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Debt Recovery

Smarter Debt Recovery for Banks: Higher Returns, Lower Risk

Partner with us—a trusted collection partner with national reach, strict compliance, and deep industry experience—to recover your bank’s past-due loans efficiently and professionally. We serve numerous banks and credit unions, protect your customer relationships, and offer a secure, easy-to-use process.

Debt Recovery for Banks & Credit Unions: Recover More While Reducing Risk

Banks and credit unions are heading into a tougher credit cycle. Delinquencies on credit cards, auto loans, student loans, and small business credit are all rising at the same time, putting pressure on capital, staffing, and compliance.

In this environment, an in-house team or a “good enough” outside vendor is no longer sufficient. You need a recovery partner that can lift liquidation rates, reduce legal and regulatory exposure, and protect your brand in the process.

We built our service around exactly that goal.


The Problem: Rising Delinquencies + Higher Scrutiny

Over the next few years, most institutions will see:

  • Higher delinquencies and charge-offs across multiple portfolios, not just one.

  • Intense regulatory focus on third-party risk, data security, and complaint management.

  • Public review pressure, where a few bad collection experiences can drag your Google rating and burn your marketing spend.

Your recovery partner now sits squarely in the middle of all three.


Why “Good Enough” Vendors Are Now a Liability

1. Compliance & data security risks

Regulators now hold banks directly accountable for their vendors. A non-compliant recovery team, weak data security, or poor handling of complaints can quickly turn into:

  • Examiner findings on third-party risk

  • Costly data-breach notifications and penalties

  • Class-action exposure around FDCPA/TCPA/UDAAP violations

If your current vendor can’t show you real evidence of compliance and security (SOC 2, pen-test summaries, written incident response plan, GLBA-aligned safeguards, fourth-party oversight), they are putting your institution at risk.


2. Reputation and your “4.2-star problem”

To your past-due customers, your recovery partner is your brand.

Aggressive or sloppy tactics no longer stay hidden. Reviews and complaints are captured in Google, Yelp, social media, and AI-powered overviews. If your institution’s name appears next to words like “harassing calls,” “rude collectors,” or “incorrect debt,” it erodes trust with the very consumers you’re trying to acquire and retain.

For many banks and credit unions, anything under roughly a 4.2-star public rating is now a business risk—and collection experiences play a major role in that score.


3. Technology gap and in-house inefficiency

Most internal teams and legacy agencies are still built around manual dialing and basic dialers. That model:

  • Spends the same time on accounts that will never pay as on those that will.

  • Keeps fixed costs high regardless of recovery results.

  • Makes it hard to document every decision and interaction for audits.

Modern recovery is data-driven. Without AI-supported scoring, digital outreach, and real-time compliance monitoring, you leave money on the table and increase risk.


How We Help Banks & Credit Unions Recover More, Risk Less

We position ourselves as an extension of your risk, compliance, and finance functions—not just a vendor making calls.

AI-Driven Performance

We use AI and machine learning to:

  • Score every account for “propensity and ability to pay.”

  • Prioritize agent time on the segments most likely to cure.

  • Tailor outreach (channel, timing, and tone) for each consumer.

This allows us to recover significantly more than manual models, without escalating complaints or regulatory exposure.


Audit-Ready Compliance

Compliance is built into our platform and workflows:

  • Real-time monitoring of 100% of calls and digital communications.

  • Automated guardrails for call frequency, time-of-day rules, and disclosures.

  • Documented policies around FDCPA, TCPA, UDAAP, GLBA, and new rules affecting overdrafts and small-business guarantors.

  • Clear incident-response procedures, complaint tracking, and reporting that plug neatly into your existing vendor-management framework.

When examiners ask, you have a clean, auditable story to tell.


Reputation-First Collections

We design our approach to protect your Google rating and public image:

  • Respectful, empathetic outreach aligned with your member/customer ethos.

  • Digital-first options like email, SMS, and self-service portals for resolving accounts.

  • Flexible payment plans and settlement options that drive resolution instead of conflict.

The result: higher recovery, lower complaint volume, and fewer “nightmare collection” stories attached to your name.


