Financial Assistance, Inc.: Who They Are and Your Rights

Type

Collection agency

Also known as

FAI; FAI - Financial Assistance, Inc.

Headquarters

Bellevue, WA

Collects

financial institution accounts, university balances, property management balances, contract balances

Phone numbers it lists

(800) 669-2661

Website

faicollect.com

112 debt collection complaints were sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about Financial Assistance 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 Financial Assistance, Inc.?

Financial Assistance, Inc., which goes by FAI, is a collection agency headquartered at 1130 140th Avenue NE, Suite 100A, in Bellevue, Washington, east of Seattle. It is a debt collection agency, not a lender or aid program. Its website says it has worked to resolve consumers' obligations since 1986 and states that it is licensed in all 50 states. It publishes NMLS ID 950721, New York City debt collector license 1328124-DCA, and Nevada collection agency license CAD11869. Its phone number is (800) 669-2661.

We did not find a CFPB enforcement action against Financial Assistance, Inc.

Why Financial Assistance, Inc. May Be Contacting You

FAI's website lists financial institutions, universities, commercial contracts and property management among its clients, "and many others." Depending on your history, a letter or call could concern:

• a charged-off credit union or bank loan, card or overdrawn account;
• a tuition, fee or housing balance owed to a college or university;
• rent, damages or fees claimed by an apartment manager after you moved out;
• a balance under a service contract.

The letter should state that it is from a debt collector and name the creditor. Start there to identify the account.

How to Check a Debt Financial Assistance, Inc. Says You Owe

• Read the validation notice. Regulation F requires it to show the creditor, account number and itemized balance (15 U.S.C. § 1692g; 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34).
• Dispute in writing within the validation period if anything is wrong or unfamiliar. FAI must stop collecting until it verifies.
• Ask whether the account was assigned or sold. If the creditor placed it with FAI, the creditor still owns it. If it was sold, ask for the buyer's name.
• Check the source documents. For an apartment balance, ask for the move-out inspection and deposit accounting. For a school balance, ask for the student ledger. For a loan, ask for the last statement.
• Be aware of the limitation period. Texas residents generally can't be sued on a consumer debt after four years (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.004), and debt buyers can't sue on time-barred consumer debt (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.307). Washington and other states have their own rules.

See what a validation notice must include.

What Financial Assistance, Inc. Can and Can't Do

An agency that collects for others is a "debt collector" under 15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6). Under the FDCPA and Regulation F:

• It must disclose that it is a debt collector in its communications (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(11)).
• It may not call before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. your local time (15 U.S.C. § 1692c(a)(1)).
• It may not call more than seven times in seven days about one debt, presumptively (12 C.F.R. § 1006.14(b)(2)).
• Its emails and texts must give you a way to opt out (12 C.F.R. § 1006.6(e)).

Our FDCPA attorneys can review a letter or call that seems wrong.

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 Financial Assistance, 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

• Financial Assistance, Inc.: home page
• CFPB enforcement actions search
• CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: Financial Assistance Inc, debt collection

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