Professional Finance

[firefly1172]

Hi everyone,

I recently noticed a collection on my credit report from Professional Finance for a utility bill. I requested a DV and received a response from them. However, the DV that they sent appeared to be some type of a computer printout that did not have the utility company's name on it. It listed the service address as a block and had a bunch of different codes but no key to the codes. I couldn't tell head nor tails of what I was looking at, and it didn’t state who the OC was. Furthermore, they also sent a computer "collection" bill that had the utility company's name and collections at the top and the amount due. The problem with that bill was it appeared as if it was just a standardized letter written from a template on Word and they had the type of bill list as "Patient". I think that the CA generated the letter themselves and did not get it from the OC. The last time I checked I have never been a "patient" of a utility company. I sent them a second letter stating that their DV was inadequate and requested copies of the original bills. I have not heard anything since then, although they did call the house and left a computerized message to call. (I didn’t think that they were supposed to contact me while I was disputing the collection.) Last week, I sent them a third letter stating that if they did not remove the listing from my CR in 15 days that I was planning on suing them.

Is a computer generated printout with no OC identifying information enough to meet the DV requirements?

Can I legally request original documents from the CA as part of the DV, and if they don't supply the originals demand that the listing be removed from my CR?

Can I sue the CA if they don't provide the original documents?

Does anyone had any dealings with Professional Finance or know anything about them?

Thank you for your help in this matter.

[Guest Jary]

A computer print out with their letterhead and not from the OC does not constitute proper validation. They have to actually get validation from the OC and mail it to you. According to the Wollfman- LeFevre FTC Opinion letter “it is important that the verification of the identity of the consumer and the amount of the debt be obtained directly from the creditor. Mere itemization of what the debt collector already has does not accomplish this purpose.”

Well from what I have read on this forum under the FCPDA if they are still reporting this collection on your CR withour proper validadion, it is considered to be a collection activity. They might be violating the FCPDA.

Have your tried disputing the collection with the CRA's? If so, did it come back verified? if it came back as verified you can ask the CRA for the MOV.

Have you contacted the OC to see if they still have information on this account? If yhey do not you might be in luck, because if the OC does not have information to validate with the CA then how will they be able to verify with the CRAs.

Good Luck!!