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Home » Student Loans » Federal » Student Loan Debt Collectors And How To Contact Them

Student Loan Debt Collectors And How To Contact Them

Updated: December 6, 2022 By Robert Farrington

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34 Companies That Could Take Over Your Defaulted Student Loans

What happens when your student loans go into default? If you’ve ever wondered what really happens when you default on your student loans, the answer is not so simple.

College grads are carrying anywhere from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loan debt.

While it’s not good to ignore your student loan payments, there may be some circumstances where you can’t make payments on time or end up missing payments altogether.

This will most likely result in a serious situation called student loan default.

And if your student loans go into default, your loans will be transferred from your student loan servicer to a third-party debt collection company. And this can be strange to many borrowers. You might have spent years dealing with a company like Fedloan or Nelnet, then suddenly you're receiving a call from a company named Educational Credit Management and you're very confused. Is it a scam? What's going on?

Here's what you need to know about dealing with student loan debt collectors, including the full list of all debt collection agencies that work on behalf of the Department of Education so that you can be sure you're not going to be scammed.

If you're not quite sure where to start or what to do, consider hiring a CFA to help you with your student loans. We recommend The Student Loan Planner to help you put together a solid financial plan for your student loan debt. Check out The Student Loan Planner here.

Important Note For Covid-19: Collection activity on student loans is set to resume in mid-2023. If you've been in a rehabilitation program, your non-payments during Covid-19 count and you should resume in good standing. However, if you've been in default, you need to be prepared. Learn about the Fresh Start Program here.

Table of Contents
Repercussions Of Defaulting On Your Student Loan Debt
Debt Collection Laws Protect You
Student Loan Debt Collection Agencies
Avoiding Student Loan Default

Repercussions Of Defaulting On Your Student Loan Debt

Student loan default is one of the worst financial actions that can happen to you. You'll be dealing with the following.

  • Low credit score after poor payment history is reported. Higher interest rates if you need to take out other loans based on your new low credit score
  • Fees from the collections agency
  • Potential wage garnishment
  • Legal action - if your student loan company or the government files a lawsuit against you

If you do find yourself in default on your student loans, you'll need to communicate with the collections agency that has been assigned to your debt. You'll have a couple of options, including student loan rehabilitation, setting up a repayment plan with them, or potentially even settling the debt.

Federal vs. Private vs. Privately-Held Federal Loans

Depending on your loan type, you'll encounter various debt collectors. For Federal loans, the Department of Education has stopped using private debt collectors and now simply uses it's existing loan servicing companies. You can see your loan information here: https://myeddebt.ed.gov/

For private and privately-held Federal loans (like FFEL or Perkins), you may encounter one of the agencies below.

There are over 20 different student loan collections agencies, many with names you're not going to be familiar with. If one of them reaches out to you, you need to take it serious.

Below is a list of common student loan collection agencies along with their contact information if you need to reach out to them.

Debt Collection Laws Protect You

Remember, these companies are third party debt collectors, and there are laws that limit what they can and can't do. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) is a federal law that provides limitations on what debt collectors can do when collecting certain types of debt. The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act covers how debt collection is reported in credit reports. In addition, there are state laws that provide protections.

These companies may NOT:

  • Contact you before 8am or after 9pm. Also if a debt collector knows that you're not allowed to receive the debt collector’s communications at work, then the debt collector is not allowed to contact you there.
  • The debt collector may not harass you or anyone else in regards to the debt.
  • If you tell the debt collector to stop contacting you in writing, they must stop contacting you except to take legally allowed actions against you, such as filing a lawsuit (if this happens, you need to get a student loan lawyer ASAP).

If you are contacted by a debt collector for your student loan debt, they are required to tell you the following information about your debt:

  • The name of the creditor (this will be your student loan servicer and should sound familiar)
  • The amount owed (remember, this amount may be much larger than your original debt amount due to accrued interest and fees from being in default)
  • That you can dispute the debt
  • That you can request the name of the original creditor, if different than the current one

Also, certain states have also increased borrower rights. For example, California recently passed the California Student Loan Borrower Bill of Rights.

Student Loan Debt Collection Agencies

Here is the full current list of student loan debt collection agencies. These companies do change from time to time, and we strive to keep this information as current as possible.

For federal student loans, the U.S. Department of Education is directly managing most collection activity through their Default Management Resolution Group. However, if you have other student loans, these agencies may contact you.

