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Consumer Portfolio Services (CPS) Reviews, Complaints & Contacts

Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc. (CPS) is a Nasdaq-listed specialty finance company that buys retail auto installment contracts from car dealers and services them for borrowers with limited or damaged credit; its managed portfolio was about $4.8 billion at September 30, 2026. In 2014 CPS consented, without admitting or denying the allegations, to a federal court order in an FTC and Justice Department case over loan servicing, collection and credit-reporting practices, which included a $2 million civil penalty and refunds or account adjustments for consumers. The CFPB complaint database lists 3,986 complaints about CPS since June 2012, most about credit reporting, vehicle loans and debt collection, and BBB shows 251 complaints in the last three years alongside an A+ rating. 226 published complaint reports are linked to this profile.

REVIEWS & COMPLAINTS226on USAComplaints · none in last 3 yrs · latest 2012
PHONE(888) 469-4520Customer service
WEBSITEconsumerportfolio.com
HEADQUARTERSLas Vegas, NV
PROFILE CHECKED2026-11-08
Submit a Complaint Read reviews & complaints ↓ Call (888) 469-4520 Official website ↗

Contacts & Login

PhoneAddress

Customer service & general contact

Cancel, billing & returns

Corporate & press

Reference numbers (not support lines)

Other contacts

VERIFIED

Locations

  • Headquarters3800 Howard Hughes Pkwy, Suite 1400 Las Vegas NV 89169
  • Mailing addressP.O. Box 57071 Irvine CA 92619
EDITORIAL

Is Consumer Portfolio Services (CPS) Legitimate?

BBB, CFPB, ComplaintsBoard

Legal name
Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc.
Founded
1991
Business type
Specialty finance company (Nasdaq: CPSS) that buys and services subprime retail auto installment contracts from dealers
Website
consumerportfolio.comSource: Company website, checked 2026-11-02
Headquarters
Las Vegas, NVSource: CPS Form 10-K for 2025, principal executive offices, checked 2026-11-02

Consumer Portfolio Services is a publicly traded auto finance company: it has operated since 1991, trades on Nasdaq as CPSS, files annual and quarterly reports with the SEC (most recently its 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2026), and lists NMLS #96016 for state licensing. If CPS bills you, it is normally because a dealer sold your installment contract to CPS or CPS services it for a securitization trust; your contract's assignment section and your first statement show this.

Its history also includes regulatory action. In 2014 CPS consented, without admitting or denying the allegations, to a federal court order in an FTC and Justice Department case over servicing, collection and credit-reporting practices (described under regulator actions on this page); Oregon conditioned CPS's license on that order in 2015. Today BBB lists CPS as accredited with an A+ rating alongside 251 complaints in three years and a 1.13 out of 5 customer-review score, and the CFPB database holds 3,986 complaints about it.

EXTERNAL SOURCE

Independent Sources

Shown for context — not merged with USAComplaints' own numbers.

BBBBBB Accredited, A+ rating
56 reviews · 251 complaints · BBB business grade A+ · average customer rating 1.13 / 5
CFPBComplaints received since June 2012
3,986 complaints
ComplaintsBoard105 complaints, 64 marked resolved, no reviews
0 reviews · 105 reports
Trustpilot1.7 out of 5 from 19 reviews
19 reviews · TrustScore 1.7 / 5
EDITORIAL

Complaint Themes

Collection calls to workplace, references, family or neighborsRepossession or repossession threatsPayoff, late-fee, fee or interest-rate disputesCredit-reporting complaints

Themes summarize what people write about most often. One complaint can touch several themes, and some complaints (a positive report, or one later retracted by its author) fit none, so themes are not a count of complaints.

CONSUMER ALLEGATION

Reviews & Complaints on USAComplaints

USAComplaints currently maintains 226 historical complaints about Consumer Portfolio Services (CPS), published between 2004 and 2012. No approved complaints have been published on this site during the last three years. For a current reputation snapshot, see the independent sources on this page.

Show 15 more on this page
EDITORIAL

Complaint record: USAComplaints, CFPB, BBB, Trustpilot and ComplaintsBoard, reported separately

Each source on this page counts a different group of people over a different period, so the figures are reported side by side and never added together.

