Technology has made it easier for debt buyers to purchase and analyze large batches of past-due accounts, making it possible to eke profits from cases with smaller balances, said David Freeman Engstrom, a Stanford law professor who studies debt collection and eviction cases. (Last year, a report from the National Center for State Courts raised the possibility that filing systems using A.I. could be partly driving an increase in debt claims.)

“It’s incredibly easy, and the marginal cost has gone down,” Professor Engstrom said. Debt collection actions are the most frequently filed civil suits in state courts, he said, adding, “Courts are choking on these cases.”