Mercantile Adjustment Bureau, LLC is a New York collection agency with an office in Williamsville, near Buffalo. It collects consumer debts for creditors; a related company, Mercantile CT, LLC, used the same name in Connecticut.
- Type
- Collection agency
- Also known as
- MERCANTILE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU, LLC; MAB; Mercantile CT, LLC
- Headquarters
- Williamsville, NY
112 debt collection complaints were sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about MERCANTILE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU, LLC 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 Mercantile Adjustment Bureau?
Mercantile Adjustment Bureau, LLC (MAB) is a New York limited liability company with an office at 165 Lawrence Bell Drive, Suite 100, Williamsville, New York, outside Buffalo. Its NMLS number is 962209. A related New York company, Mercantile CT, LLC (NMLS 1731286), operated from the same address and used the name Mercantile Adjustment Bureau as a d/b/a. A 2023 Connecticut order identifies Bruce Gray as president and CEO of both companies.
According to that order, MAB held a Connecticut consumer collection agency license from August 21, 2002 until it expired on January 1, 2019, and Mercantile CT held one from November 8, 2018. We could not confirm an official website or consumer phone number for MAB, so rely on the contact information printed in your validation notice.
Why Mercantile Adjustment Bureau May Be Contacting You
MAB is a third-party collection agency, which means a creditor has placed a past-due account with it, or a related company, to collect. We could not verify which creditors or industries it works for, so the letter is the best place to start. Look for the creditor's name and the account number it gives, and compare them with your own records. If the letter names a creditor you've never heard of, the account may have been sold to a debt buyer that then hired MAB.
How to Check a Debt Mercantile Adjustment Bureau Says You Owe
Because the company's own public information is thin, treat the written notice as the record you'll rely on later.
- Save the validation notice. It must name the current creditor, give an itemization date, and break down the balance (15 U.S.C. § 1692g; 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34).
- Send a written dispute within the validation period. Ask for account statements from the original creditor and keep a copy of your letter and proof of mailing.
- Ask who owns the account. Request the name of the current owner and, if it was sold, the original creditor.
- Verify the balance. Make sure payments you've made, including any made to an earlier collector, are credited.
- Check the statute of limitations. Texas generally sets a four-year period to sue on a consumer debt (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.004), and debt buyers are barred from suing on time-barred consumer debt (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.307). New York and other states set their own deadlines.
Our page on debt validation notices walks through what the notice should contain.
What Mercantile Adjustment Bureau Can and Can't Do
A company collecting consumer debts on behalf of others is a "debt collector" under 15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6). Among its obligations:
- It must hold any license your state requires for collectors; Texas, for example, requires third-party collectors to post a surety bond with the Secretary of State (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.101). See licensing in Texas.
- It may not misstate the amount owed or who owns the debt (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(2)).
- It may call no more than seven times in seven days about one account before harassment is presumed (12 C.F.R. § 1006.14(b)(2)).
- It must stop most contact if you ask in writing (15 U.S.C. § 1692c(c)).
Connecticut consent order. On June 29, 2023, the Connecticut Banking Commissioner issued a consent order with Mercantile CT, LLC and Mercantile Adjustment Bureau, LLC. The Commissioner had alleged that Mercantile CT used an unlicensed collection agency, failed to keep Connecticut consumers' funds in a trust account, fell below the required minimum net worth without notifying the Department, and made a materially false or misleading statement in a filing, and that MAB acted as a consumer collection agency in Connecticut without a license. The companies represented that Connecticut consumers' payments were credited in full and that no collection fees were charged. Under the order, they paid a $30,000 civil penalty, MAB agreed to stop unlicensed collection in Connecticut, and Mercantile CT agreed to surrender its Connecticut license and be barred from consumer collection there for three years. We did not find a CFPB enforcement action against Mercantile Adjustment Bureau. Visit our FDCPA attorneys page for more.
Government Actions on the Public Record
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 Mercantile Adjustment Bureau 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
- Connecticut Department of Banking: Mercantile CT, LLC d/b/a Mercantile Adjustment Bureau and Mercantile Adjustment Bureau, LLC consent order (June 29, 2023)
- CFPB enforcement actions search: Mercantile
- CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: MERCANTILE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU, LLC, debt collection
This profile is general information compiled from public sources, not legal advice, and it does not state or imply that Mercantile Adjustment Bureau has violated any law. Company details change; tell us if something here is out of date.