state statute | see statute | See state statute |
Rows marked “See state statute” are not gaps in our compliance — Syntharra still enforces the federal 8am-9pm window (tightened to 9am-8pm) in those states. They simply indicate that we decline to publish a state-specific value we cannot source from a named statute.
Do Not Call — federal registry & state overlays
The federal Do Not Call Registry, administered by the FTC under the Telemarketing Sales Rule (16 C.F.R. Part 310), restricts telemarketing calls. Debt-collection calls to numbers with an existing business relationship are generally outside its scope, but several states maintain their own DNC lists with different exemption profiles.
Syntharra does not rely on any exemption. Our own global DNC list is the authority: once a debtor asks to stop being called — by any phrasing that a reasonable listener would recognize as an opt-out — the number is suppressed instantly across every Syntharra client. We never re-contact an opted-out number without fresh, documented written consent.
Debtors can also request removal at any time by visiting /unsubscribe or emailing privacy@syntharra.com.
Call recording consent — one-party vs. two-party states
Federal wiretap law (18 U.S.C. § 2511) and the majority of U.S. states operate under a one-party consent rule: one party to the conversation can lawfully record it. A minority of states require two-party (all-party) consent — every participant must be notified that the call is being recorded.
Every Syntharra call opens with an audible “This call may be recorded” disclosure before any substantive conversation begins, satisfying two-party consent by giving the debtor the opportunity to end the call before recording becomes substantive.
Two-party (all-party) consent states:
- CACalifornia
- CTConnecticut
- FLFlorida
- ILIllinois
- MDMaryland
- MAMassachusetts
- MTMontana
- NHNew Hampshire
- PAPennsylvania
- WAWashington
- OROregon
Two-party consent laws vary in detail — some require explicit affirmative consent, others accept notice-plus-continuation. Syntharra’s blanket “This call may be recorded” opening is the conservative posture that satisfies both modes.
Compliance FAQ
Does the FDCPA apply to Syntharra?
The FDCPA (15 U.S.C. § 1692) governs third-party debt collectors. Syntharra operates as a first-party extension of the creditor — placing calls on the creditor's behalf, under the creditor's identity. First-party creditors are generally outside the FDCPA's scope, but state consumer-protection statutes and UDAP laws still apply, so we design every call around FDCPA-equivalent restrictions as a conservative floor.
What time of day can Syntharra call?
The federal baseline under the FDCPA (and generally adopted by state collection statutes) is 8am to 9pm in the debtor's local timezone. Syntharra tightens that window to 9am to 8pm, never calls on weekends, and enforces debtor-local timezone from the billing address on every call.
How does Syntharra handle TCPA prior express consent?
The TCPA (47 U.S.C. § 227) restricts autodialer and artificial/prerecorded-voice calls to mobile numbers without prior express consent. Syntharra's calls are placed by an AI voice agent to numbers supplied by our client (the creditor) as part of an existing commercial relationship. We rely on the creditor's consent documentation and provide a one-word opt-out on every call.
What happens when a debtor says 'stop calling'?
Do-not-call is instant and global. The moment a debtor says any opt-out phrase (stop, don't call me, do not call, remove me), the debtor's number is added to the global DNC list across every Syntharra client. We never re-contact an opted-out number without fresh, documented consent.
How does Syntharra disclose that the call is AI?
Every Syntharra call opens with a hardcoded disclosure — 'This call may be recorded' and 'I'm an AI assistant' — injected by the Retell voice flow, not the LLM prompt. The AI never generates or suppresses this disclosure.
Is call recording lawful in every state?
All 50 states and federal law permit recording, but 11 states require all-party consent. Syntharra's opening disclosure ('This call may be recorded') is delivered before any substantive conversation, satisfying the two-party consent requirement in those states. See the call-recording section below for the full list.
Can Syntharra call numbers on the federal Do Not Call Registry?
The federal DNC Registry governs telemarketing. Debt-collection calls to numbers with an existing business relationship are generally exempt from DNC restrictions, but Syntharra's global opt-out list overrides this: once a number is added, it is never called again regardless of registry status.
What about state call-window statutes?
Many states adopt the 8am-9pm FDCPA window directly; a few — California, New York, Texas, Florida — have their own consumer-collection statutes that mirror or tighten the federal rule. The state table below lists what we know and defers to counsel for the rest.
How often can Syntharra call the same debtor?
Maximum three attempts per invoice, minimum three days between attempts on the same invoice. After three unsuccessful attempts the invoice escalates to a human. These caps are enforced in the compliance layer and cannot be overridden by the LLM.
Does the LLM ever generate legal disclosures?
No. Every dollar amount, due date, legal disclosure, call-recording notice, and AI-identification statement is injected deterministically from the creditor's data (QuickBooks or accounting system) via Retell dynamic variables. The LLM handles only conversational flow — tone, timing, empathy — never legal content.
Related
- Security — SOC 2 stage, encryption posture, subprocessors.
- Privacy Policy — data handling, retention, DNC on request.
- Unsubscribe — one-field removal from the global DNC list.
- Founder’s letter — why compliance-first architecture.
Compliance questions? compliance@syntharra.com