First Federal Credit Control , Inc. (FFCC) is a third-party collection agency based in Ohio that specializes in healthcare-related debt. FFCC has received consumer complaints alleging violations ofthe Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA) such as making false statements and failing to provide verification of debts. If you have been contacted by FFCC, be sure you understand your rights before taking action.
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), First Federal Credit Control is a legitimate collection agency, founded and incorporated in Ohio in 1970. The BBB opened its file the same year. In 1997, an affiliate company, FFCC-Columbus, Inc. was established in Columbus, OH. These two companies are separate corporations, but both use the same website at www.ffcc.com. Complaints for FFCC are processed through BBB’s Cleveland office; complaints for FFCC-Columbus, Inc., are processed through BBB’s Columbus office. Buzzfile estimates FFCC’s annual revenue at $2.8 million and the size of its staff at 40 people.
According to its website, First Federal Credit Control “is one of the nation’s leading collection agencies serving healthcare and commercial clients.” FFCC provides third-party collection services for “clients across a wide range of industries.” Although their clients are predominantly healthcare providers, they also accept collection accounts from consumer and retail credit lenders, business-to-business commercial accounts, and financial institutions.
FFCC employs an eight-step collection process. Trained staff receive accounts from clients; examine customer data; establish contact using outbound calls and letters; demand payment; offer payment options; provide account management; report to credit reporting agencies; and, when necessary, refer accounts to litigation.
FFCC’s website is entirely client-facing. FFCC employs a money-centric philosophy in which “every FFCC team member is moving in one direction – towards client, company and personal success.” In addition, the FFCC healthcare division believes the important aspect of patient-provider relationships is that they “are often long lasting and provide practices revenue over time.” They advertise membership in the American Collectors Association (ACA) and the Ohio Receivables Management Association (ORMA); however, there are no references or links to their compliance policies, consumer resources, or consumer protection laws.
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.
The BBB has closed 80 consumer complaints against FFCC in the past three years, with 29 closed in the past 12 months. Most of these complaints allege problems with billing and collections. The BBB has given FFCC a rating of B. Since March 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has closed 47 complaints against FFCC. Justia lists at least 4 cases of civil litigation naming FFCC as a defendant.
First Federal Credit Control, Inc.
24700 Chagrin Blvd., Suite 205
Cleveland, Ohio, 44122-5662
Telephone: (800) 486-5500
Website: http://www.ffcc.com/
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely FFCC 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. You can sue a debt collector. Here is a Sample Case Filed In federal Court:
In August 2017, in United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio, a judge issued an Opinion and Order in a complaint alleging FFCC had violated the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA). In this case, the plaintiff alleged that FFCC violated the FDCPA’s provision requiring collection agencies to identify the name of the creditor in correspondence. Specifically, the creditor in this case was Physicians Associates, LLC. In its dunning letter to the plaintiff, the creditor was identified merely as, “Physicians Associates.” FFCC moved for a dismissal on the grounds that the difference was so slight that it did not constitute a violation.
However, an analysis of the case found that the plaintiff’s charge was valid. The plaintiff resided in Alabama, near the state line with Florida. FFCC’s letter “mentioned three locations[:] Cleveland, Ohio; Enterprise, Alabama; and a ‘North Carolina Permit Number.’” In addition, “[a]long with the amount of the debt, an account number, and several other statutorily mandated disclosures, FFCC listed ‘Physicians Associates’ as the creditor.” The plaintiff cited this identification as misleading enough to have caused a violation. In support of the plaintiff’s argument, the court cited evidence that a search of the Secretary of States’ websites for “Physicians Associates” in the states of Alabama, Ohio, and Florida “brings up dozens of unrelated entities with variations on the name ‘Physicians Associates.’” By contrast, the court rejected FFCC’s argument that in previous cases, “some courts have allowed debt collectors to satisfy the FDCPA by providing some portion of the creditor’s name,” because these cases usually involved creditors like Citibank USA, N.A. or American Express Centurion Bank, who were less likely to be confused if identified only as Citibank or American Express.
As a result, the court, using the “least sophisticated consumer standard,” in which decisions are based upon conclusions likely to be made by “‘consumers of below average sophistication or intelligence,’ or those who are ‘uninformed or naïve,’” found in favor of the plaintiff and denied FFCC’s motion for summary judgement.
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).
Yes. If you want to enforce your rights, or recover money for violations — you need to sue. Federal 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…
“I was so excited when you told me about the positive outcome of the lawsuit. If the need ever arises again, I will not hesitate to call your office or recommend your law services to a friend in need.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you! I couldn’t be happier with all the hard work your office has done for me. I feel throughout the whole process I was kept informed, and my questions were always answered completely. The calls have stopped, I no longer have a mountain of junk bills piling up, and I owe it all to Lemberg Law.”
“I found your website. I filled out the information and much to my surprise received a call back within the hour. She listened intently and addressed each one of my concerns. She immediately forwarded me an email and advised I would not be charged for services rendered. She made me feel confident and assured, and that someone was in my corner.”
Chances are good that we can help. Call us today and we’ll explain.
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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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The FFCC (First Federal credit control ) is Reporting a debt paid to the hospital thru the hospitals financial assistance program & are reporting Medical debts from completely different states that I had absolutely no knowledge about! I disputed this through the Creditor yet they somehow came back valid. Not only that, they have reported 6 seperate collection accounts with different amounts for The same exact account! They weren’t even posted at different times. All 6 collections accts have the same acct number, were all opened on same day & all have the same original creditor! Instead of 1 collection account with my total debt, they reported 6 different debts owed to 1 account I do not understand how it is Legal or how the C.B validated a debt already paid! is there anything I can do about this, it is severely neg. effecting my credit & ability to build it. Loan offices see 6 open delinquent accounts instead of 1 & im denied!?!?
Part, if not all of the debt they are trying to collect has been paid by my healthcare insurance. The hospital billing errors (Mostly coding errors and not crediting co-payments) will not be paid by my healthcare provider and can take as much as a year for the hospital to correct their errors – Meanwhile the hospital turns the amount they claim is due over to collection and they harass me with calls and statements that are not correct. Additionally…The collection business can not provide correct validation of any debt because the billing is so screwed up – Anyone else have these problems?