Coverage, Pricing & Service Model

We can work with institutions of all sizes across all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

Our model is flexible:

  • Fixed-fee services for early-stage accounts
    – Roughly $15 for five contacts (ideal for earlier delinquency, “Step 1 & Step 2” style reminder and demand campaigns).

  • Contingency services for later-stage and charged-off accounts
    – Typically around 40% on amounts successfully recovered (“Step 3” traditional recovery, with an optional “Step 4” legal escalation where appropriate).

Most clients use a combination of Step 2 + Step 3—starting with cost-effective fixed-fee work, then moving selected accounts into our contingency workflow based on performance and propensity-to-pay scoring.

This structure keeps early-stage costs predictable while maximizing net-back on older, tougher portfolios.


What Happens When Institutions Switch to Us

When banks and credit unions move from a legacy vendor or in-house only model to our platform, they typically see:

  • Higher liquidation rates across credit card, auto, DDA, and small-business portfolios.

  • Cleaner complaint and compliance profile, with better documentation for OCC/FDIC/NCUA reviews.

  • Less noise for their executive and legal teams, because recoveries and risk controls are handled within a single, transparent framework.

Typical use cases include:

  • Auto loan deficiencies after repossession – Where we apply predictive skip-tracing and settlement-focused outreach, often more than doubling in-house recovery rates while keeping complaints near zero.

  • Legacy charged-off credit card portfolios – Where we re-score “exhausted” files and capture incremental dollars from segments previous vendors considered dead.

  • Charged-off DDA/overdraft accounts – Where we separate “fee” vs. “loan” overdrafts to align with the latest CFPB guidance and avoid TILA traps.

  • Smaller commercial and SBA-backed loans – Where new laws now treat many guarantors like consumers, requiring FDCPA-style protections and documentation.

Serving Banks Nationwide

Need a Financial Collection Agency? Contact Us

High data security and privacy standards


Questions You Should Ask Any Recovery Partner

Whether you work with us or another provider, your RFI/RFP should demand clear answers to questions like:

  • Can you share SOC 2 and recent penetration-test summaries?

  • How do you enforce state-by-state call and contact rules programmatically?

  • What is your incident-response plan for data breaches, and how will you support our GLBA and breach-notification obligations?

  • How do you manage fourth-party risk (cloud, letter vendors, dialer platforms)?

  • What does your complaint-handling workflow look like, and how will we see trends and root-cause analysis?

  • How do you use AI to both increase recovery and reduce regulatory risk?

If your current vendor cannot answer these clearly, or will not provide documentation, it may be time to switch.


Ready to Talk About Your Portfolios?

If you’re seeing rising delinquencies, higher compliance expectations, and mounting pressure on internal teams, there is a better way to handle recovery.

We combine:

  • AI-driven portfolio analytics,

  • audit-ready compliance,

  • reputation-safe outreach, and

  • a flexible mix of fixed-fee and contingency services

to help banks and credit unions recover more, with less risk.

If you’re considering a change from your current provider—or want to benchmark your results and risk profile—let’s review your portfolios and talk through a structured Step 1–4 strategy tailored to your institution.

Filed Under: Debt Recovery

Automotive Collection Agency: Car Loan Defaults Recovery

Most customers who start missing their auto-loan installments are likely going through a very rough financial situation. Unless a car dealership (or an auto loan lender) acts fast, there is little hope of recouping the missed payments.

The involvement of a collection agency is a game-changer. Collection agencies are known to take recovery efforts to a completely different level. Their persistence, tactics, and incremental debt collection intensity ensures that your invoice becomes the debtor’s priority. All his other payment obligations become secondary.

Recovering Car Loans Nationwide

Need a Collection Agency for Unpaid Auto Loans? Contact Us

The biggest downside of waiting is that the asset’s value (car) depreciates if a lender or a car dealer waits too long. In other words, forget about getting the interest and late fees. If the lender waits too long, he may be unable to recover the principal amount.

Auto loan debt collection

A record 7 million Americans are three months behind on their car payments. Their non-payment could be because of the loss of regular income or mismanagement of personal finances. There could be other circumstances like a sudden medical emergency due to the borrower’s cash reserves being depleted or even a personal issue like divorce.

