Generally they are not. Creditors collecting their own debt in their own name are typically excluded from the definition of debt collector. However, a creditor may be a debt collector under the FDCPA if it is collecting its own debt by using a different name that suggests to a consumer a third party is collecting or attempting to collect that debt.
Officers and employees of a creditor using the true name of the creditor while collecting or attempting to collect debts owed to the creditor are also not subject to the FDCPA. For example, a person employed by the creditor as an in-house collector is exempt from the FDCPA if acting in the name of the creditor and notifying the consumer that they are collecting the debt as an employee of the creditor.