  • USAComplaints: 226 published complaint reports are linked to this profile. All of them were posted between 2004 and 2012, mostly in 2007 to 2009, before the 2014 federal order, so they describe how CPS handled accounts at that time rather than today. The main subjects are collection calls to borrowers' workplaces, references, relatives or neighbors; repossessions and repossession threats; disputes over payoff amounts, late fees, other fees and interest rates; and credit reporting. Each post is one consumer's own account.
  • CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: 3,986 complaints about Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc. received since June 20, 2012. Under the CFPB's product names, the largest groups are credit reporting or other personal consumer reports (1,415), vehicle loan or lease (878), debt collection (723) and the older credit reporting, credit repair services or other personal consumer reports category (708). The most common issues are improper use of a credit report (1,240), incorrect information on a credit report (698), managing the loan (395), attempts to collect a debt not owed (253), repossession (167) and problems with the company's investigation of a dispute (163). CPS closed 3,955 complaints with an explanation, 19 with monetary relief and 11 with non-monetary relief, and responded on time to all but 12. The CFPB publishes complaints without verifying the consumer's account.
  • BBB: CPS is BBB Accredited (since February 23, 2018) with an A+ rating. BBB shows 251 complaints in the last 3 years (63 of them in the last 12 months) and a separate customer-review score of 1.13 out of 5 from 56 reviews. The letter rating, the complaint count and the review score are separate BBB measures.
  • Trustpilot (consumerportfolio.com): 1.7 out of 5 from 19 reviews. The profile is unclaimed, and Trustpilot notes that the company has not invited customers to review it, so the reviews may not be representative.
  • ComplaintsBoard: 105 complaints, 64 of them marked resolved, and no reviews.

Had an experience with Consumer Portfolio Services (CPS)? Tell other people what happened.

Submit a Complaint
EDITORIAL

Paying, disputing or falling behind on a Consumer Portfolio Services (CPS) auto loan? What to check

Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc. (CPS) says its business is "to purchase and service retail automobile contracts originated primarily by franchised automobile dealers" (Form 10-K for 2025). Because CPS buys contracts from dealers, your contract may have been signed at a car dealership and later bought by CPS, which then bills you and collects.

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If your problem is with the vehicle or the sale itself, start with your contract and the dealer; if it is about the payment, payoff, repossession or credit reporting, CPS is the servicer to contact. The 10-K also says CPS may be named as an assignee alongside dealers in lawsuits by consumers.

  • Log in to see the account. CPS's home page lists what its customer portal (customers.consumerportfolio.com) offers: make an online payment, view and print a recent statement, get mailing instructions, view payment history, get a payoff quote, and see frequently asked questions.
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    Sign in only at the portal address CPS's own website links to, and check any payment request that arrives from another site or phone number with CPS before paying.

  • Phone. CPS's "Contacts - Customers" page lists a toll-free number, (888) 469-4520. The 10-K says customers can reach a collector or use an automated voice response system to check account information or make a payment, and can chat with a collector while logged in to the website.
  • Ask for figures in writing. For a payoff, request a written payoff quote that states the date it is good through and the daily interest amount, and keep it. If the amount differs from your own records, ask for an itemized history of payments, fees and interest. (In the 2014 FTC case described on this page, the FTC alleged that CPS had misrepresented fees in payoff notices; CPS neither admitted nor denied the allegations. Those are allegations from 2014, not findings about your account.)
  • If you are struggling to pay. The 10-K says CPS "in certain circumstances" grants one-month payment extensions for temporary cash-flow problems: generally no more than two in any 12 months and eight over the life of the contract, with the next due date and the maturity date advanced and, according to the 10-K, no reduction in interest rate or forgiveness of principal.
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    A collector recommends and a supervisor approves. Ask what the extension will cost, whether any fee applies, and how it will be recorded, and get the agreement in writing. CPS's Resolution Center FAQ gives a shorter customer-facing instruction: "You should contact our Servicing Department at 888-469-4520 to explain your situation and discuss what options are available to you," and, on skipping or deferring a payment, "Your account may qualify for a payment extension."

