The New Economy

Son, perhaps you’ve never thought about a lucrative career as a city marshal:

A lucky group of city marshals earned a record $43 million last year by swooping in to collect debts for individuals, the city and big corporations like AT&T and Con Edison, routinely towing cars, evicting tenants and collecting court judgments.

There were 46 marshals in 2008, and cashing in on financial catastrophe has made 16 of them millionaires.

They pocket 5 percent of every debt they collect, and pay only minor fees for the privilege. Their 2008 take was $1 million more than the year before, and almost $5 million more than in 2006.