ARS National Services: Who They Are and Your Rights

Type

Collection agency

Also known as

ARS National Services, Inc.; ARS

Headquarters

Escondido, CA

Collects

bank credit cards, retail credit cards, consumer and marketplace loans, auto loans, student loans, healthcare bills

Phone numbers it lists

(800) 665-3140

Website

arsnational.com

123 debt collection complaints were sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about ARS National Services, 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 ARS National Services?

ARS National Services, Inc. is a debt collection agency whose website says creditors have relied on it for nearly three decades. It lists a corporate office in Escondido, California, in north San Diego County, and a regional operations center in West Houston, Texas. The company publishes NMLS ID 934304. Consumers can reach an account representative at (800) 665-3140. The site also lists a TTY line and a relay number for callers with hearing or speech disabilities.

We did not find a CFPB enforcement action against ARS National Services.

Why ARS National Services May Be Contacting You

ARS lists the following client types: bankcards, retail credit cards, consumer loans, auto loans, healthcare, marketplace lenders, student loans and alternative financial lenders. A call from ARS, possibly from its Houston center, most likely concerns:

• a charged-off bank or store credit card;
• a personal loan from a bank or an online "marketplace" lender;
• a balance left after an auto loan default;
• a private student loan;
• a hospital or medical bill.

ARS describes its role as working with consumers on repayment options, so its letters often include settlement or payment-plan offers.

How to Check a Debt ARS National Services Says You Owe

A settlement offer is not a reason to skip verification. Before you agree to any plan:

• Review the validation notice for the creditor's name, the account number and the itemized balance (15 U.S.C. § 1692g; 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34).
• Dispute within the validation period if the card or loan isn't yours or the balance is wrong. ARS must stop collecting until it mails verification.
• Find out who owns the account. Card and loan accounts are often sold after charge-off. Ask whether ARS is collecting for the original lender or for a buyer.
• Get any settlement in writing before paying, including how the account will be reported once paid.
• Check the age of the debt. Texas generally gives four years to sue on credit card and loan debt (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.004), and debt buyers cannot sue on time-barred consumer debt (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.307). Other states' periods differ. See the Texas statute of limitations on credit card debt.

What ARS National Services Can and Can't Do

ARS collects for card issuers, lenders and providers, which makes it a "debt collector" under 15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6). Its Texas center is also subject to Texas Finance Code chapter 392. Some ground rules:

• It may not call you at work if it knows your employer prohibits such calls (15 U.S.C. § 1692c(a)(3)).
• It may not exceed seven calls in seven days per account, presumptively (12 C.F.R. § 1006.14(b)(2)).
• It may not say a settlement offer will expire or that you'll be sued if that isn't true (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(5), (10)).
• It may not threaten wage garnishment on an ordinary consumer debt in Texas, where the constitution forbids it (Tex. Const. art. XVI, § 28).

Learn when a collector may contact your employer, or talk to our FDCPA attorneys.

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 ARS National Services 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

• ARS National Services: home page
• CFPB enforcement actions search
• CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: ARS National Services, Inc., debt collection

This profile is general information compiled from public sources, not legal advice, and it does not state or imply that ARS National Services has violated any law. Company details change; tell us if something here is out of date.