Americans who fall behind these payments are generally those with low credit ratings. Individuals with low credit scores often take sub-prime auto loans with high-interest rates. But many defaults are from customers who we thought were financially well off or those with a stellar credit history. Somehow they landed up buying a vehicle that was beyond their means.

Once a customer stops making payments, starts giving doubtful excuses, or starts to ignore your payment reminders, it is important to involve a debt collections agency quickly to resolve these accounts.

It is recommended to contact a collection agency if the last installment has been more than 60 days past due. The involvement of a collection agency is a game-changer. They are experts in collecting past-due debts. The longer you wait, the harder it will get to recover your money.

Before hiring a collection agency, check if it is licensed and bonded in those states where your debtors are located. The agency should have both Consumer and Commercial debt collection divisions. The same collection agency can pursue all situations if your debtor is a person or a business (ex: company lease).

The collection agency will approach the cosigner for payments if the primary signer cannot pay.

If a debtor ignores payment repeatedly, then his credit score and FICO score start to drop, and in many cases, his car can be repossessed (well, in most states).

A collection agency can even go to court and garnish wages each month from the debtor’s paycheck.

The average transaction price for light vehicles in the United States was $37,577 in December 2018 as per kbb.com. About 4.7% of auto loans and leases were over 90 days delinquent in early 2019.

Many analysts have been forecasting that an economic recession may not be too far off. Therefore it is advisable to act promptly.

Summary of Collection Agency’s Services
Collection Letters Service
  • Upfront cost for 5 Collection Letters is about $15 per account.
  • Debtors pay directly to you, no other fees. Low-cost option.
  • Good for accounts less than 120 days past due.
Collection Calls Service
  • Contingency fee only. No upfront or other fees.
  • Agency gets paid a portion of the money they recover.  No recovery-No fees.
  • It’s best for accounts over 120 days past-due. A debt collector calls the debtor many times.
  • If everything fails, a possible Legal Suit if recommended by the attorney.

Check this page >> Cost of Hiring a Debt Collections Agency

If you are looking for a good collection agency, we can help you. Contact us if you are interested in finding out more.

Filed Under: Debt Recovery

Debt Collection for Accounting Firms & CPA’s

accountant collection agency

A Cash-Flow Playbook for Accounting Firms, CFOs & Controllers

CPA/Accountants/ CFO are very smart people, and they are the last people who need any financial advice, definitely not us.  However, debt collection is a completely different field. We have assisted several businesses and accounting firms to effectively recover money from their past due accounts.

“One size never fits all: the tactics that move a delinquent business invoice can backfire on a consumer credit card—and vice versa.”

Late-paying clients aren’t created equal. Roughly half of North-American B2B invoices arrive late and about six percent are written off. On the consumer side, 90-day credit-card delinquencies recently climbed to their highest level in more than a decade. The table below shows why your collection strategy must split along B2B/B2C lines:

 

Metric (2025 YTD) B2B B2C
Invoices/Accounts Past Due 55 % of B2B invoices 4.3 % of household debt
“Bad-Debt” Write-Offs 6 % of credit sales 90-day card delinquencies at 12.3 %
Typical Balance Size $1 k – $60 k contract invoices $50 – $1.2 k revolving or installment
Primary Rulebook Uniform Commercial Code, contract law FDCPA, Reg F, state mini-FDCPAs

Why Tactics Diverge

Stage B2B Focus B2C Focus
Pre-Placement Re-age terms, apply set-off, lien rights Verify address, Mini-Miranda notice
Early Outreach AR-to-AP negotiations, volume rebates Soft letters, SMS within 7 AM-9 PM
Escalation UCC-1 filings, credit-manager pressure Credit-bureau reporting, hardship plans
Legal Breach-of-contract suit, prejudgment interest State-court claim, wage-garnishment caps

Three-Tier Agency Model That Covers Both Worlds

Tier 30-90 Days 90-180 Days > 180 Days
Fixed-Fee Letters ($15–$20 each) First nudge—keeps goodwill, no contingency Still works if brand reputation matters Limited effect
Contingency Calls (35–40 %) Use sparingly; may feel premature Prime time: boosts B2B and B2C recoveries 20–30 % Core engine after six months
Attorney/Suit (50 % + fees) High-balance contracts, personal guarantees Student-loan or medical balances Last resort

(Based on 2024-25 agency rate surveys)

CPA/Accountants are very smart people, and they are the last people who need any financial advice, definitely not us.  However, debt collection is a completely different field. We have assisted several businesses and accounting firms to effectively recover money from their past due accounts.

