A plain-language guide to the big U.S. debt collectors, debt buyers, and government collection contractors. Use it to figure out who contacted you, what they usually collect, and what to check before you pay anything.
The biggest names in U.S. debt collection are large national collectors and debt buyers such as Transworld Systems, Midland Credit Management (Encore Capital Group), and Portfolio Recovery Associates (PRA Group) — companies that collect, buy, or manage consumer debt across the country, on everything from phone and medical bills to credit cards, utilities, and government accounts.
Most collection agencies are private and don't publish their revenue, so no "top 10" list can really rank them by size. Instead, this directory profiles the names people search for and run into most — based on how often they show up on credit reports, collection letters, caller ID, payment portals, and complaint data.
The label a company uses changes who owns the account — and what proof to ask for before you pay.
Collects for the original creditor or the current owner of the debt, usually for a fee. It doesn't own your account — so it's worth asking who does.
Buys the debt outright and collects it for itself. Publicly traded buyers like Encore Capital and PRA Group are among the largest collectors in the country.
The industry's catch-all term for companies that collect, buy, service, or handle consumer debt. Many of the biggest U.S. collectors describe themselves this way, even though it tells you little about your specific account.
Not sure which kind of company contacted you? Start with how to handle a collection account before you respond or pay.
This is an editorial list of the collection companies people are most likely to run into — on letters, calls, credit reports, payment portals, or government programs. It's not a ranking by size, because most of these companies are private and don't publish their revenue. We lean on the companies' own pages for what they do, and on regulator, court, SEC, and complaint records wherever they're available.
The order reflects how prominent and visible each name is to consumers — not how much money the company makes.
Transworld Systems (TSI) is one of the country's largest debt collectors. It mostly collects unpaid bills for other companies — often medical, student, and loan accounts — and also handles billing and loan paperwork behind the scenes.
Midland Credit Management (MCM) is the part of Encore Capital Group that deals with consumers directly. Encore buys up old, unpaid debts — often charged-off credit cards — and MCM is the name that then contacts you to collect them.
Portfolio Recovery Associates (PRA) is the consumer-facing name of PRA Group, a publicly traded company that buys large batches of old, unpaid debt and then collects on it directly.
Resurgent manages and collects consumer accounts on behalf of the companies that own them — most often LVNV Funding. So the name on your credit report and the name contacting you may be different.
Convergent Outsourcing is a debt collector that works on behalf of other companies, so the account it contacts you about almost always belongs to one of its clients rather than to Convergent.
Radius Global Solutions is a large customer-service and debt-collection company that contacts people on behalf of other businesses, from early payment reminders through later-stage collections.
IC System is a long-standing, family-owned debt-collection company that collects for clients across healthcare, government, banking, and phone or internet services.
Also seen as The CBE Group, Inc. / CBE Companies / The CBE Group Inc - Formerly VAC / VAC
CBE Group is a debt-collection and call-center company that has been in business since 1933, collecting unpaid accounts and handling customer-service work for other organizations.
GC Services is a long-established collection and customer-service company, best known for collecting on government, student-loan, and consumer accounts.
MRS BPO is a debt-collection company that contacts people about unpaid accounts and offers ways to pay them off, working on behalf of the businesses it serves.
TrueAccord is a debt collector that works mostly online — through email, websites, and self-service payment pages — instead of the usual phone calls.
Enhanced Recovery Company (ERC) is a large customer-service and outsourcing company whose work has included debt collection.
ARS National Services is a debt-collection agency that operates in all 50 states, collecting mainly for banks and other lenders.
Client Services, Inc. (CSI) is a debt-collection and customer-service company that collects accounts and handles support work for a range of industries.
Credit Control is a debt-collection company founded in 1989 and licensed nationwide to collect on past-due accounts for its clients.
Receivables Performance Management (RPM) is a debt collector that works for other companies, and it's seen most often on phone, cable, bank, and utility accounts.
National Credit Systems (NCS) is a debt collector that specializes in apartment and rental-housing debts, working for landlords and property managers.
Afni is a customer-service and debt-collection company with decades of experience, contacting people about unpaid accounts on behalf of its clients.
ConServe is a debt-collection company that focuses on colleges and universities, banks, government agencies, and commercial lenders.
Harris & Harris is a call-center and debt-collection company that collects for both government agencies and private businesses — sometimes under its own name, sometimes under a client's.
Fair Collections & Outsourcing (FCO) is a national debt collector with a strong focus on rental housing, and it reports accounts to the credit bureaus.
Caine & Weiner is a long-established debt-collection company that handles both consumer and business accounts, including some international collections.
Waypoint Resource Group is a debt-collection company that recovers late and unpaid accounts across healthcare, phone, utility, government, and business clients.
Credit Collection Services (CCS) is a national debt collector with more than 50 years in the business, handling large volumes of unpaid consumer accounts for its clients.
AllianceOne is a debt-collection company that handles accounts from start to finish for its clients, with operations in the U.S. and abroad.
Also seen as Conrad Credit Corp / Conrad Companies / CCC
Conrad Credit Corporation is a California-based debt collector. Its site describes collecting consumer accounts, reporting to the credit bureaus, online account access, locating people who owe money, and sometimes referring accounts for possible lawsuits.
Coast Professional is a debt-collection and call-center company that works for government agencies, colleges, and local governments, including official IRS and U.S. Treasury collection programs.
Pioneer Credit Recovery is a debt collector focused on government accounts, with more than 40 years in business and a current listing as one of the U.S. Treasury's private collection agencies.
Penn Credit is a debt-collection company that works for government agencies, toll authorities, healthcare providers, schools, utilities, phone companies, and other clients.
Also seen as Credit Corp Solutions Inc. / Tasman Credit / Tasman Credit Corp / Credit Corp Collections Agency / Credit Corp Collections Agency Inc.
Credit Corp Solutions buys and collects consumer debt, including unpaid store financing, credit cards, and personal loans — meaning it often owns the debt it contacts you about.
Also seen as Cavalry Portfolio Services, LLC / Cavalry
Cavalry Portfolio Services is a debt-collection company. Public records identify it as a collector, and it publishes support contacts for payment and account questions.
Jefferson Capital is a major debt buyer that also services accounts, purchasing many kinds of consumer debt and then collecting on it.
National Enterprise Systems (NES) is a national debt-collection agency that collects unpaid accounts for lenders and government clients.
Also seen as Financial Asset Management Systems, Inc. / FAMS
Financial Asset Management Systems (FAMS) is a debt collector that recovers accounts for clients — sometimes under its own name, sometimes under a client's — across schools, finance, government, healthcare, and phone or media companies.
Firstsource Advantage is a debt collector with an online payment site that says it works with banks and credit-card companies to resolve past-due accounts.
Also seen as Southwest Credit / SWC Group / SWC Group, L.P.
Southwest Credit is a debt-collection company that contacts people about accounts at different stages — from early reminders through full collections — on behalf of its clients.
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