  • If repossession is threatened. The 10-K says CPS decides whether to repossess between the 60th and 90th day past the payment due date, although the decision can come sooner or later, that a repossessed vehicle is sold at an unaffiliated auction, and that before the sale "the customer has the right to redeem the vehicle by paying the contract in full."
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    CPS also says it may in some cases return the vehicle if the customer pays all, or what CPS deems a sufficient amount, of the past-due amount. The FTC's consumer page on vehicle repossession explains that in many states a lender can repossess without going to court or telling you first, but cannot "breach the peace"; that you may be able to buy the vehicle back or, in some states, reinstate the loan; and that you can be billed a "deficiency" if the sale price is below what you owe. Read every notice that arrives after a repossession: depending on your state, it may give the date or place of the sale, and buying the car back or reinstating the loan has to happen before the sale. The CFPB's consumer page on repossession adds that "You can ask your lender to provide a list of the repossession costs," that "Lenders must sell the car in a commercially reasonable manner," and that if the car is sold for more than what you owe, "you're entitled to receive the surplus." A deficiency calculation can be checked against the itemized costs and the sale price.

  • If a collector you do not recognize contacts you. CPS's 10-K says it sometimes sells charged-off accounts to unaffiliated purchasers who specialize in collecting them. A debt collector must generally send validation information in its first communication or within five days of it, and the CFPB says you have 30 days after receiving it to dispute the debt in writing, after which the collector must pause collection of the disputed amount until it responds. Ask CPS in writing whether it still owns or services the account before paying anyone else.
  • Credit reporting. The FTC says both the credit bureau and the business that supplied the information must correct information that is wrong or incomplete, and that you should contact both. Dispute in writing with each credit bureau that shows the error, by certified mail with a return receipt, and send a copy of your dispute and proof to CPS. The FTC says "the credit bureau has 30 days to investigate it," and that if the investigation does not resolve the dispute you can ask that a statement of the dispute be included in your file and in future reports. The largest share of CFPB complaints about CPS concern credit reporting (see the complaint record).
  • Where to complain, in order. (1) CPS first: its Resolution Center (cpsresolution.consumerportfolio.com) has an online complaint form, and a CPS representative reviews each complaint and, if you ask, contacts you within 5 business days.
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    Describe the problem, the dates and the amount in dispute, and say what outcome you want. Letters can go to the mailing address on CPS's Contacts page, P.O. Box 57071, Irvine, CA 92619; send them by certified mail and keep a copy. (2) The CFPB, which accepts complaints about auto lenders: file at consumerfinance.gov/complaint or call (855) 411-2372; the CFPB sends the complaint to CPS and publishes the company's response. (3) Your state attorney general's consumer protection office, or the state agency that licenses consumer lenders; California residents can use the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation at dfpi.ca.gov/submit-a-complaint/, which lists 1-866-275-2677 for help with its form. (4) For abusive collection calls or threats, also report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. (5) BBB, where CPS is accredited, also forwards complaints to the company. Keep a dated log of calls, letters and payments for any of these.

EDITORIAL

FTC and Justice Department consent judgment (2014), a closed DOJ inquiry, and an Oregon consent order (2015)

FTC / U.S. Department of Justice, 2014. On May 28, 2014 the Department of Justice filed, on behalf of the Federal Trade Commission, a complaint and a proposed consent decree against CPS in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (United States v. Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc., 8:14-cv-00819). The FTC announced the settlement on May 29, 2014. According to the FTC, the complaint alleged that CPS misrepresented fees consumers owed in collection calls, monthly statements, pay-off notices and bankruptcy filings; improperly assessed and collected fees; unilaterally modified contracts, for example by increasing principal balances; failed to disclose the financial effects of loan extensions; disclosed debts to third parties; called consumers at work when not permitted or inconvenient; called third parties repeatedly with intent to harass; made unauthorized debits from bank accounts; falsely threatened car repossession; and manipulated Caller ID. The complaint also charged failures under the Fair Credit Reporting Act's Furnisher Rule to have reasonable written procedures and to investigate and respond to consumer disputes.

The court entered the Stipulated Order for Permanent Injunction and Civil Penalty Judgment on June 11, 2014. In it CPS "neither admits nor denies any of the allegations in the Complaint," except for the facts needed for the court's jurisdiction. Its terms include a $2,000,000 civil penalty ($1,000,000 for alleged FDCPA violations and $1,000,000 for alleged Furnisher Rule violations); refunds or balance adjustments to affected accounts; a data integrity program with independent assessments; an independent third-party monitor retained by CPS; and permanent injunctions against the practices on this page, including limits on calls to third parties and to consumers' workplaces, a ban on unauthorized debits, and duties to investigate credit-reporting disputes. The FTC said CPS would refund or adjust more than $3.5 million on 128,000 accounts and stop collecting on another 35,000 accounts. CPS reported that it paid the penalty in June 2014, made the customer payments and account credits later in 2014, and retained the independent monitor.

