Central Research, Inc.: Who They Are and Your Rights

Type

Collection agency

Also known as

CRI; Central Research Inc

Collects

defaulted federal student loans

Website

teamcri.com

164 debt collection complaints were sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about Central Research 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 Central Research, Inc.?

Central Research, Inc., which brands itself as CRI, is a contractor for federal, state and local agencies. Its website describes business-process outsourcing, contact-center operations, federal program support and IT services, and says it has been a federal contractor since 2002. Case studies on the site mention the Department of Education, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Department of Energy and the Department of the Interior.

A 2020 profile in Talk Business & Politics reported that Scott Dillard and his father, Dr. Johnny Dillard, started the business in 2002 and incorporated it in Lowell, Arkansas in 2007. The article said CRI then had about 280 employees in Northwest Arkansas, a call center in Springdale, another in Gallatin, Tennessee, and a student-loan debt collection contract with the U.S. Department of Education as its largest contract. CRI's current website links borrowers to a separate "CRI Federal Student Loans" site on studentaid.gov. We did not find a CFPB enforcement action against Central Research, Inc.

Why Central Research May Be Contacting You

For most consumers, a CRI letter or call is about a federal student loan that went into default and was assigned to CRI by the Department of Education. You might hear about rehabilitation agreements, consolidation, or repayment plans. Because CRI also does non-collection government work, an unexpected contact could occasionally relate to another federal program; ask the caller to identify the agency and the purpose before discussing anything. Verify any CRI phone number by starting from studentaid.gov rather than a number in a text or voicemail.

How to Check a Debt Central Research Says You Owe

Federal student loans follow different rules from credit cards and medical bills, so the usual checklist needs adjusting.

• Log in to studentaid.gov to confirm which loans are in default and which collection agency they're assigned to. If CRI isn't listed, ask the Education Department before paying anyone.
• CRI's validation notice (15 U.S.C. § 1692g; 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34) should identify the loan, the creditor, and how the balance breaks down between principal, interest and collection costs. Dispute in writing within the validation period if the loan isn't yours or the amount looks wrong.
• Ask about defenses that cancel the debt outright, such as closed-school, false-certification, disability or borrower-defense discharge.
• Don't rely on a statute of limitations. Federal law removes time limits on collecting most federal student loans (20 U.S.C. § 1091a(a)), so the Texas four-year rule (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.004) and the Texas bar on debt buyers suing on time-barred debt (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.307) generally don't help here. Private student loans are different, and other states set their own periods for those.

What Central Research Can and Can't Do

CRI is a private company collecting for the government. The FDCPA's exemption in 15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6)(C) covers government officers and employees, not private contractors, so a private agency collecting defaulted student loans is generally a "debt collector" under § 1692a(6). Practical points:

• Unlike a credit-card collector, the government can use administrative wage garnishment (20 U.S.C. § 1095a) and the Treasury Offset Program without suing, even in Texas. Those tools were paused as of our last check; see our student loan collections update.
• CRI may not misstate what will happen if you don't pay, or threaten garnishment or offset that isn't actually authorized (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(4)–(5)).
• If you ask about loan rehabilitation, get the agreed monthly amount and the number of payments in writing before you start paying.
• Regulation F's call-frequency presumption (12 C.F.R. § 1006.14(b)(2)) applies: more than seven calls in seven days about one debt is presumed harassing.

Our debt lawsuit questions cover lawsuits generally. If a student-loan collector's conduct crossed the line, contact 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 Central Research, Inc. 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

• CRI: Home
• Talk Business & Politics: Then & Now: Scott Dillard upholds family legacy at CRI (Feb. 2020)
• CFPB enforcement actions search
• CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: Central Research Inc, debt collection

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