National Service Bureau: Who They Are and Your Rights

Type

Collection agency

Also known as

Seattle Service Bureau, Inc.; Seattle Service Bureau, Inc. d/b/a National Service Bureau; NSB

Headquarters

Bothell, WA

Collects

past-due business accounts, insurance subrogation claims, auto and property damage claims

Phone numbers it lists

(800) 798-1674

Website

nsbi.net

153 debt collection complaints were sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about Seattle Service Bureau, 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 National Service Bureau?

National Service Bureau, often shortened to NSB, is the name Seattle Service Bureau, Inc. uses with the public. NSB's licensing page says its state licenses are registered under "Seattle Service Bureau, Inc. d.b.a. National Service Bureau," and it lists NMLS ID 1133332. If you search the CFPB complaint database you will find the company under the Seattle name; letters and calls usually use the NSB name.

According to its About page, NSB was founded in 1986 as a family-owned business. Its office is at 18912 North Creek Parkway, Suite 205, in Bothell, Washington, and its website names Dave Conyers as CEO. The licensing page lists collection agency licenses or registrations in a long list of states, including a Texas certificate of authority and collection bond.

In June 2021, the Connecticut Banking Commissioner entered a consent order with Seattle Service Bureau. The Commissioner alleged that the company had acted as a consumer collection agency in Connecticut without a license after surrendering its Connecticut license in 2018. The company agreed to pay a $10,000 civil penalty and $800 in back licensing fees and to stop unlicensed collection activity in the state, and it agreed to the order to avoid formal administrative proceedings. We did not find a CFPB enforcement action against Seattle Service Bureau or National Service Bureau.

Why National Service Bureau May Be Contacting You

NSB markets itself to businesses as a collection agency and subrogation firm. Its website describes three lines of work: subrogation (recovering money for insurers after auto accidents and property damage), first-party early-stage collections, and third-party collection of past-due accounts. The industries it lists include auto, property and workers' compensation insurance, construction, financial services, hospitality, senior living, staffing, technology and transportation.

So a letter or call from NSB may be about one of two quite different things. It may be an ordinary unpaid bill a business placed with NSB. Or it may be a subrogation claim: an insurer paid for damage (for example, after a car accident) and has hired NSB to recover that money from the person it believes was responsible. The main number on NSB's website is (800) 798-1674.

How to Check a Debt National Service Bureau Says You Owe

Start by figuring out which kind of claim it is, because the paperwork you should ask for is different.

• For an unpaid consumer bill: NSB's validation notice (15 U.S.C. § 1692g; 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34) should name the business you supposedly owe and itemize the balance. If anything is wrong, send a written dispute within the validation period on the notice; that requires NSB to stop collecting until it sends verification.
• For a subrogation or damage claim: Ask which insurer NSB represents, the claim number, the date of loss and the repair estimates or payment records behind the amount. If you had insurance at the time, give the claim to your own insurer rather than negotiating it yourself.
• Compare every figure against your records, and ask whether the account has been sold or is still owned by the business that hired NSB.
• Time limits matter. In Texas, most debt claims must be filed within 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). Property-damage claims can have different deadlines, and other states set their own periods, so check before you pay anything on an old claim.

What National Service Bureau Can and Can't Do

When NSB collects consumer debts owed to others, it is a "debt collector" under 15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6). Whether the FDCPA covers a particular subrogation claim can depend on whether the obligation arose from a consumer transaction, which is a fact-specific question. Some practical points:

• It may not misstate who it represents, the amount owed, or the consequences of not paying (15 U.S.C. § 1692e).
• It may not call before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. your time, and Regulation F presumes a violation after more than seven calls in seven days about one debt (12 C.F.R. § 1006.14(b)(2)).
• It may not threaten a lawsuit that its client does not actually intend to file.
• If you tell it in writing to stop contacting you, it must stop except to confirm it is ending collection or to notify you of a specific action (15 U.S.C. § 1692c(c)).

Our debt lawsuit questions page covers what happens if a claim goes to court. If you think a collector crossed the line, talk with our FDCPA attorneys.

Government Actions on the Public Record

• Connecticut Banking Commissioner consent order (alleged unlicensed consumer collection activity) (2021-06-07)

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 National Service 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

• National Service Bureau: Home
• National Service Bureau: About
• National Service Bureau: Licensing
• Connecticut Department of Banking: Consent order, Seattle Service Bureau, Inc. d/b/a National Service Bureau (June 7, 2021)
• CFPB enforcement actions search
• CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: Seattle Service Bureau, Inc, debt collection

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