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Violation Tracker Individual Record

Company: Portfolio Recovery Associates
Penalty: $27,000,000
Year: 2015
Date: September 9, 2015
Offense Group: consumer-protection-related offenses
Primary Offense: consumer protection violation
Secondary Offense: debt collection abuses
Violation Description: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau took action against the nation's two largest debt buyers and collectors for using deceptive tactics to collect bad debts. The Bureau found that Encore Capital Group and Portfolio Recovery Associates bought debts that were potentially inaccurate, lacking documentation, or unenforceable. Without verifying the debt, the companies collected payments by pressuring consumers with false statements and churning out lawsuits using robo-signed court documents. The CFPB ordered the companies to overhaul their debt collection and litigation practices and to stop reselling debts to third parties. Portfolio Recovery Associates must pay $19 million in consumer refunds and an $8 million penalty, and stop collecting on over $3 million worth of debts.
Level of Government: federal
Action Type: agency action
Agency: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Civil or Criminal Case: civil
Source of Data: (click here)
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Current parent company note: Parent-subsidiary relationship is current as of the most recent revision listed in the Update Log.