Grant Mercantile Agency (GMA) is a California collection agency founded in Oakhurst in 1972. It collects for government agencies, healthcare providers, ambulance (EMS) services and businesses.
- Type
- Collection agency
- Also known as
- GMA
- Headquarters
- Clovis, CA
- Collects
- ambulance and EMS bills, healthcare bills, government receivables, commercial accounts
- Phone numbers it lists
- (800) 477-7530, (800) 821-7530
- Website
- grantmercantile.com
87 debt collection complaints were sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about Grant Mercantile Agency 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 Grant Mercantile Agency?
Grant Mercantile Agency, which goes by GMA, says it is a debt collection agency founded in 1972 in Oakhurst, California. The street address on its website is 1521 Tollhouse Road, Suite A, Clovis, California 93611. Its main contact number is (800) 477-7530, and the site also gives (800) 821-7530 for certain questions.
The website lists NMLS ID 1492610 and a compliance manager license (CM12521, NMLS ID 2306994). It describes its services as long-term collection work, online payments and reporting to the three major credit bureaus.
We did not find a CFPB enforcement action against Grant Mercantile Agency.
Why Grant Mercantile Agency May Be Contacting You
GMA says it serves four groups of clients: government, healthcare, commercial and EMS. It states that it specializes in EMS collections and that its staff has decades of combined experience collecting for government bodies.
In practice, many people hear from GMA about an ambulance ride, a clinic or hospital bill, or a fee or charge owed to a public agency. Ambulance bills often arrive weeks after the emergency, when insurance has paid part of the charge or denied it. Ask GMA which agency or provider it represents and the date of service before you discuss payment.
How to Check a Debt Grant Mercantile Agency Says You Owe
- Read the validation notice. Federal law requires GMA to tell you the creditor, the amount and your dispute rights (15 U.S.C. § 1692g; 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34). Regulation F's itemization shows how the balance changed since a set date.
- Get the trip or service record. For an ambulance bill, ask for the run date, pickup and drop-off points, the charges billed and every insurance or Medicare/Medicaid payment and denial. Many ambulance balances shrink once an insurer reprocesses the claim.
- Dispute in writing within the validation period. A timely written dispute requires GMA to pause collection until it sends verification.
- Confirm who owns the account. Ask whether the provider or agency still owns it or whether it was sold.
- Watch the age of the debt. Texas generally gives four years to sue on a consumer debt (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.004), and Tex. Fin. Code § 392.307 bars debt buyers from suing on time-barred consumer debt. Other states set different periods.
What Grant Mercantile Agency Can and Can't Do
When GMA collects a defaulted consumer debt for a provider or agency, it is a "debt collector" under 15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6), and the FDCPA's limits apply.
- It may not report a medical or ambulance debt to a credit bureau before first communicating with you about it (12 C.F.R. § 1006.30(a)). Our article on medical debt reporting changes covers the bureaus' own policies.
- It may not threaten action it cannot take or does not intend to take, such as an arrest over an unpaid bill (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(4)-(5)).
- It may not tell your employer, neighbors or relatives about the debt, with narrow exceptions (15 U.S.C. § 1692c(b)).
- For a Texas health care bill, the provider generally must send an itemized bill before collection; see Texas SB 490.
Questions about GMA's conduct? Visit 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 Grant Mercantile Agency 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
- Grant Mercantile Agency: home page
- CFPB enforcement actions search
- CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: Grant Mercantile Agency, debt collection
This profile is general information compiled from public sources, not legal advice, and it does not state or imply that Grant Mercantile Agency has violated any law. Company details change; tell us if something here is out of date.