Serving Accounting Firms Nationwide

Need an Accounting Collection Agency, or for your clients? Contact Us

 

Two Quick Case Studies

  • B2B — Software-as-a-Service provider: 110 invoices averaging $3,900 aged 120-180 days. A letter-plus-call campaign collected 77 % in 28 days, preserving renewal contracts and cutting churn credits by 40 %.
  • B2C — Healthcare practice: 350 patient accounts averaging $650 stalled more than 90 days. A fixed-fee letter wave recouped 48 % within three weeks; the practice spent just $340 and routed payments directly to its own office.

How to Pick a “Dual-Fuel” Agency

  1. Nationwide licensing for both commercial and consumer collections.
  2. Separate playbooks—distinct scripts, dashboards, and compliance checks for B2B versus B2C files.
  3. Data security that meets SOC-2 and PCI standards; NDAs for corporate AR.
  4. Real-time analytics that flip between business scores and consumer FICOs to target effort.
  5. Transparent fee ladder—letters flat, calls contingency, legal cost-plus.

Five-Day Action Plan

Day To-Do
1 Pull AR aging; tag B2B accounts over $2,500 and B2C accounts over $300 that are more than 45 days old.
2 Clean data (emails, phones, EIN/SSN), correct invoice errors.
3 Place a pilot batch of 25 B2B + 50 B2C files into fixed-fee letters.
4 Review the dashboard—track promises to pay and early remittances.
5 Escalate non-responders to contingency; roll out the full portfolio every month.

Recovered cash can fund invoice-automation tools, early-pay discounts, or client-experience upgrades—closing the loop so fewer accounts hit collections next quarter.

If you are looking for a good collection agency for accountants or CPA’s,  or for their clients, we can help you.

Filed Under: Debt Recovery

Debt collection for Plumbers and Contractors

Plumber

Every clogged drain you clear is another invoice -but is it another payment?

Late-paying customers aren’t just an annoyance; they can wipe out the thin 3-5 % profit margin many small plumbing and contracting firms run on. A 2025 survey of 250 U.S. contractors found 70 % experience payment delays, with 64 % resorting to mechanics liens at least once. The good news? Pro-level collection tactics can bring the cash back in—without torching client relationships.

Serving Plumbers Nationwide

Need a Collection Agency for Plumbers? Contact Us

Why the Cash Stops Flowing

Common roadblock Quick reality-check
Change-order shock – Extra work not on the original quote Put every change in writing with the client’s e-signature (mobile apps work).
“Punch-list” disputes – Owner claims work isn’t finished Use before-and-after photos; include completion sign-off in the contract.
Sticker-shock on materials – Copper price spikes 25 % YoY Build a material-cost-escalation clause tied to the Producer Price Index.
Poor paperwork – Missing W-9, tax ID, lien notices Add a one-page onboarding checklist for every new job.

Real-world example: Joe’s Plumbing in Ohio was owed $5,200 on a residential re-pipe. After 45 days of silence, they triggered five low-cost reminder letters (about $15 each) through the collection letters service. The homeowner paid in full after letter #3—no phone calls, no liens.


Your Three-Step Collection Ladder

Step Best for Cost model What actually happens
1. Courtesy letters Invoices < 120 days old Flat fee ≈ $15–$20 Five branded reminders sent under your name, then five formal collection demands from the agency.
2. Diplomatic calls 120–365 days Contingency (keep ~60 %, agency keeps 40 %) Professional collectors call, text, and email within FDCPA limits, using skip-tracing tools that cost pennies per lookup.
3. Legal suit / lien help > 365 days or high-value jobs Added attorney fee + court costs Agency’s affiliated attorney evaluates whether a mechanics lien or small-claims filing is worthwhile.

