FMA Alliance, Ltd. (FMA) is a third-party collection agency based in Texas. FMA has received complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), including improper contact or sharing of information and using false or misleading language in an effort to collect a debt. If you have been contacted by FMA Alliance, make sure you understand your rights before responding.
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. According to the BBB, FMA Alliance, Ltd. is a legitimate collection agency, founded in 1983. The BBB established FMA’s profile page in 2001. FMA is listed as a collection agency. The BBB lists an alternate website for FMA at www.fmaalliance.trustab.org. Buzzfile estimates FMA’s annual revenue at $15.1 million and the size of its headquarters staff at 200 employees.
According to its website, FMA Alliance “is a privately owned receivables management company originally formed in 1983 and headquartered in Houston, Texas.” FMA “believes in treating every human being with respect and dignity…and works with…consumers to help them get back on their financial feet.” FMA’s philosophy is to “understand that everyone has hardship events in their life.” FMA doesn’t “ judge; they are here to just help.”
FMA’s website provides very little detailed information about their business practices. They provide a narrative history that outlines how FMA Alliance “started out as an idea between two guys having coffee scribbling on a napkin… and became a world class company with hundreds of employees and a management team made of the top names in the industry.” They cite their “small company culture” as their distinguishing characteristic.
FMA’s alternate website indicates they are a “solid mid-sized agency that is nimble and quick to adapt to the ever-changing collections industry.” This one-page site indicates that FMA Alliance draws clients from the financial services industry, including consumer credit card, retail card, consumer loan, and auto lending industries; healthcare providers, for whom they provide extended business office, early-out self-pay, insurance follow-up, and bad debt collection services; and education lenders.
The home page of FMA’s main website includes a statement that they consider compliance to be important. FMA “stresses cooperation, compliance, and working together for a mutually beneficial solution.” However, they do not provide any 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.
The BBB has closed 25 complaints against FMA Alliance in the preceding three years, with 7 complaints closed in the past 12 months. Most of those complaints allege problems with billing and collection services. As of June 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has closed 22 complaints against FMA. Justia lists at least 8 cases of civil litigation involving FMA Alliance.
FMA Alliance, Ltd.
12339 Cutten Road
Houston, TX 77066
Telephone: (281) 931-5050
Website: https://www.fmaalliance.com/
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely FMA 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 Complaint:
Complaints against FMA Alliance commonly cite problems resulting from alleged attempts to collect invalid debts and the use of improper communication tactics. In January 2018, a complainant indicated he had been notified by FMA about a student loan. According to the complainant, FMA Alliance indicated they had purchased the student loan from the original creditor; that the complainant owed $40,000; that the account was delinquent; and that a $2,000 down payment followed by monthly payments of $600 were due immediately. The complaint also alleged that FMA representatives were “very rude and threatening, …cussing…and accusing him of not taking care of his debts.” According to the complainant, he had payments scheduled to be automatically deducted from his checking account to pay off his student loan, which had an outstanding balance of only $8,300. Ha also indicated that he had contacted his loan provider, and “they said they did not sell…the loan and that he … was in good standing and they had never even heard of this company before and that it…was a scam.” The complainant also indicated that “FMA alliance was trying to get all his personal information over the phone, and when they didn’t get it they were very threatening.”
In response, FMA Alliance indicated their belief that the complaint “may be the result of an initial misunderstanding regarding FMA’s communication with” the complainant. FMA admitted that they had contacted the complainant on behalf of the loan provider. They also acknowledged the differences in accounting details by stating that “the…loan for which…FMA Alliance attempted to contact… the complainant shows a much higher balance and does not reflect that any recent payments have been made.” In explanation, the representative stated that “this leads me to believe…the complainant may have an additional loan either owned or serviced by” the lender. FMA apologized for the misunderstanding and indicated they had “forwarded…the complainant’s concerns to the creditor for their review.” FMA Alliance also “closed its file and returned the account to the servicer.”
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…
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“Prior to contacting you, we had tried repeatedly to handle this matter without threatening litigation. In the end, not only were they unapologetic, but they were dismissive – even of an attorney friend who called on our behalf. Sincerest thanks for resolving this matter for us!”
“Know that Sergei, and your firm did a good thing. You took on a big company for little people and righted a wrong. For this we are grateful.”
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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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FMA Alliance has called my house on 8/27/19 and asked for another person. Maybe this person had my number at one time, I don’t know. This is the second time they have called. Then just yesterday a 8/30/19 this person’s wife receives a phone call here saying they have an appointment with Metro Imaging in St. Louis. This same scenario happened about 6 months ago. I’d like to know who I can contact to put and end to this? I have asked FMA Alliance to put me on their do not call list and the second time, I politely asked again and the lady said that they have never called my number before, I explained politely that they have and she sounded like she was back peddling. I have called Metro Imaging and let them know that they had the wrong number and they were supposed to have put that message in their system and obviously never did. I’m not sure if this is a scam set up with these two companies. It just seems odd that this scenario played out a second time. What should I do to have them stop this? Thank you
Somehow they got into my ank account! and wrote themselves a check! – I have no idea what its for. and its done on a day I was in the ER with my mom!
Received a call from FMA tried to call back several times and couldn’t hear person on the other end. They also called my job and a family member. This for a loan i took out years ago.
FMA keeps calling asking me to pay something I do not owe and I tell them all the time can they not call me and they still have me on the call list