Southwest Credit Systems, which renamed itself SWC Group in 2015, is a collection agency in Carrollton, Texas. It collects for cable and phone companies, toll authorities, utilities, landlords and others, so its letters often concern a final service bill.
- Type
- Collection agency
- Also known as
- Southwest Credit Systems, L.P.; SWC Group, L.P.; SWC Group; Southwest Credit
- Headquarters
- Carrollton, TX
- Collects
- cable bills, telecommunications bills, highway toll charges, utility bills, property management balances, education balances, government accounts
- Phone numbers it lists
- (800) 637-7439, (469) 656-7294
- Website
- swcgroup.com
3,052 debt collection complaints were sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about Southwest Credit Systems, L.P. 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 Southwest Credit Systems?
Southwest Credit Systems, L.P. is a Texas limited partnership based at 4120 International Parkway, Suite 1100, in Carrollton, Texas. In March 2015, an industry publication reported that the company and its affiliates were becoming SWC Group, with a new logo and websites, and that the company had recently marked its 40th year. Its current website uses the name SWC Group, L.P., identifies itself as a debt collector, and points consumers to a separate consumer care site, swcconsumer.com.
Because it is a Dallas-area company, many Texans who hear from SWC are dealing with a collector in their own state. Texas requires third-party debt collectors to file a surety bond with the Secretary of State before collecting here (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.101). See do collection agencies have to be licensed in Texas?
Why Southwest Credit Systems May Be Contacting You
The 2015 announcement listed SWC's client industries as cable, property management, telecommunications, highway toll, government, utility and education. A letter or call from SWC is often about a final cable or internet bill, unreturned cable equipment, a cell phone balance after you switched carriers, toll charges, a utility balance after a move, or charges from a former apartment.
SWC's website lists (800) 637-7439 and (469) 656-7294 as contact numbers. Collectors often call from other numbers too, so if a caller says it is SWC, you can hang up and call one of these numbers back to confirm.
How to Check a Debt Southwest Credit Systems Says You Owe
Service bills sent to collection tend to mix true balances with charges that a phone call to the provider can sometimes fix. Work through these steps:
- Look at the validation notice for the original company and account. Federal law requires the collector to name the creditor and itemize the balance (15 U.S.C. § 1692g; 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34). Toll accounts may list a toll authority rather than a company.
- Send a written dispute within the validation period. Ask for the final bill, the service address, the service dates, and any equipment charges. SWC must suspend collection until it provides verification.
- Check returned equipment. If you returned a modem or cable box, find the store receipt or shipping confirmation; unreturned-equipment fees are a common source of disputes.
- Confirm the current owner. Ask whether the provider still owns the account or sold it to a debt buyer.
- Watch the calendar. In Texas, the general limitation period for suing on a consumer debt is four years (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 periods.
What Southwest Credit Systems Can and Can't Do
An agency collecting debts owed to others is a "debt collector" under 15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6). Some practical limits:
- It must identify itself as a debt collector in its communications (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(11)).
- Texts and emails are allowed, but each must offer a simple way to opt out (12 C.F.R. § 1006.6(e)). See can debt collectors text or email me?
- It may not call more than seven times in seven days about one account (12 C.F.R. § 1006.14(b)(2)).
- It may not threaten to cut off service, add fees, or sue unless those steps are lawful and actually intended. Texas does not allow wage garnishment for ordinary consumer debts such as phone or cable bills.
If you believe SWC's collection went too far, our Texas FDCPA attorneys page explains what to send us.
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 Southwest Credit Systems (SWC Group) 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
- SWC Group: home page
- insideARM: Southwest Credit Systems is now SWC Group (March 9, 2015)
- Connecticut Department of Banking: Consent Order, In re Southwest Credit Systems, LP (July 9, 2020)
- CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: Southwest Credit Systems, L.P., debt collection
This profile is general information compiled from public sources, not legal advice, and it does not state or imply that Southwest Credit Systems (SWC Group) has violated any law. Company details change; tell us if something here is out of date. Lea este perfil en español.