Heads-up: The odds of a friendly resolution drop sharply after 120 days, so move fast.


Extra Tools Contractors Forget to Use

  • Mechanics lien rights – In most states you have 60-90 days from last work to record a lien; about 80 % of liens are filed by general contractors.
  • Prompt-payment statutes – E.g., California adds 2 % interest per month on overdue public-works invoices.
  • Progress-payment schedules – Break big jobs into 25 %, 50 %, 75 %, 100 % checkpoints and withhold further work until each milestone clears.
  • Credit-card authorization – For emergency jobs, store a card on file with a signed “completion = charge” line.

Avoid the Low-Ball Trap

Agencies advertising very low contingency rates often rely on automated dialers and recover less. Quality commercial agencies typically charge 15–50 %—but higher recovery means more money in your pocket. Compare with the detailed cost breakdown before signing.


Quick Prevention Checklist

  1. Run soft credit checks on new commercial clients (commercial accounts).
  2. Send same-day invoices via email + SMS.
  3. Offer 2 %/10 Net 30 early-pay discounts; many CFOs bite.
  4. Schedule a 30-day reminder call—then escalate to a good collection agency if unpaid at 60 days.

The Bottom Line

You didn’t train for years to become a debt collector. Let professionals chase the checks while you chase leaks. Contact us today and keep your cash—and your reputation—flowing.

 

Filed Under: Debt Recovery

Re-Energizing Your Debt Recovery: Why Low Collection Rates Mean It’s Time to Act

blank

Watching only pennies trickle back from thousands in overdue invoices? Low recovery rates aren’t a mystery—they’re a warning sign that something in your collection pipeline is broken and needs a quick fix.


Industry Quick-Take

  • Typical success rate: U.S. agencies recover 20 – 30 % of the dollars placed with them—$20–$30 on every $100.

  • Time kills accounts: Place a balance within 90 days and recovery can double; wait a full year and odds drop below 10 %.

If your current partner lags behind even these modest benchmarks, run through the checklist below before you replace them—or confirm that you definitely should.

# What to Ask the Agency Why It Matters
1 Do you publish live metrics on an online collections portal? A last-minute scramble for data means they were never tracking performance.
2 Are you running all scrubs—Change of Address, bankruptcy, litigious-debtor? Skipping them saves pennies but can lift recovery 5–8 %.
3 Did you sell me the right tier—collection letters vs. live collection calls? Letters shine in the first 120 days; older files need live calls and skip tracing.
4 Can I see sample letters? Color printing and line-item charges make debtors 17 % more likely to pay.
5 Show me two call logs from high-balance files. You should see 5–7 contact attempts in the first month.
6 What payment channels do you offer—ACH, credit-card, Western Union? More options = 10 % higher completion.
7 Is a “Settle-in-Full” policy in place? Accepting 80–90 % today beats 0 % next year.
8 Do you handle credit-bureau reporting in line with U.S. debt-collection laws? Collectors can’t threaten to report, but must tell the truth when asked.

Could You Be Behind the Low Numbers?

  • Late placements. After twelve months, the probability of recovery sinks below 15 %.

  • Missing documents. Contracts, invoices or service receipts are the collector’s legal ammunition—deliver them within 48 hours of request.

  • Portfolio mix. A cluster of bankruptcies or skip-traced accounts drags any metric down; compare your file to industry averages before placing blame.


Real-World Example

ABC Pediatric Clinic sent $50,000 in 120-day-old co-pays to one of NexaCollect’s vetted partners and recovered $24,500 (49 %) within six months—more than double the 22 % rate they saw with their previous agency.


Ready for Better Results?

NexaCollect has already vetted agencies that post 40–55 % recovery on fresh medical and small-business debt—nearly twice the industry mean. Want an introduction? Contact us for a free, no-obligation referral.

Filed Under: Debt Recovery

Collection Agency Cost: What You Really Pay (and Why It Varies)

Why let overdue invoices drain your cash flow when NexaCollect can turn them into revenue for just pennies on the dollar.
 

