Credit Collection Partners, Inc. or CCP is a debt collection agency, which receives a lot of consumer complaints to our law firm for debt harassment. Find out who they are, why they might be calling, and how you can stop them.
Credit Collection Partners, Inc. (CCP) is a third-party collection agency based in Illinois. CCP has received consumer complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), including threatening to take actions that cannot legally be taken and using false or misleading information in an effort to collect a debt. If CCP has contacted you about past due financial obligations, make sure you know your rights before you take action.
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Credit Collection Partners, Inc. is a legitimate collection agency, originally founded in 1996, then incorporated in 2009. The BBB established a profile page for CCP in September 2013, and CCP became a BBB-accredited business a week later. The BBB lists CCP as a collection agency. Buzzfile estimates CCP’s annual revenue at $545,000 and the size of its headquarters staff at 5 employees.
According to its website, CCP has “been successfully serving clients with exceptional accounts receivable management… services since their inception.” CCP was originally founded in 1938 as “Credit Bureau of Christian & Montgomery Counties.” In 2011, they changed their name to CCP and “experienced a total renovation,”including “rebranding, …new technology, new leadership, and a new focus on serving municipal clients.As of mid-2015,”CCP serves “over 40 of the 102 county governments in Illinois as well as numerous hospital and healthcare-related entities.”
CCP employs a three-step collection process that includes initial placement, skip tracing, and call campaigns. During initial placement, “accounts are integrated into the CCP collections system within 24 hours of receipt,” then scrubbed through Lexis-Nexis and the USPS National Change of Address (NCOA) database to locate accounts belonging to deceased individuals or with bad addresses.
Once these accounts are removed, an “initial collection letter that is compliant with the FDCPA is… sent…, and …if a good telephone number is attached, …the initial phone attempt is also made within 24 hours of account placement.” Next, “once the consumer is located,” call campaigns, with “calling times… managed by…collection software,” are initiated“to attempt to collect the outstanding debt.” CCP’s multilevel collection approach offers “every possible option to the consumer to… resolve the full outstanding debt as soon as possible,” and includes a request for payment of the balance in full and several options for payment arrangements with follow-up calls.
CCP utilizes “the latest in technology,” with online account access and customized reporting for clients. CCP’s Resources page includes links to ACA International’s Ask Dr. Debt site; as well as several state and federal agencies, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB); the Federal Trade Commission (FTC); and Judici, a site providing “online access to case and court information for 73 of the 102 counties in Illinois.”
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 February 2019, the BBB has closed 6 complaints against Credit Collection Partners, Inc in the preceding three years, with 1 complaint closed in the past 12 months. Almost all of those complaints cited problems with billing and collections. Since September 2016,the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has closed 6 complaints involving CCP. Justia does not lists any cases of civil litigation involving CCP.
Credit Collection Partners, Inc.
905 West Spresser Street
Taylorville, IL 62568
Telephone:(217) 284-4117
Website: http://www.creditcollectionpartners.com/
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely CCP 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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Unlawful Debt Harassment? Learn the Law & Sue the Collector.
Absolutely. Here are some Sample Complaints
Complaints against Credit Collection Partners commonly cite problems resulting from inaccurate credit reporting practices and from placing phone calls to individuals incorrectly identified as responsible parties. In March 2018, a complainant stated that he had “received a letter from CCP stating he owed an outstanding debt. When he called, knowing he owed no debt,” the CCP representative “would not provide any information about the alleged debt until the complainant provided all of his personal information.” The complainant stated that the “debt was for unpaid traffic fines and court costs for Macon County, IL,” but the complainant stated he had “never been” there and had “also never received any traffic citations anywhere.” Allegedly, the CCP“representative advised him that all of the personal information, with the exception of his first and last name, did not match the person they were hired to collect from.” The complainant “asked how they obtained his address,” but the representative “would not answer.” The CCP representative said the complainant’s “name would be removed from their list, and the complainant again asked how they came to contact him when he was not the person they were looking for.” CCP allegedly refused to answer the question. During the “next several weeks, the complainant received daily calls from this alleged business at his home phone.” The complainant stated that every time he answered,“the caller hangs up on” him. After immediately calling the number back, the complainant asked to “speak to a representative and was then asked for all his personal information again.” He refused and was advised that they would “take him off their list,” but he continued to get calls the next day. The complainant concluded by stating that he is “not the person they are looking for,” and is being “harassed by these people.” Prior to filing his complaint, he had received another call and also contacted the Illinois Attorney General’s Office about this “‘business.’”
In response, Credit Collection Partners said they had “reviewed his complaint thoroughly and sincerely empathized with his frustration.” However, instead of accepting responsibility for their mistake, CCP stated, “I’m sure you can appreciate how common your name is and how easy it is for entities to, in good faith, obtain current contact information…that turns out to be for the wrong party.” CCP stated that they had reviewed the inbound call, then blamed their “data vendor, who had supplied them with an incorrect address.” CCP “removed that address… from the account” and stated that “that’s where the call ended.” CCP denied ever having had the opportunity to “verify if the phone number on the account was accurate or not,” stating that the complaint “was the very first time the complainant had told them that the phone number was for the wrong” person. CCP stated that the complainant’s “phone number has been removed from the account,” and he will “not be hearing from CCP again.” However, they added that “other entities and businesses may make this mistake also, but there is no intent to harass. Far from it. CCP was simply trying to get a hold of an individual that happens to have the same name as the complainant and resides in the same state.” CCP also stated that the “very first time they learned this was the incorrect phone number, it was removed.” CCP concluded by stating they “sincerely hope the complainant has a great rest of his day.”
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…
“With your help the nagging collection calls have finally ceased! I was thrilled I was also able to get damages from the collection agency. I am unable to adequately express my joy. I am so thankful I made the call.”
“When I first emailed the office, I was not exactly sure what they could do for me. I had an idea, but they responded back with everything I could expect to take place. I never believed I would be receiving a check, it was definitely a silver lining. I highly recommend them to anyone seeking customer legal services.”
“I just wanted to let you know we received the check from your office on now and I wanted to take some time to inform you that we really appreciate all of your efforts in this matter.”
We can absolutely help. Call us today.
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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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