Be aware that an original creditor can still be considerd a debt collector under the FDCPA, and thus still subject to all of the protections of the FDCPA, including the right to request debt validation, and all of the debt collection practices provisions.
The definition of a debt collector in the FDCPA explicity includes any original creditor who uses a name other than their own that leave an implication that they are a party other than the original creditor.
As for disputes, the moderators are not heavy handed in discussion of disputes. If you have an inaccuracy, you can certainly ask for and receive comments on use of a dispute.
The moderator issue applies to discussions that urge or discuss the filing of a dispute when there is no inaccuracy.
AS for the current balance of a debt, I would agree that filing of disputes would best be reserved for a one-time dispute if/when you are negotiating terms of payment, and have a disagreement over the amount of the debt that you wish to have verified. In most situations, the account agreement that created the debt will have explcityly authorized addtional amounts that are permitted under FDCPA 808(1),and thus the amount of the debt is fluid and variable, so constant disputes are time consuming and are likely obsolete the month after they are filed.