Cash flow pressure has gone up sharply in the last few years. A large share of small businesses are owed money on unpaid invoices, with average outstanding balances in the five-figure range for many firms.

At the same time, the cost structure of collection agencies has become more transparent. Most agencies now use some mix of:

  • Flat / fixed-fee collections for fresher accounts

  • Contingency-fee collections for older or more difficult accounts

  • Legal collections when a lawsuit is justified

Typical market ranges today:

  • Flat-fee consumer placements often run about $12–$25 per account, with the creditor keeping 100% of what’s collected.

  • Contingency fees commonly fall in the 20%–40% (sometimes up to 50%) range, depending on age, balance, and difficulty.

  • Industry benchmarks often show average recovery rates around 20%–50% of principal, heavily influenced by how early accounts are placed.

Against that backdrop, the fee structure below is designed to sit within normal market ranges, while stressing compliance, reputation protection, and nationwide reach.


Key Things to Check Before You Compare Fees

Collection agency cost should never be your only selection criterion. Price without performance or compliance is expensive in the long run.

When evaluating any agency, look beyond the percentage and ask:

  • Compliance & regulations

    • Are they aligned with FDCPA, FCRA, TCPA, GLBA, HIPAA (for medical) and the CFPB’s Regulation F (including the “7-in-7” telephone contact rule, which presumes a violation if a collector calls more than seven times in seven days about a single debt)?

  • Licensing & coverage

    • Are they licensed or authorized to collect in all states where your customers live, and experienced with your industry (medical, dental, commercial, schools, utilities, etc.)?

  • Data security

    • Do they invest in encryption, secure portals, and cybersecurity, not just basic passwords?

  • Communication channels

    • Can they communicate via letters, phone, email, and text (with consent), and in multiple languages where needed?

  • Scrubs & research

    • Do they perform bankruptcy, deceased, litigious debtor, and change-of-address scrubs before they start?

  • Reporting & transparency

    • Will you have access to a real-time online portal to view placements, notes, payments, and to pause or recall accounts?

  • Reputation

    • What do online reviews, client references, and complaint records look like?

A slightly higher fee from a compliant, well-run agency is usually cheaper than a low fee from a vendor who exposes you to regulatory or reputational damage.


Consumer Collections Cost (B2C Recovery) – 4-Step Model

collection agency cost

The consumer (B2C) side is where flat-fee and contingency services blend together. The basic structure below remains the same; what has changed in recent years is the emphasis on compliance, data security, and omni-channel communication.

Important: The pricing and service structure below stays exactly as offered:
Step 1: ~$15, Step 2: ~$15, COMPLETE (Steps 1+2): ~$20, Step 3: ~40% contingency, Step 4: ~40–50% contingency (legal).

STEP 1: Pre-Collection (Fixed Fee Service – ~ $15 per account)

  • What it is
    A low-cost, early-stage reminder service that uses your company name.

  • What happens

    • Five contacts are made over roughly 30 days.

    • Debtors are instructed to pay you directly; the account is not yet “in collections” in the traditional sense.

  • Channel mix

    • Historically this service focused on 2 phone calls + 3 USPS letters.

    • Today, agencies also commonly layer in email and text (where permitted and consented) while still keeping the fixed fee structure.

  • Why use Step 1

    • Designed for accounts under 180 days past due, where a firm but polite nudge is often enough.

    • You keep 100% of the money collected; the only cost is the ~$15 flat fee per account.


STEP 2: Collection Demands (Fixed Fee Service – ~ $15 per account)

  • What it is
    A fixed-fee escalation where all contacts go out in the collection agency’s name, not yours.

  • What happens

    • Again, five structured contacts are sent, this time with a more serious tone.

    • In this step, communications are traditionally USPS mail–only, with increasing urgency in each letter.

  • Payments

    • Payments are still directed to you, not to the agency.

  • Why use Step 2

    • It’s an economical way to show debtors that the account has formally reached collections, without immediately jumping to a contingency fee.


COMPLETE Service: Step 1 + Step 2 (~ $20 for 10 Contacts)

  • Combining Step 1 and Step 2 gives you ten touches for about $20 total per account, instead of paying for them separately.

