Adler Wallach & Associates, Inc. (AWA) is a contingency-fee collection agency in Orange, California, founded in 1991. It pursues overdue government, consumer and commercial accounts for the organizations that hire it.
- Type
- Collection agency
- Also known as
- Adler Wallach & Associates, Inc.; AWA
- Headquarters
- Orange, CA
- Collects
- government accounts, consumer accounts, commercial accounts
- Phone numbers it lists
- (251) 220-9023
- Website
- adlerwallach.com
271 debt collection complaints were sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about Adler Wallach & Associates, Inc. from November 13, 2023 to November 12, 2026. A complaint is a consumer's account, not a finding that the company broke the law. Read the complaints in the CFPB database.
Who Is Adler Wallach & Associates?
Adler Wallach & Associates, Inc., which uses the short name AWA, describes itself as a national debt recovery agency based in Orange, California, founded in 1991. Its website stresses that "AWA is NOT a debt buyer": it works on contingency, collecting accounts that organizations hire it to pursue and keeping a share of what it recovers.
AWA lists a Nevada collection agency license (CAD11890) and NMLS number 988275 on its website, and calls itself licensed and bonded. Its consumer contact page gives a mailing address of P.O. Box 6605, Orange, CA 92863-6605, a text line of (251) 220-9023 and the email [email protected]; payments run through payawa.com. We did not find a CFPB enforcement action against Adler Wallach & Associates.
Why Adler Wallach & Associates May Be Contacting You
AWA says it works with a variety of industries and manages government, consumer and commercial debts, but it does not name its clients. Because it does not buy accounts, the business that placed your account with AWA still owns it. If AWA contacts you, the original business, agency or lender is still your creditor, and AWA's letter must name it.
AWA's published consumer contact options lean on texting and email, so your first contact may be a text that points you to its payment site. Check that the link goes to payawa.com or adlerwallach.com before you enter any payment information.
How to Check a Debt Adler Wallach & Associates Says You Owe
Since the creditor still owns the account, you can often verify an AWA balance directly with that creditor as well as through AWA.
- Get the validation notice. It must name the creditor, state the balance as of a reference date and itemize later interest, fees, payments and credits (15 U.S.C. § 1692g; 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34).
- Send a written dispute in time. If you dispute within the validation period, AWA must stop collecting until it mails you verification.
- Call the creditor yourself. Ask the business or agency whether it placed the account with AWA and what it shows as owed.
- Check government charges carefully. If the account is a fine, fee or tax owed to a public agency, ask what law authorizes any added collection charge.
- Know the time limits. In Texas, most consumer debt suits must be filed within four years (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.004), and debt buyers cannot sue on time-barred consumer debt (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.307). Government debts and other states' limitation periods can work differently.
What Adler Wallach & Associates Can and Can't Do
A contingency agency that regularly collects debts owed to others is a "debt collector" under 15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6). Whether a particular account is covered depends on whether it is a consumer "debt" arising from a personal, family or household transaction; business debts are outside the Act, and some government obligations are treated differently. For covered accounts:
- It must tell you in its first communication that it is a debt collector (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(11)).
- It may not threaten action it cannot take or does not intend to take, such as a lawsuit, if its client has not authorized one (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(5)).
- Electronic messages must give you a reasonable way to opt out (12 C.F.R. § 1006.6(e)).
- It must stop most contact once you ask in writing (15 U.S.C. § 1692c(c)). See can I tell a debt collector to stop calling?
Visit our FDCPA attorneys page if you think a collector crossed the line.
We Sue Debt Collectors That Break the FDCPA
Texas Debt Law files Fair Debt Collection Practices Act lawsuits against debt collectors in federal court for consumers in Texas, California, Illinois, Georgia and Colorado. If Adler Wallach & Associates or anyone collecting for it harassed you, misstated what you owe, threatened action it could not take, or told others about your debt, you may have a claim. A court can order a collector that violated the FDCPA to pay your actual damages, up to $1,000 in additional statutory damages, and your attorney's fees and costs (15 U.S.C. § 1692k(a)). An FDCPA claim generally must be filed within one year of the violation (§ 1692k(d)), so keep your letters, call logs, voicemails and screenshots, and talk to us early. Texas residents may also have claims under the Texas Debt Collection Act. Learn more from our FDCPA attorneys.
Free FDCPA Case Review(214) 851-2250
Or start your free case evaluation online. No lawyer can promise a result; every claim depends on its facts and proof.
Sources
- Adler Wallach & Associates: home page
- Adler Wallach & Associates: Consumer Contact
- CFPB enforcement actions search
- CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: Adler Wallach & Associates, Inc., debt collection
This profile is general information compiled from public sources, not legal advice, and it does not state or imply that Adler Wallach & Associates has violated any law. Company details change; tell us if something here is out of date.