Debt collection
Portfolio Recovery Associates: what servicemembers report to the CFPB
CFPB Consumer Complaint Database, complaints tagged servicemember, received 2023 to 2025. Read October 28, 2026. Open the same query on consumerfinance.gov.
- Servicemember complaints
- 1,417
- Closed with money back
- 0%
- 2023 to 2025
- 304 to 696
Servicemembers filed 5.2% of Portfolio Recovery Associates's 27,486 complaints in the window, against 2.5% across the directory. The complaints are mostly about debt collection, and the single most common issue is "Attempts to collect debt not owed". 0% of servicemember complaints closed with money back, against 2% across all 349 companies in this directory. The yearly count rose from 304 in 2023 to 696 in 2025.
What the complaints are about
By product
| Debt collection | 1,060 |
| Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports | 274 |
| Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports | 54 |
| Credit card | 14 |
| Debt or credit management | 9 |
By issue
| Attempts to collect debt not owed | 409 |
| Written notification about debt | 197 |
| Incorrect information on your report | 174 |
| Communication tactics | 172 |
| False statements or representation | 144 |
| 2023: 304 | 2024: 417 | 2025: 696 |
Which accounts, specifically
| Credit card debt | 645 |
| I do not know | 424 |
| Credit reporting | 339 |
| Other debt | 50 |
| General-purpose credit card or charge card | 17 |
What went wrong, specifically
| Debt is not yours | 232 |
| Attempted to collect wrong amount | 139 |
| Didn't receive enough information to verify debt | 123 |
| Debt was result of identity theft | 123 |
| Frequent or repeated calls | 119 |
Busiest month: July 2025, with 88 servicemember complaints. Most were submitted by web.
Most complaints came from TX (210), GA (159), FL (144) , then CA, NY, VA.
How Portfolio Recovery Associates answered
| Closed with explanation | 958 | 68% |
| Closed with non-monetary relief | 459 | 32% |
Portfolio Recovery Associates responded within the CFPB's 15-day window on 98% of servicemember complaints (directory-wide: 99%). Where the company published a response, the most common was: "Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law" (14). A complaint closed "with explanation" means the company answered in writing and changed nothing; "monetary relief" means money moved.
In servicemembers' own words
Narratives the CFPB publishes with the consumer's consent. Personal details are removed by the CFPB before publication. Each links to the original complaint.
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Debt collection; Attempts to collect debt not owed. LA, 2024-09-03. Outcome: Closed with explanation. Complaint 9999384
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Debt collection; Communication tactics. SC, 2024-09-02. Outcome: Closed with non-monetary relief. Complaint 9987026
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Debt collection; Communication tactics. IA, 2024-08-29. Outcome: Closed with non-monetary relief. Complaint 9985263
If this is your problem at Portfolio Recovery Associates
For a pre-service debt above 6%: the written request and the refund estimate; for repossession, foreclosure, a default judgment or eviction, the court-protection guides and the Department of Justice; for a loan or card taken during service, the Military Lending Act. A CFPB complaint is the dated record that follows, and it is the data on this page.
Compare with debt collection peers
- Encore Capital 1,479 servicemember complaints; 0% with money back
- Cl 1,512 servicemember complaints; 0% with money back
- Resurgent Capital Services 2,612 servicemember complaints; 0% with money back
- Transworld Systems 721 servicemember complaints; 0% with money back
- Ccs Financial Services 694 servicemember complaints; 0% with money back
Next in the directory by volume: Lexisnexis, Early Warning Services, Bread Financial.
Frequently asked questions
How many complaints did servicemembers file against Portfolio Recovery Associates?
1,417 complaints tagged servicemember were received by the CFPB about Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2025 (database read October 28, 2026). The tag covers active duty, Guard, Reserve, veterans, retirees, and their spouses and dependents. The yearly count rose from 304 in 2023 to 696 in 2025.
What do servicemembers complain about most at Portfolio Recovery Associates?
Debt collection accounts for 1,060 of the 1,417 complaints, and the most common issue is "Attempts to collect debt not owed" (409). Next: "Written notification about debt" (197).
Does Portfolio Recovery Associates give money back when a servicemember complains?
0% of servicemember complaints closed with money back, against 2% across all 349 companies in this directory. 459 closed with non-monetary relief and 958 closed with an explanation only. Portfolio Recovery Associates answered 98% of these complaints within the CFPB's 15-day window.
Tools for this topic
- SCRA refund calculator What a lender owes back for charging over 6%.
- Savings calculator What the 6% cap saves you per month and per year.
- Letter generator A rate-cap or lease letter that cites the statute.
CFPB counts for complaints tagged "Servicemember" received 2023-01-01 to 2025-12-31, read October 28, 2026; names are the CFPB's; percentages only at 100+ complaints; a complaint is not a finding of wrongdoing. Method and the full directory.
Heads up: SCRA Saver publishes general information, not legal or financial advice. Laws change and every situation differs. Confirm details with your installation legal assistance office (free for service members) or a licensed professional.