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Status. The case closed when the order was entered. The order set some duties for fixed periods counted from its entry: independent data-integrity assessments every two years for ten years, a monitor for two years, and compliance reporting and record-keeping for twelve years. The permanent injunctions have no end date. CPS's 10-K for 2025 says the FTC "has conducted and concluded an inquiry into our practices" and proposed the 2014 remedial action, to which CPS consented.

Oregon, 2015. When CPS applied for an Oregon consumer finance license, the Oregon Division of Finance and Corporate Securities approved the application with conditions in a Final Order by Consent entered on February 4, 2015 (CF-15-0003). The order recites the 2014 federal order, and CPS "neither admits nor denies the findings herein." Under paragraph 14, CPS agreed that its Oregon consumer finance license and collection agency registration "will be immediately revoked" if it violated the 2014 federal order, the Oregon Consumer Finance Act, Oregon debt-collection law, or the FTC Act, FDCPA or FCRA. Under paragraph 17 the conditional license was to expire on December 31, 2015. The order describes the 2015 license conditions, not CPS's present license status, which can be checked on NMLS Consumer Access under NMLS #96016.

Department of Justice inquiry, closed. CPS disclosed that in January 2015 it received a Justice Department subpoena for documents on its sub-prime auto contract originations and securitizations since 2005. Its 10-K for 2017 states that in February 2018 the Justice Department advised CPS that no further information was required and that no enforcement action was recommended.

CFPB. The CFPB accepts consumer complaints about auto lenders and forwards them to the company. Its public list of enforcement actions shows none against Consumer Portfolio Services. Complaints that consumers filed with the CFPB about CPS are summarized in the complaint record on this page.

EDITORIAL

Lawsuits, class actions and the 2014 federal case

Court records

United States v. Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc. (C.D. Cal., 8:14-cv-00819-ABC-RNB): the FTC and Justice Department case described under regulator actions, closed by the stipulated order entered June 11, 2014.

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Lawsuits by individual borrowers. CPS's 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2026 says consumers "can and do initiate lawsuits against us alleging violations of law applicable to collection of receivables," that such suits sometimes seek class treatment, that CPS contests or settles them depending on the case, and that it "is not currently a party to any such material proceedings." A lawsuit's claims are allegations until a court decides them.

Class action settled in 2016. CPS's 10-K for 2014 reported two purported consumer class actions, one already settled subject to court approval. Its 10-K for 2015 said the court had approved that settlement and an objecting class member had appealed, and its 10-K for 2016 said the class action had been settled with court approval and that CPS made the payments and performed its other obligations after year-end. The filings do not name the case, and the settlement is complete, so there is no open claim process.

Connecticut deficiency-notice cross-claim. According to CPS's 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2025, after CPS sued a borrower in the Superior Court at Waterbury for the balance left after a repossession sale, the borrower filed a cross-claim on October 16, 2019 alleging that CPS's deficiency notices did not comply with Connecticut law, on behalf of a class of Connecticut borrowers whose vehicles CPS had repossessed. The court denied CPS's motion to compel individual arbitration in August 2021. Before the class-certification motion was decided, the court granted summary judgment in CPS's favor, disposing of the claims against it. An appeal of the summary judgment ruling was filed on October 25, 2024, and CPS cross-appealed the arbitration ruling on October 31, 2024. CPS's filings do not give the caption or docket number, and its 10-K for 2025 and later 10-Qs no longer describe the matter or report how the appeal ended.

John-Crane v. Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc. (D. Or., 6:25-cv-00213). A consumer sued CPS in Lane County Circuit Court, Oregon, and CPS removed the case to federal court on February 7, 2025; the federal docket lists the cause as the Fair Credit Reporting Act. On October 26, 2026 the court granted CPS's motion for default judgment and its motion for attorney's fees, and entered judgment the same day.

PUBLIC RECORD

Court & Public Records

United States v. Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc. (FTC / Department of Justice consent judgment)

Settled

U.S. District Court, C.D. Cal.Docket 8:14-cv-00819-ABC-RNBSource ↗

Settled

CPS reported paying the penalty in June 2014 and making the customer payments and credits later that year.

