Transworld Systems Inc.: Who They Are and Your Rights

Type

Collection agency

Also known as

TSI

Collects

medical bills, private student loans, financial services accounts, utility and telecom bills, property management balances

Phone numbers it lists

(866) 228-9034, (866) 545-9191

Website

tsico.com

10,093 debt collection complaints were sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about TRANSWORLD SYSTEMS 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 Transworld Systems Inc.?

Transworld Systems Inc., which brands itself TSI, describes itself as a technology-driven revenue recovery company. Its website says it has been in business since 1970 and lists 10 U.S. locations and more than 20 sites worldwide. Besides third-party collections, TSI advertises healthcare revenue cycle work, loan servicing through a subsidiary called UAS, customer-care outsourcing and debt recovery software. Platinum Equity bought the business from Expert Global Solutions in 2014; TSI's ownership has changed since, so check current filings if that matters to you.

TSI is best known in consumer law circles for its role as the main debt collector and litigation manager for the National Collegiate Student Loan Trusts, a group of trusts that hold private student loans originated in the 2000s.

Why Transworld Systems May Be Contacting You

TSI's site lists clients in healthcare (health systems, physician groups, dental practices and insurers), financial services (lenders, auto finance companies, credit unions and fintechs), higher education including student loans, government, utilities, telecommunications, property management, and parking and tolling. A TSI letter or call is therefore usually about a bill you owed to one of those businesses, with TSI acting as the collector rather than the owner.

If the letter mentions a "National Collegiate Student Loan Trust," it concerns an older private student loan. Those accounts often pass through several companies, and both the CFPB and two state attorneys general have taken action over how TSI documented them in court (see below).

How to Check a Debt TSI Says You Owe

Because TSI collects for so many different kinds of creditors, start by pinning down which creditor and which account the notice is about.

• Use the validation notice. TSI's first written notice, or one sent within five days of first contact, must identify the creditor, itemize the balance and give a dispute deadline (15 U.S.C. § 1692g; 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34).
• Dispute in writing before the deadline if anything is unfamiliar. For a medical bill, ask for the itemized bill and the insurer's explanation of benefits. For a student loan, ask for the signed credit agreement and every assignment showing how the loan reached the current trust.
• Ask who owns the account today and whether TSI is collecting as an agent or for a trust or buyer.
• Check the dates. In Texas, suits on most debts must be filed within four years (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.004), and a debt buyer cannot sue on time-barred consumer debt (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.307). Other states have their own deadlines.

More detail is in our answer on how to dispute a debt with a collector.

What Transworld Systems Can and Can't Do

TSI collects debts owed to others, so it is a "debt collector" under the FDCPA, 15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6). Some ground rules that come up with its kinds of accounts:

• Medical bills: Texas providers must send an itemized bill before pursuing collection (Texas SB 490), and paid or under-$500 medical collections no longer appear on national credit reports.
• Court papers: Any affidavit filed in a collection suit must be accurate; misrepresenting the character, amount or legal status of a debt is prohibited (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(2)).
• Calls: More than seven calls in seven days about one debt is presumed to be harassment (12 C.F.R. § 1006.14(b)(2)), and you can tell TSI in writing to stop contacting you (15 U.S.C. § 1692c(c)).
• Old debts: It may not threaten a lawsuit that cannot legally be filed.

TSI lists a Consumer Hotline for complaints about how it is collecting. Keep notes of every call either way.

Government Actions on the Public Record

• Massachusetts AG assurance of discontinuance (AG alleged high-volume calls, collection of time-barred debt and inaccurate affidavits; $2.25 million; TSI denied the allegations) (2021-09-07)
• New York AG settlement over National Collegiate Student Loan Trusts collections ($600,000 and practice changes) (2020-09-14)
• Connecticut Department of Banking consent order (alleged unfair or deceptive affidavit practices in National Collegiate Student Loan Trust collection suits and incomplete responses to the Department; $200,000 civil penalty and compliance reporting; neither admitted nor denied) (2017-10-11)
• CFPB consent order (affidavits and testimony in student loan collection suits; $2.5 million civil penalty) (2017-09-18)

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 Transworld Systems Inc. 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

• TSI: home page
• TSI: Consumer Support Hub
• CFPB enforcement action: Transworld Systems, Inc.
• New York Attorney General press release (Sept. 14, 2020)
• Massachusetts Attorney General press release (Sept. 7, 2021)
• Platinum Equity: completion of Transworld Systems acquisition (2014)
• CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: TRANSWORLD SYSTEMS INC, debt collection

This profile is general information compiled from public sources, not legal advice, and it does not state or imply that Transworld Systems Inc. has violated any law. Company details change; tell us if something here is out of date. Lea este perfil en español.