Sec. 13. (a) A person who is licensed under this chapter may, for the purpose of acting as an agent for collection:
(1) receive another person's accounts, bills, or other evidence of indebtedness;
(2) be the assignee of another person's accounts, bills, or other evidence of indebtedness; and
(3) at the direction of an assignor or assignors:
(A) employ an attorney to represent an assignee in the filing of an action to collect a debt in the county of preferred venue for the action as set forth in Rule 75 of the Indiana Rules of Trial Procedure; and
(B) advance court costs for the filing of an action to collect a debt.
(b) For purposes of filing one (1) action, an assignee may consolidate:
(1) assigned claims against an individual debtor; or
(2) assigned claims against joint debtors.
(c) An action in which claims are consolidated under subsection (b) must be filed in the county of preferred venue as to all alleged debtors for the action as set forth in Rule 75 of the Indiana Rules of Trial Procedure.
(d) If an assignee files an action in a county other than the county of preferred venue as to all alleged debtors, the court upon motion shall order:
(1) the action transferred to the county of preferred venue; and
(2) the assignee to reimburse the person or persons against whom the action is filed for attorney's fees necessitated for correction of the preferred venue.
As added by P.L.154-1988, SEC.1.