Case details: United States v. Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc. (FTC / Department of Justice consent judgment)Show less

The Department of Justice, on behalf of the FTC, filed a complaint and a proposed consent order on May 28, 2014, alleging unlawful loan-servicing, collection and credit-reporting practices under the FTC Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Furnisher Rule of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The court entered the Stipulated Order for Permanent Injunction and Civil Penalty Judgment on June 11, 2014, which closed the case. CPS "neither admits nor denies any of the allegations in the Complaint." The order imposed a $2,000,000 civil penalty, required refunds or account adjustments (the FTC said more than $3.5 million on 128,000 accounts, with collection stopped on 35,000 more), a data integrity program with independent assessments, an independent third-party monitor, and permanent injunctions against the practices alleged.

In the Matter of Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc., Oregon license conditions by consent

Settled

Oregon Division of Finance and Corporate Securities, administrative orderDocket CF-15-0003Source ↗

Settled

The order imposes no money penalty; it requires CPS to pay the Division's investigation costs if revocation is proposed under the order, and the Division's attorney fees if the Division prevails in a challenge to a revocation.

Case details: In the Matter of Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc., Oregon license conditions by consentShow less

When CPS applied for an Oregon consumer finance license, the Director of the Division of Finance and Corporate Securities entered a Final Order Conditioning Consumer Finance License and Collection Agency Registration, by consent, on February 4, 2015. The order recites the 2014 federal order, and CPS "neither admits nor denies the findings herein." Paragraph 13 approves the license application with conditions; under paragraph 14, CPS agreed that its Oregon consumer finance license and collection agency registration "will be immediately revoked" if it violates the 2014 federal order, the Oregon Consumer Finance Act, Oregon debt-collection law, or the FTC Act, FDCPA or FCRA. Under paragraph 17 the conditional license was to expire on December 31, 2015.

Connecticut deficiency-notice cross-claim against CPS, as disclosed by CPS

Filed

Connecticut Superior Court at WaterburySource ↗

Filed — no final outcome recorded

CPS's filings do not give the case caption or docket number, and its 10-K for 2025 and later 10-Qs neither mention the matter nor report how the appeal ended.

Case details: Connecticut deficiency-notice cross-claim against CPS, as disclosed by CPSShow less

According to CPS's Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2025, CPS sued a borrower for a deficiency judgment in the Superior Court at Waterbury, and on October 16, 2019 the borrower filed a cross-claim alleging that CPS's deficiency notices did not comply with Connecticut law, on behalf of a class of Connecticut borrowers whose vehicles CPS had repossessed. The court denied CPS's motion to compel individual arbitration in August 2021. Before a class-certification motion was decided, the trial court granted summary judgment in CPS's favor, disposing of the claims against it. An appeal of the summary judgment ruling was filed on October 25, 2024, and CPS cross-appealed the arbitration ruling on October 31, 2024. The cross-claim's allegations are allegations, not findings.

John-Crane v. Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc.

Judgment

U.S. District Court, D. OregonDocket 6:25-cv-00213Source ↗

Judgment entered

Kasubhai granted CPS's motion for default judgment and its motion for attorney's fees, and the court entered judgment the same day.

Case details: John-Crane v. Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc.Show less

A consumer sued CPS in Lane County Circuit Court, Oregon, and CPS removed the case to federal court on February 7, 2025; the federal docket lists the cause as the Fair Credit Reporting Act. On October 26, 2026 Judge Mustafa T.

EDITORIAL

Company background

Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc. is a California corporation that was incorporated and began operating in March 1991, and its shares trade on Nasdaq under the symbol CPSS. Its 10-K for 2025 describes it as a specialty finance company that buys and services retail automobile installment contracts written by car dealers, mostly franchised dealers, for customers with limited credit histories, low incomes or past credit problems, which the company calls sub-prime customers. It funds those purchases mainly by selling the contracts into securitization trusts while continuing to service them, so CPS is usually the company a borrower pays and deals with even when a trust holds the contract. Over its history it has also made some vehicle loans directly and bought portfolios through acquisitions, including MFN Financial Corp. in 2002 and TFC Enterprises, Inc. in 2003.

