Finkelstein, Kern, Steinberg & Cunningham, PC (FKSC) is a Knoxville, Tennessee law firm that handles a high volume of debt collection matters across Tennessee, including credit card, auto deficiency, student loan, subrogation and commercial accounts.
- Type
- Collection law firm
- Also known as
- Finkelstein, Kern, Steinberg & Cunningham, PC; FKSC
- Headquarters
- Knoxville, TN
- Collects
- credit card debt, auto deficiencies, student loans, subrogation claims, commercial accounts
- Phone numbers it lists
- (888) 200-6501, (865) 525-0238
- Website
- fksclaw.com
16 debt collection complaints were sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about Finkelstein, Kern, Steinberg & Cunningham, PC 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 Finkelstein, Kern, Steinberg & Cunningham?
Finkelstein, Kern, Steinberg & Cunningham, PC (FKSC) is a Tennessee law firm focused on consumer collections and creditors' remedies. Its website says it has worked in legal collections for more than twenty years and handles a high volume of debt collection matters across Tennessee. The firm's office is at 402 Clyde Street, Suite 2, in Knoxville, with mail going to P.O. Box 1, Knoxville, TN 37901.
The collections line is (888) 200-6501, and the local office number is (865) 525-0238. The contact page warns that calls from the firm may show a toll-free number on caller ID and gives office hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. We did not find a CFPB enforcement action against Finkelstein, Kern, Steinberg & Cunningham.
Why Finkelstein, Kern, Steinberg & Cunningham May Be Contacting You
FKSC lists its legal collection areas as credit cards, commercial accounts, auto deficiencies, student loans, subrogation, and both pre- and post-charge-off accounts. The site states that the firm is a debt collector under the FDCPA. You might hear from it because a card issuer or lender has referred a charged-off account, because a car was repossessed and sold for less than the loan balance, because a private student loan went into default, or because an insurer is seeking reimbursement after an accident.
The firm's online account form lets people request a balance, a file number, a payment plan or a call back, and says any payment arrangement must be approved by a firm representative. Payment plans submitted online are limited to a set number of months.
How to Check a Debt FKSC Says You Owe
- Get the validation notice and check the creditor, the itemization date and the balance (15 U.S.C. § 1692g; 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34).
- Dispute in writing within the validation period if anything is off. Ask for the charge-off statement for a card, or the repossession sale notice and sale accounting for a car. See car deficiency suits.
- For a student loan, find out whether it is federal or private and who holds it now; federal loans follow different collection rules.
- Check Tennessee court records for a lawsuit or judgment under your name if the firm mentions one.
- Watch the limitation period. If you are sued in Texas, most debt claims must be brought within four years (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.004), and debt buyers cannot sue on time-barred consumer debt (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.307). Tennessee's periods differ.
What FKSC Can and Can't Do
Lawyers who regularly collect consumer debts are "debt collectors," including when they sue (Heintz v. Jenkins, 514 U.S. 291 (1995)). See can the collection law firm also be a debt collector?
- It must file a consumer debt suit in the county where you live or signed the contract (15 U.S.C. § 1692i).
- It cannot claim a deficiency or fees larger than the contract and law allow (15 U.S.C. § 1692f(1)).
- It cannot make more than seven calls in seven days about one debt (12 C.F.R. § 1006.14(b)(2)).
- A subrogation claim from a car accident may not be a "debt" under the FDCPA at all, because it arises from a tort rather than a consumer transaction; the answer depends on the claim.
- Texas does not allow wage garnishment for ordinary consumer debts, whatever another state permits.
If FKSC's collection efforts seemed improper, see our Texas 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 Finkelstein, Kern, Steinberg & Cunningham 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
- FKSC: home page
- FKSC: Contact us
- CFPB enforcement actions list (checked pages 1-17)
- CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: Finkelstein, Kern, Steinberg & Cunningham, PC, debt collection
This profile is general information compiled from public sources, not legal advice, and it does not state or imply that Finkelstein, Kern, Steinberg & Cunningham has violated any law. Company details change; tell us if something here is out of date.