Smith Debnam: Who They Are and Your Rights

Type

Collection law firm

Also known as

Smith Debnam Narron Drake Saintsing & Myers, LLP; Smith Debnam Law

Headquarters

Raleigh, NC

Collects

consumer collections, auto and equipment finance, bank and credit union accounts

Phone numbers it lists

(919) 250-2000

Website

smithdebnamlaw.com

35 debt collection complaints were sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about Smith Debnam Narron Drake Saintsing & Myers LLP 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 Smith Debnam?

Smith Debnam Narron Drake Saintsing & Myers, LLP, which markets itself as Smith Debnam Law, is a Raleigh, North Carolina law firm that says it has more than 50 years of experience. It serves clients in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia from offices in Raleigh, Charlotte and Charleston. The firm handles family law, estate planning and business work, but creditors' rights is one of its main practice groups.

That group covers consumer collections, commercial collections, accounts receivable management, foreclosure, replevin (claim and delivery), equipment leasing and bankruptcy. The firm says its attorneys belong to the Commercial Law League, the National Association of Retail Collection Attorneys and ACA International, and that it handles multi-state work through an in-house team. Its main number is (919) 250-2000. We did not find a CFPB enforcement action against Smith Debnam.

Why Smith Debnam May Be Contacting You

The firm's contact form lists the kinds of creditors it works with, including banks and credit unions, auto and equipment finance companies, alternative finance companies, financial technology companies, and debt buyers and collection agencies. A letter from Smith Debnam's creditors' rights group usually means one of those creditors has referred a defaulted loan, credit account or lease to the firm. The letter may be a pre-suit demand, or it may follow a lawsuit, a claim-and-delivery action for a vehicle, or a foreclosure.

The firm's offices are in the Carolinas, but it says it also handles matters elsewhere through a network of attorneys, so check which court and which state any lawsuit is in.

How to Check a Debt Smith Debnam Says You Owe

When a law firm writes, find out right away whether a case has already been filed, because court deadlines don't wait for a dispute letter.

• Look for the validation notice and note the date. If you dispute in writing within the validation period, the firm must verify the debt before continuing to collect (15 U.S.C. § 1692g; 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34).
• Identify the client. Ask whether the firm represents the original lender or a debt buyer, and if a buyer, ask for the chain of assignment.
• Compare the figures. Check the balance against your last statement, and ask for an itemization of interest, late fees and any attorney fees the client claims.
• If a vehicle or equipment was repossessed, ask for the sale notice and the accounting showing how the sale price was applied.
• Check the limitation period. In Texas, suits on most consumer debts must be filed 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). North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia have their own rules.

What Smith Debnam Can and Can't Do

Lawyers who regularly collect consumer debts, including through litigation, are "debt collectors" under the FDCPA (Heintz v. Jenkins, 514 U.S. 291 (1995)). See when a collection law firm is a debt collector. For Smith Debnam's consumer files:

• A letter on law-firm letterhead must reflect real attorney involvement; it cannot suggest a lawyer reviewed your file if none did (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(3)).
• Once you have a lawyer and the firm knows it, it must deal with your lawyer instead of you (15 U.S.C. § 1692c(a)(2)).
• It cannot claim attorney fees or charges that your contract or the law does not authorize (15 U.S.C. § 1692f(1)).
• It must sue where you signed the contract or where you live (15 U.S.C. § 1692i).

Served with a suit? Read what to do first, and 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 Smith Debnam 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

• Smith Debnam: home page
• Smith Debnam: About
• Smith Debnam: Creditors' Rights practice
• CFPB enforcement actions list (checked pages 1-17)
• CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: Smith Debnam Narron Drake Saintsing & Myers LLP, debt collection

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