Brown & Joseph: Who They Are and Your Rights

Type

Collection agency

Also known as

Brown and Joseph, Ltd; Brown & Joseph, LLC

Headquarters

Itasca, IL

Collects

insurance premiums, insurance overpayments, healthcare accounts

Phone numbers it lists

(847) 758-3000

Website

brownandjoseph.com

85 debt collection complaints were sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about Brown and Joseph, Ltd 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 Brown & Joseph?

Brown & Joseph describes itself as a debt collection agency in the Chicago area that specializes in commercial insurance premium recovery. Its office is at One Pierce Place, Suite 700W, Itasca, Illinois 60143, and its main number is (847) 758-3000. The company says it has been in business since 1996 and works for more than 200 companies. It mentions a sister company, NEIS, which handles premium audits as part of ARMStrong Insurance Services.

The company's licensing page lists NMLS No. 1716869, a Nevada collection agency license (CAD11471), New York City debt collector licenses (2069385-DCA and 2099098-DCA) and California license No. 10667-99.

Why Brown & Joseph May Be Contacting You

Most of Brown & Joseph's work is for insurance carriers. Its website lists insurance industry collections, healthcare industry collections, and life and health insurance recovery. In practice, a demand often stems from one of these situations:

• A policy was canceled early, and the insurer says premium was earned for time the policy was in force.
• A year-end premium audit, common on workers' compensation and business liability policies, found more payroll or sales than estimated.
• An insurer says it paid a claim or benefit by mistake and wants the overpayment back.

Much of this is business debt. The FDCPA covers only debts incurred mainly for personal, family or household purposes (15 U.S.C. § 1692a(5)). If the balance comes from a personal auto, home or health policy, or from a benefit paid to you personally, the protections below apply. If it comes from a policy your business bought, they usually don't, though contract and state-law defenses still may.

How to Check a Debt Brown & Joseph Says You Owe

Insurance balances depend on dates and audit numbers, so focus there.

• For a consumer account, read the validation notice. It must identify the insurer and itemize the amount (15 U.S.C. § 1692g; 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34). A written dispute sent within the validation period requires the agency to verify the debt before it continues collecting.
• Ask for the policy period and cancellation date. Compare them with when you replaced the coverage or asked to cancel.
• Ask for the audit worksheet. If the balance comes from an audit, request the figures used and check them against your records.
• Confirm who holds the claim. Ask whether the insurer still owns it or has assigned it.
• Check the time limit. In Texas, suits on most debts must be filed within four years (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.004), and debt buyers may not sue on time-barred consumer debts (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.307). Illinois and other states have their own periods.

What Brown & Joseph Can and Can't Do

An agency that regularly collects debts owed to others is a "debt collector" under 15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6) when the debt is a consumer debt. On those accounts, Brown & Joseph:

• May not misstate the amount owed or that it is owed at all (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(2)(A)).
• May not collect charges that the policy or law doesn't authorize (15 U.S.C. § 1692f(1)).
• Must stop contacting you, except for limited notices, once you tell it in writing to stop (15 U.S.C. § 1692c(c)). See telling a collector to stop calling.
• May not call more than seven times in seven days about one account (12 C.F.R. § 1006.14(b)(2)).

We did not find a CFPB enforcement action against Brown & Joseph. If you believe a collector crossed the line on a personal account, see our FDCPA attorneys page.

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 Brown & Joseph 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

• Brown & Joseph: home page
• Brown & Joseph: licensing
• CFPB enforcement actions list (checked all pages)
• CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: Brown and Joseph, Ltd, debt collection

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