Quick Navigation
1. Account Control Technology, Inc
2. Action Financial Services LLC.
3. American Student Assistance Corp
4. Bass & Associates
5. Central Research, Inc.
6. Coast Professional, Inc.
7. Collection Technology, Inc.
8. Collecto, Inc. dba Collection Company of America
9. Con Serve
10. Credit Adjustments
11. Debt Management and Collections System
12. Delta Management Associates, Inc.
13. ECSI Federal Perkins Servicer
14. Educational Credit Management CORP
15. Enterprise Recovery Systems, Inc.
16. Financial Asset Management Systems, Inc.
17. Florida Department of Education OSFA
18. FMS Investment Corp
19. GC Services
20. General Revenue Services (USA Funds)
21. Immediate Credit Recovery Inc.
22. Michigan Guaranty Agency
23. National Recoveries
24. National Credit Services
25. New York Higher Education Loan Program (NYHELP)
26. Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency
27. Pioneer Credit Recovery, Inc.
28. Premiere Credit of North America, LLC
29. Progressive Financial
30. The CBE Group, Inc.
31. U.S. Department of Treasury Debt Management Services
32. Van Ru Credit Corporation
33. West Asset Management, Inc.
34. Windham Professionals, Inc.

1. Account Control Technology, Inc

P.O. Box 8012

Canoga Park, CA 91309

(888) 830-7770

www.accountcontrol.com

34 Companies That Could Take Over Your Defaulted Student Loans

2. Action Financial Services LLC.

2055 Cardinal Ave

Medford, Oregon 97504

888-253-4239

www.actionfinancialservices.net

34 Companies That Could Take Over Your Defaulted Student Loans

3. American Student Assistance Corp

34 Companies That Could Take Over Your Defaulted Student Loans

4. Central Research, Inc.

122 N. Bloomington, Suite I

Lowell, AR 72745

(479) 419-5456

www.central-research.com

34 Companies That Could Take Over Your Defaulted Student Loans

5. Coast Professional, Inc.

P.O. Box 2876

West Monroe, LA 71294

(888) 815-2843

www.coastprofessional.net/

34 Companies That Could Take Over Your Defaulted Student Loans

6. Collection Technology, Inc.

P.O. Box 2300

Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91729

(800) 743-4284

www.collectiontechnology.com

34 Companies That Could Take Over Your Defaulted Student Loans

7. Collecto, Inc. dba Collection Company of America

PO Box 329

Norwell, MA 02061

(877) 395-5997

www.eos-cca.com

Collecto, Inc. dba Collection Company of America

8. Con Serve

200 CrossKeys Office Park

Fairport, NY 14450

(800) 724-7500

www.conserve-arm.com/

Collecto, Inc. dba Collection Company of America

9. Credit Adjustments

330 Florence St.

Defiance, OH 43512

(800) 544-6359

www.credit-adjustments.com

10. Debt Management and Collections System

PO Box 5609

Greenville, TX 75403-5609


National Payment Center

PO Box 105028

Atlanta, GA 30348-5028

(800) 621-3115

www.myeddebt.ed.gov/

34 Companies That Could Take Over Your Defaulted Student Loans

11. Delta Management Associates, Inc.

P.O. Box 9242

Chelsea, MA 02150-9242

(855) 282-5983

www.deltamanagementassociates.com/

34 Companies That Could Take Over Your Defaulted Student Loans

12. ECSI Federal Perkins Servicer

100 Global View Drive Suite 800

Warrendale, PA 15086

(888) 549-3274

www.ecsi.net/

34 Companies That Could Take Over Your Defaulted Student Loans

13. Educational Credit Management CORP

PO Box 16408

St. Paul, MN 55116-0408

(855) 810-4922

www.ecmc.org/

34 Companies That Could Take Over Your Defaulted Student Loans

14. Enterprise Recovery Systems, Inc. now Alltran Education Inc.

15. Financial Asset Management Systems, Inc.

(800) 399-4639

www.famspayonline.net/

34 Companies That Could Take Over Your Defaulted Student Loans

16. Florida Department of Education OSFA

Local Metro Area

Tallahassee, Fl

850-410-5200

www.floridastudentfinancialaid.org

34 Companies That Could Take Over Your Defaulted Student Loans

17. FMS Investment Corp

34 Companies That Could Take Over Your Defaulted Student Loans

18. GC Services

6330 Gulfton

Houston, TX 77081

(800) 756-6524

www.gcserv.com/

34 Companies That Could Take Over Your Defaulted Student Loans

19. General Revenue Services (USA Funds)

4660 Duke Drive

Suite 300

Mason, OH 45040-8466

Phone: (800) 234-1472

www.generalrevenue.com

34 Companies That Could Take Over Your Defaulted Student Loans