  • In practice, this creates a 30–60 day structured campaign: first in your name, then in the agency’s name.

  • You still keep 100% of what’s collected from the debtor.

For many businesses and medical practices, this COMPLETE fixed-fee path offers one of the best returns in the industry, especially when accounts are placed early.


STEP 3: Collection Calls (Contingency Fee – ~ 40% of Amount Recovered)

  • When to use
    For accounts that don’t respond to letters and reminders, or are already several months past due.

  • How it works

    • Professional collectors actively call the debtor to set up payment in full or a structured plan.

    • The tone is firm but compliant – no threats or harassment, consistent with Regulation F’s call frequency rules and the FDCPA.

  • Fees

    • Standard contingency fee is about 40% of what’s recovered.

    • You receive around 60% of the collected amount.

    • This is strictly “No Recovery – No Fee.”

  • Tools often used

    • Skip tracing to find updated contact information

    • Bankruptcy and deceased checks

    • Credit bureau reporting, where appropriate and authorized (note that for medical accounts, credit reporting has become much more limited due to voluntary industry changes and evolving rules).

Step 3 is typically where the heaviest lifting happens – and where the difference between an average and a top-tier agency really shows up.


STEP 4: Legal Suit (Contingency Fee – ~ 40%–50% of Amount Recovered)

  • When to use

    • The balance is large enough to justify attorney involvement.

    • The debtor appears to have assets or income worth pursuing.

    • Non-legal collections have been exhausted.

  • How it works

    • The collection agency and its network attorney assess your case.

    • If suit is recommended and you approve it, the attorney files in the appropriate court.

  • Fees

    • Contingency fee is usually in the 40%–50% range, depending on balance size, jurisdiction, and complexity.

    • You may also be responsible for court costs and filing fees, which are typically advanced by you and then added to the claim where allowed.

  • Why fees are higher

    • Legal collections involve more labor, more compliance checks, and more risk for everyone involved.

Legal action should be selective, focused on accounts where the probability of recovery justifies the cost.


Commercial Collections Cost (B2B Recovery)

Commercial (B2B) collections are different from consumer work:

  • Balances are usually higher.

  • Debtors are business entities, not individuals.

  • Negotiations often involve finance directors, controllers, or owners.

Because of this, B2B contingency fees tend to be lower than consumer contingency fees, even though the balances can be larger. Industry ranges of 10%–40% are normal, depending on age and amount.

Standard B2B Contingency Fee Grid

Commercial Contingency fee (Based on Account Age and Amount Assigned)
Age:
If > 1 year
40% 35% 30% 25%
180 days – 1 year 35% 30% 25% 20%
90-180 days 30% 25% 20% 15%
< 90 days 25% 20% 15% 10%
 Amount Assigned -> $500-
$5k
$5k-
$20k
$20k-
$100k
     $100K +

Need a good Collection Agency? Contact us 

Serving Nationwide

 
  • No Recovery = No Fee for these B2B contingency placements.

Older accounts and lower balances naturally carry higher percentage fees, because they are harder to collect and less profitable for an agency.


Why the “Cheapest” Collection Agency Often Costs You More

A lot of businesses still shop for a collection agency the way they shop for office supplies – by looking for the lowest price. That can be an expensive mistake.

Imagine you place $40,000 in unpaid accounts with two different agencies:

  • Agency A

    • Charges a contingency fee of 20%.

    • Obviously gives less time to each account. Recovers $6,000 (15% of your placements).

    • Your net after fees: $4,800.

  • Agency B

    • Charges a contingency fee of 30%.

    • Charges more, but also works a lot harder on each account. Recovers $16,000 (40% of your placements).

    • Your net after fees: $11,200.

Even though Agency B charges a higher fee percentage, you end up with more than double the money in your bank account. This gap gets even larger when you add:

  • Fewer write-offs

  • Better documentation and compliance

  • Less time your staff spend chasing the same accounts

In today’s environment—where average agency recovery rates are often in the 20–30% range and top performers can do significantly better—the real question isn’t “Who is cheapest?” but “Who can recover the most, safely?”


Recent Results

Below are fresh, sample scenarios that reflect what a modern fee structure can look like in practice. These are illustrative only, not guaranteed outcomes.

