Collection Associates, Ltd. is a debt collection agency in Brookfield, Wisconsin, a Milwaukee suburb. It collects past-due receivables of all sizes for its clients and, according to the BBB, offers check collection services.
- Type
- Collection agency
- Also known as
- COLLECTION ASSOCIATES, LTD.; Collection Associates, Ltd.
- Headquarters
- Brookfield, WI
- Collects
- past-due business receivables, returned checks
- Phone numbers it lists
- (262) 641-2500
- Website
- collectionassociates.net
40 debt collection complaints were sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about COLLECTION ASSOCIATES, 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 Collection Associates?
Collection Associates, Ltd. is a collection agency at 225 South Executive Drive, Suite 250, Brookfield, Wisconsin 53005. Its website gives (262) 641-2500 as its phone number and says the company has been delivering results for more than 35 years. It promises to help clients "liquidate your past-due receivables," whether a customer owes $200 or $2,000,000. The site shows ACA and IACC logos without further explanation.
The Better Business Bureau lists the company as a corporation, describes it as offering check collection services and names Marc Dobberstein as registered agent. The BBB's start date of 1997 doesn't match the website's "over 35 years," so we have not stated a founding year.
We did not find a CFPB enforcement action against Collection Associates.
Why Collection Associates May Be Contacting You
The company's public materials speak to businesses that want overdue customer accounts collected. They don't list the industries it serves. Based on the BBB's description, one common reason for contact may be a check that was returned unpaid by your bank. Other contacts may involve an unpaid invoice from a local business or service provider.
Ask which client placed the account, what the charge was for and the date of the transaction. If the claim is about a returned check, ask for a copy of the check and the bank's return notice.
How to Check a Debt Collection Associates Says You Owe
For a consumer debt, Collection Associates must send a validation notice (15 U.S.C. § 1692g; 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34) naming the creditor and itemizing the amount, including any fees. With returned checks, compare the face amount of the check with what is being demanded and ask what each added charge is. Check whether the merchant later redeposited the check successfully or whether you already paid it some other way.
If the numbers don't add up, dispute in writing within the validation period. That stops collection until the agency mails verification. Ask whether the business that took the check, or the company you owed, still owns the claim.
Older claims may be time-barred. Texas generally allows four years to sue on a consumer debt (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.004), and debt buyers may not sue on time-barred consumer debts (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.307). Wisconsin and other states have their own deadlines.
What Collection Associates Can and Can't Do
A company that regularly collects consumer debts owed to others is a "debt collector" under 15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6). That includes a personal check written for household purchases. Purely commercial accounts fall outside the FDCPA.
- It may not add a returned-check fee or other charge unless your agreement or the law allows it (15 U.S.C. § 1692f(1)).
- It may not threaten criminal prosecution over a bounced check to pressure payment if it does not intend to and cannot take that action (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(4)-(5)).
- It may not deposit a postdated check early or threaten to do so (15 U.S.C. § 1692f(4)).
- It may not call more than seven times in seven days about one debt without a presumption of harassment (12 C.F.R. § 1006.14(b)(2)).
Learn more on 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 Collection 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
- Collection Associates: home page
- BBB business profile: Collection Associates, LTD.
- CFPB enforcement actions search
- CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: COLLECTION ASSOCIATES, LTD., debt collection
This profile is general information compiled from public sources, not legal advice, and it does not state or imply that Collection Associates has violated any law. Company details change; tell us if something here is out of date.