20. Immediate Credit Recovery Inc.

6 Neptune Road

Suite 110

Poughkeepsie, New York 12601

(800) 234-4271

(855) 889-3111

www.icrcollect.com

34 Companies That Could Take Over Your Defaulted Student Loans

21. Michigan Guaranty Agency

P.O Box 30462

Lansing, MI 48909-7962

888-643-7521

www.michigan.gov

34 Companies That Could Take Over Your Defaulted Student Loans

22. National Recoveries

P.O. BOX 120666

ST. PAUL, MN 55112

877-221-9729

www.nationalrecoveries.com

34 Companies That Could Take Over Your Defaulted Student Loans

23. National Credit Services

PO Box 580

Bothell, WA 98041-0580

(800) 324-7564

www.ncscollect.com

34 Companies That Could Take Over Your Defaulted Student Loans

24. New York Higher Education Loan Program (NYHELP)

99 Washington Avenue

Albany, New York 12255

(800) 888-0741

www.hesc.ny.gov

34 Companies That Could Take Over Your Defaulted Student Loans

25. Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency

Pennsylvania State Grant Program

P.O. Box 8157

Harrisburg, PA 17105-8157

(800) 692-7392

www.pheaa.org

34 Companies That Could Take Over Your Defaulted Student Loans

26. Pioneer Credit Recovery, Inc.

26 Edward St.

Arcade, NY 14009

(585) 492-1234

www.pioneercreditrecovery.com

34 Companies That Could Take Over Your Defaulted Student Loans

27. Progressive Financial

34 Companies That Could Take Over Your Defaulted Student Loans

28. The CBE Group, Inc.

34 Companies That Could Take Over Your Defaulted Student Loans

29. U.S. Department of Treasury Debt Management Services

(855) 837-2985

www.fiscal.treasury.gov

34 Companies That Could Take Over Your Defaulted Student Loans

30. West Asset Management, Inc.

171 Mercy Rd., Omaha, NE 68106

(402) 391-5285

(800) 397-7243

www.debtcollectionanswers.com

31. Windham Professionals, Inc.

380 Main Street

Salem, NH 03079

(800) 969-0059

www.windhampros.com

34 Companies That Could Take Over Your Defaulted Student Loans

Avoiding Student Loan Default

Of course, the easiest way to steer clear of having to deal with any of these companies is to avoid student loan default altogether. Make sure you understand what type of loans you have and commit to making your payments on time.  

Also, seek out student loan debt relief options like refinancing, deferment or forbearance, and even student loan forgiveness. Student loan forgiveness is not a quick fix and you'll still have to pay on your student loans but it's wise to see if you qualify if you hold federal student loans.

Final Thoughts

Navigating student loan collections can be challenging, especially if you haven't looked at your student loans in a long time.

Consider getting the help of an attorney who specializes in student loan debt so that you can find the answers you need before you commit to something that may not help you financially.

Robert Farrington
Robert Farrington

Robert Farrington is America’s Millennial Money Expert® and America’s Student Loan Debt Expert™, and the founder of The College Investor, a personal finance site dedicated to helping millennials escape student loan debt to start investing and building wealth for the future. You can learn more about him on the About Page, or on his personal site RobertFarrington.com.

He regularly writes about investing, student loan debt, and general personal finance topics geared towards anyone wanting to earn more, get out of debt, and start building wealth for the future.

He has been quoted in major publications including the New York Times, Washington Post, Fox, ABC, NBC, and more. He is also a regular contributor to Forbes.

Student Loan Debt Collectors And How To Contact Them

Editor: Clint Proctor

Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, or other advertiser and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Comment Policy: We invite readers to respond with questions or comments. Comments may be held for moderation and are subject to approval. Comments are solely the opinions of their authors'. The responses in the comments below are not provided or commissioned by any advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any company. It is not anyone's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
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