  • Dental practice in Ohio – Fixed fee COMPLETE service

    • $18,600 in early-stage patient balances placed under 150 days past due.

    • Used Step 1 + Step 2 (~$20 per account for 220 accounts).

    • Within 45 days, $10,900 was recovered directly by the practice (no contingency fee; only the flat fees paid).

  • HVAC contractor in Texas – B2C contingency (Step 3)

    • $62,000 in residential invoices, most between 6–12 months old.

    • Placed directly into Step 3 at ~40% contingency.

    • Over 6 months, $34,500 collected; the contractor received roughly $20,700 after agency fees.

  • Wholesale distributor in California – B2B contingency

    • $210,000 in past-due invoices, mostly 90–180 days with a few just over a year old.

    • Fee grid ranged from 15%–30% depending on balance and age.

    • Within 4 months, $88,000 recovered; net back to client after fees: approximately $69,000.

  • Multi-location medical group in Florida – mix of fixed fee and contingency

    • $75,000 in balances under 120 days placed on COMPLETE (Steps 1+2) plus $40,000 older than 180 days on Step 3.

    • Fixed-fee side: about $31,000 recovered directly to the practice.

    • Contingency side: $14,400 recovered, with roughly $8,600 net to the group after Step 3 fees.

  • Technology services firm in New York – B2B legal placements

    • Ten disputed invoices totaling $180,000, all over 1 year old.

    • After non-legal efforts, select cases moved to Step 4 (legal) at ~40–50% contingency, plus court costs advanced by the client.

    • Three cases produced judgments and settlements totaling $72,000, with approximately $36,000–$40,000 net back to the client after legal fees and costs.

These examples show how different fee structures (fixed vs. contingency vs. legal) can be combined to match your risk, account age, and business goals.


New Legal & Compliance Developments That Affect Fees and Strategy

In recent years, regulators and credit bureaus have made changes that directly affect how agencies operate and how you should think about fees:

  • CFPB Regulation F

    • Imposes the “7-in-7” call frequency standard (more than 7 calls in 7 days about a debt is presumed unlawful).

    • Sets clearer rules for voicemails, texts, and emails, and for validation notices and itemization of debt.

    • Agencies that invest in Regulation F–compliant systems may charge a bit more—but dramatically reduce your legal risk.

  • Medical debt credit-reporting changes

    • Credit bureaus have removed paid medical collections and many smaller medical collections, and generally wait longer before reporting new medical collections.

    • There have been efforts at the federal level to limit or ban medical debt on most credit reports, followed by court challenges, leaving a patchwork of rules and strong voluntary changes by the bureaus.

    • Practically, this means credit reporting is a weaker leverage tool for medical balances than it used to be; agencies now focus more on communication, payment plans, and financial counseling.

  • State-level activity and “junk fee” scrutiny

    • Several states have strengthened mini-CFDPA / mini-CFPB laws, increased penalties for unfair practices, and looked closely at extra fees added to consumer accounts.

    • Federal scrutiny of unreasonable and opaque fees has increased, signaling a broader push against confusing or excessive charges across financial services.

All of this reinforces one idea: the lowest advertised fee is meaningless if the agency is not fully compliant, transparent, and well-documented. A modern, reputable agency invests heavily in:

  • Compliance programs and training

  • Call recording and quality monitoring

  • Cybersecurity and data protection

  • Better analytics and workflows to improve recovery rates

Those investments show up in their pricing—but they also show up in your higher net recovery, fewer complaints, and far lower legal exposure.


Serving Nationwide – Focus on Value, Not Just the Percentage

The location of the agency matters far less than:

  • Their licensing footprint across all the states where your customers live

  • Their experience in your industry

  • Their recovery performance and compliance record

Rather than searching for the cheapest quote and stopping there, focus on:

  • Total dollars recovered after fees

  • Time saved for your staff

  • Protection of your brand and reputation

That is the real measure of collection agency cost—and the reason smart businesses, medical practices, and commercial creditors are willing to pay fair, transparent fees to agencies that actually deliver.

Filed Under: Debt Recovery

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