Locations. CPS's principal executive offices are at 3800 Howard Hughes Parkway, Suite 1400, Las Vegas, Nevada; its operating headquarters and most operational and administrative staff are in Irvine, California. It services accounts from branches in California, Nevada, Virginia, Florida and Illinois, with regional servicing centers in Chesapeake, Virginia; Maitland, Florida; and Oak Brook, Illinois. Its Contacts page gives P.O. Box 57071, Irvine, CA 92619 as the headquarters mailing address, and its website footer shows NMLS #96016, the company's identifier in the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System, where state lending licenses can be looked up.

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Size and loan performance. CPS bought about $1.64 billion of contracts in 2025 and about $2.1 billion in the first nine months of 2026. Its 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2026 reports a managed portfolio of about $4.84 billion. In the same report, 27,539 contracts were 31 or more days delinquent (10.9 percent of the portfolio by dollar amount), another 6,547 contracts were in repossession, and 107,569 contracts had received at least one payment extension. The 10-K reports 928 employees at December 31, 2025. Charles E. Bradley, Jr. has been Chief Executive Officer since January 1992.

Ownership. CPS is publicly traded and has no parent company. Its 2026 proxy statement lists Charles E. Bradley, Jr. as owning 25.3 percent of the shares and Stephen H. Deckoff, through Black Diamond investment vehicles, 23.4 percent; Dimensional Fund Advisors reported 7.4 percent.

Recent company events. CPS keeps selling the contracts it buys into securitization trusts: about $734.5 million of receivables went to CPS Auto Receivables Trust 2026-C in July 2026 and about $797.4 million to CPS Auto Receivables Trust 2026-D in October 2026. The October 2026 filing names CPS as servicer of the 2026-D trust, so borrowers whose contracts were sold into it keep paying CPS and dealing with CPS.

EDITORIAL

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get a payoff quote from Consumer Portfolio Services?

CPS's home page lists "Get a payoff quote" among the actions available after logging in to its customer portal (customers.consumerportfolio.com), and lists "Make an online payment," "View and print a recent statement" and "View your payment history" alongside it. You can also call the toll-free number on CPS's customer contacts page, (888) 469-4520. Ask for the quote in writing, with the date it is good through and the daily interest amount, and compare it to your payment history; if the numbers do not match your records, ask for an itemized breakdown. If you cannot resolve it, you can use the CPS Resolution Center complaint form or file a CFPB complaint.

Is Consumer Portfolio Services a scam?

Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc. is a California corporation founded in 1991 that buys auto installment contracts from car dealers and services them; its shares trade on Nasdaq under the symbol CPSS and it files annual and quarterly reports with the SEC. The record a reader can check: in a case brought by the FTC through the Justice Department, a federal court entered a stipulated order on June 11, 2014, with a $2,000,000 civil penalty, and CPS neither admitted nor denied the allegations; the CFPB's public list of enforcement actions shows none against CPS; BBB lists CPS as accredited with an A+ rating alongside 251 complaints in the last three years. CPS's customer portal at customers.consumerportfolio.com handles payments, statements and payoff quotes, and its Resolution Center at cpsresolution.consumerportfolio.com takes complaints; a payment request from any other site or phone number can be checked with CPS at (888) 469-4520 before paying. Complaints on this site are individual customers' own accounts, not findings by the site.

Is Consumer Portfolio Services legit?

Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc. is an independent specialty finance company with its operational headquarters in Irvine, California, and principal executive offices in Las Vegas, Nevada, that has purchased and serviced subprime auto contracts since 1991 and is publicly traded as CPSS. Its website footer shows NMLS #96016, the identifier used to look up its state lending licenses on NMLS Consumer Access, and its Resolution Center FAQ says "CPS is licensed in every state in which we operate." CPS can be reached at (888) 469-4520, by mail at P.O. Box 57071, Irvine, CA 92619, through its customer portal at customers.consumerportfolio.com, or through the Resolution Center online complaint form.

Can CPS give me an extension on my car payment?

CPS's 10-K for 2025 says it will "in certain circumstances" grant one-month payment extensions to help with temporary cash-flow problems: generally no more than two in any 12-month period and no more than eight over the life of the contract. According to the 10-K the extension moves the next due date and the maturity date forward, and there are no other concessions such as a lower interest rate; the collector recommends it and a supervisor approves it after considering the reason for the delinquency, whether it is temporary, the payment history and the customer's willingness to cooperate. That is CPS's description of its general practice, not a promise to any borrower. CPS's Resolution Center FAQ says, on skipping or deferring a payment, "Your account may qualify for a payment extension. Please contact our Servicing Department at 888-469-4520 for assistance." Ask what any extension costs and get the terms in writing; the 2014 FTC complaint alleged that CPS had failed to disclose the financial effects of loan extensions (CPS neither admitted nor denied that allegation).

