Meade & Associates: Who They Are and Your Rights

Type

Collection agency

Also known as

Meade & Associates, Inc.

Headquarters

Lewis Center, OH

Collects

medical bills, student and college accounts, bank accounts, utility bills, veterinary bills, service provider accounts

Phone numbers it lists

(800) 686-3233, (614) 436-6160, (614) 635-8100

Website

meadeandassociates.com

34 debt collection complaints were sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about Meade & Associates, 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 Meade & Associates?

Meade & Associates, Inc. is a collection agency at 737 Enterprise Drive in Lewis Center, Ohio, a suburb north of Columbus. Its website says the company was founded in 1978, calls itself a full-service collection agency, and says it is bonded and insured. The site lists affiliations with ACA International and with Ohio college and university business-office groups.

The website gives a toll-free number, (800) 686-3233, a main line, (614) 436-6160, and a collection floor number, (614) 635-8100, that it also lists for payments. We did not find a CFPB enforcement action against Meade & Associates in the CFPB's public enforcement list.

Why Meade & Associates May Be Contacting You

Meade says it does not focus on a single industry. Its website lists healthcare, education, banking, utilities, service providers and veterinary clients. Depending on the client, a call or letter could be about:

• a hospital or physician bill;
• a balance owed to a college or university, such as unpaid tuition or fees;
• a closed bank account with a negative balance;
• a final utility bill; or
• a bill from a veterinary clinic.

The first notice should name the business that placed the account. If it is a school, ask whether a registration or transcript hold is also involved; that is a matter between you and the school.

How to Check a Debt Meade & Associates Says You Owe

With so many kinds of clients, the right records depend on where the debt started.

• Start with the validation notice. It must name the creditor and show the balance on the itemization date, plus any interest, fees, payments and credits since (15 U.S.C. § 1692g; 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34).
• Gather the matching records. For a school account, request the student ledger and financial aid history. For a vet or medical bill, ask for the itemized invoice. For a bank account, check your final statements for overdraft fees and reversed deposits.
• Dispute in writing within the validation period if the balance is wrong or you do not recognize it.
• Ask whether the original business still owns the account so you know who can approve a payment plan or settlement.
• Check the age of the account. Texas generally allows four years to sue on a debt (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.004), and debt buyers cannot sue on time-barred consumer debt (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.307). Other states use different time limits.

What Meade & Associates Can and Can't Do

An agency that collects consumer debts owed to others is a "debt collector" under 15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6). Some limits that matter for these accounts:

• It may not threaten a lawsuit or other action that is not intended or cannot legally be taken (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(5)).
• It must stop contacting you, except for limited notices, if you tell it in writing to stop (15 U.S.C. § 1692c(c)).
• The Regulation F call cap presumes harassment after seven calls in seven days about one debt (12 C.F.R. § 1006.14(b)(2)); see our call and text limits update.
• Medical accounts have special credit-reporting rules; see our medical debt reporting update.

Read 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 Meade & 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

• Meade & Associates: home page
• CFPB enforcement actions list
• CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: Meade & Associates, Inc., debt collection

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