Brennan & Clark, LLC (B&C) is a third-party debt collection agency based in Illinois. B&C has received consumer complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA), including threatening to take actions that cannot legally be taken and using threatening and abusive language in an effort to collect a debt. If B&C has contacted you about delinquent collection items, make sure you know your rights before you respond.
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Brennan & Clark, Ltd., LLC was founded in 1980 and incorporated in 1999. The BBB established a profile page for B&C in 1993, and B&C has been a BBB-accredited business since 2013. The BBB lists B&C as a collection agency and business process management company. Buzzfile estimates B&C’s annual revenue at $3 million and the size of its headquarters staff at 25 employees.
According to its website, B&C “believes that collections is a craft, something that needs to be developed, implemented, and improved time and again.” B&C states that its “team understands this belief, and they all have the training and experience to prove it.” B&C cites “a combined industry experience of 95 years, with a …management team… at the forefront of leading collections practice.”
Brennan & Clark does not provide any specific, detailed information about the types of businesses or industries for whom they collect debts. Instead, B&C states that their “emphasis is on the implementation of advanced and innovative techniques that keep…their team at the cutting edge of the industry.” B&C offers services in three main areas: contingency collections, fast track payment, and collections consultancy.
B&C’s contingency collection division provides outsourcing, including customer service calls, letter writing, invoicing services, and credit inquiries; subrogation using “expert data-mining to investigate and determine clients’ right of recovery”; “free demand” third-party intervention “to drive results and reduce recovery costs”; “immediate demand,” using “same day intervention from B&C’s team of experts”; and legal services to enforce recovery.
B&C’s fast track payment division “guarantees payment within 5 working days of … placing accounts for collection” by determining clients’ current rate of return and then absorbing the risk. B&C’s collection consultancy division provides audits, planning, guidance, and evaluation to “help clients make their own collections activities more effective.”
B&C cites mebership in several professional associations, including the Commercial Collection Agencies of America (CCAA); and AICPA. The B&C website does not provide any information about its regulatory compliance policies; there are no links or references to consumer protection resources, laws, or enforcement agencies.
Who are we? We are Lemberg Law, a Consumer Law Firm
Lemberg Law is a consumer law firm helping victims of collection harassment and abuse. We are ranked A+ by the BBB. We’ve helped more than 15,000 consumers stop harassment and recover money from debt collectors. Harassed? Abused? Misled by a collector? Call our Helpline today! There is no charge unless we win.
As of June 2019, the BBB has closed 8 complaints against Brennan & Clark in the preceding 3 years, with 4 complaints closed in the previous 12 months. Most of those complaints alleged problems with billing and collections, although 3 complaints cited problems with customer service. As of July 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has closed 17 complaints involving B&C. Justia lists at least 1 case of civil litigation involving B&C.
Brennan & Clark, Ltd., LLC
721 East Madison Street, Suite 200
Villa Park, IL 60181
Telephone: (630) 279-7600
Website: https://www.brennanclark.com
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely B&C would sue you for a debt you may not owe or they cannot validate. However, debt collection agencies are known to have summoned debtors to court and garnish wages after a default judgement. Contacting an attorney BEFORE this could possibly happen would be a smart move. We’ve helped thousands of consumers fight back against unscrupulous debt collection harassers. Find out if we can help you too today!
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Absolutely. Here are some Sample Complaints
Complaints against Brennan & Clark cite problems resulting from disputes about the validity of debts and allegations of harassment. In March 2019, a commercial client complained of harassment. According to the complainant, B&C was “harassing him by phone and email, with an increasingly threatening stance.” The complainant stated that he “had a business liability policy with a business insurance company.” However, he stated that the policy was cancelled in October 2018. “The policy payments ran on every 19th of the month, and all prior payments up through” September 19, 2018 had already been paid. The complainant said that he “had cancelled two days prior to the next month payment being due,” so he was unsure why B&C was “demanding more money beyond” October 2018. He said he had “repeatedly asked B&C for documentation covering at least the final 3 months of payments to show proof of payment and/or coverage dates to justify their claim.” However, B&C allegedly hadn’t sent “anything, but just continued harassing” him. He also said it was “a small amount of money, but he is not obligated to pay beyond his cancellation date.” He offered to “upload a copy of that cancellation, if there is a feature to do that …on” the complaint website; otherwise, he would send the information by email. In response, B&C denied all allegations and provided a list of payment dates to support their claim that the bill was valid. The complainant rejected the attempted resolution, stating that none of the documentation supported B&C’s claims or refuted any of the complainant’s assertions.
In February 2019, a complainant stated that he had “received a phone call” from Brennan & Clark during which he “was told that the not-for-profit he is listed as the contact for owed… $253.00” in delinquent insurance payments. The complainant asked the B&C representative “to provide proof of the outstanding bill,” but allegedly “all he sent was a document that” said the complainant owes money in a “letter his 12-year-old could have typed.” Subsequently, the complainant began receiving a “string of emails from” B&C. He “continued to ask for proof that the bill is even real,” but B&C “has provided nothing,” stating that “it is the complainant’s responsibility to figure it out,” and that B&C “is going to continue to try to collect the funds on behalf of the… client.” The complainant stated that he had asked B&C “to stop calling and emailing until they obtain… proof of service rendered,” but B&C “has ignored this request.” The complainant also cited complaints of similar abuses committed on behalf of the same client, and that “this is not the first time they are trying to collect with no proof.” In response, B&C stated that they had contacted the insurance company and offered to discuss the matter further with the complainant.
Federal laws protect you. The Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA) regulates the behavior of collection agencies by prohibiting actions such as the use of abusive or threatening language; harassment; or the use of false or misleading information to collect a debt. The FCRA regulates how collection agencies and creditors report delinquent debts to credit reporting agencies. Additional consumer protection laws include the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA).
But here’s the rub: If you want to enforce your rights, or recover money for violations — you need to sue. These laws provide individuals like you with a means to seek monetary damages in court. For example, the FDCPA allows consumers who have been violated to recover damages of up to $1,000, plus attorney fees and court costs.
You may have a case, if…
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Sergei Lemberg is an attorney focusing on consumer law, class actions related to automotive issues, and personal injury litigation. With nearly two decades of experience, his areas of practice include Lemon Law (vehicle defects), Debt Collection Harassment, TCPA (illegal robocalls and texts), Fair Credit Reporting Act, Overtime claims, Personal Injury cases, and Class Actions. He has consistently been recognized as the nation's "most active consumer attorney." In 2020, Mr. Lemberg represented Noah Duguid before the United States Supreme Court in the landmark case Duguid v. Facebook. He is also the author of "Defanging Debt Collectors," a guide that empowers consumers to fight back against debt collectors and prevail, as well as "Lemon Law 101: The Laws That Lemon Dealers Don't Want You to Know."
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An amount has been written off as bad debt by this company in May 2020,but I have no knowledge whatsoever of this so-called debt.
This is affecting my credit rating adversely and I trust you will assist me in this matter.
Sincerely
CORNELIE DELPORT