What happens if CPS repossesses my car?

According to CPS's 10-K for 2025, a supervisor decides whether repossession is warranted between the 60th and 90th day past the payment due date, although the decision can come sooner or later depending on the circumstances; an independent national repossession service picks up the vehicle; it is sold through an unaffiliated auction; and "prior to sale, the customer has the right to redeem the vehicle by paying the contract in full." CPS adds that it may in some cases return the vehicle if the customer pays all, or what it deems a sufficient amount, of the past-due amount. Sale proceeds "usually are insufficient to pay the customer's obligation in full, resulting in a deficiency," and CPS says it will in most cases keep contacting customers to recover the deficiency for up to several years after charge-off, and sometimes sells charged-off accounts to outside collectors. The FTC's consumer page adds that your state's law governs notice of the sale, your right to get personal property back and any right to reinstate the loan; your state attorney general can explain local rules. The CFPB's repossession page adds that you can ask the lender for a list of the repossession costs, that lenders must sell the car in a commercially reasonable manner, and that if the car sells for more than you owe, you are entitled to receive the surplus.

How do I dispute a CPS account on my credit report?

The FTC says both the credit bureau and the business that supplied the information must correct information that is wrong or incomplete, and advises disputing with each credit bureau that shows the mistake in writing, with supporting copies, by certified mail with return receipt, and contacting the business that reported it as well. The FTC says the credit bureau has 30 days to investigate however the dispute was filed, and that if the investigation does not resolve it you can ask that a statement of the dispute be included in your file and in future reports. The FTC also says the credit bureaus can report most accurate negative information for seven years. The 2014 federal order against CPS requires it to have written accuracy procedures for information it furnishes and to conduct reasonable investigations of disputes, including direct disputes about payments and fees; CPS neither admitted nor denied the underlying allegations. The largest CFPB complaint categories about CPS concern credit reporting, and you can file a CFPB complaint at consumerfinance.gov/complaint.

How do I file a complaint about CPS?

CPS runs a Resolution Center at cpsresolution.consumerportfolio.com with an online complaint form for CPS customers and non-customers; the page says a CPS representative will review the complaint and, if requested, contact the person within 5 business days. You can also file with the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint or by phone at (855) 411-2372 (the CFPB forwards complaints to the company), and with your state attorney general or state financial regulator. For debt-collection conduct, the FTC accepts reports at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and BBB, where CPS is accredited, forwards complaints to the company. Keep copies of your account statements, letters and a dated log of calls.

What did the 2014 FTC order against CPS require?

The stipulated order entered June 11, 2014 in United States v. Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc. (C.D. Cal., 8:14-cv-00819) states that CPS "neither admits nor denies any of the allegations in the Complaint." It imposed a $2,000,000 civil penalty ($1,000,000 for alleged FDCPA violations and $1,000,000 for alleged Furnisher Rule violations), required refunds or balance adjustments for affected accounts, a data integrity program with independent assessments, and permanent injunctions against deceptive servicing practices, unlawful fee assessment, unilateral contract changes, disclosing debts to third parties, calling consumers at inconvenient times or workplaces where prohibited, unauthorized debits and deceptive collection practices. The FTC said CPS would refund or adjust more than $3.5 million on 128,000 accounts and stop collecting on 35,000 more. The order set the assessments (every two years for ten years), the monitor (two years) and compliance reporting and record-keeping (twelve years) for fixed periods from its entry; the injunctions are permanent.

Has the CFPB taken enforcement action against CPS?

The federal enforcement case against CPS was brought by the FTC through the Justice Department and ended in the 2014 consent judgment described on this page; a separate Justice Department inquiry into CPS's sub-prime securitizations closed in February 2018 with no enforcement action recommended, according to CPS's 10-K for 2017. The CFPB does accept complaints about CPS: its Consumer Complaint Database lists 3,986 complaints about Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc. since June 2012, published without verification of the consumer's account.

Who owns my auto loan: CPS or the dealer?

CPS says it buys retail installment contracts from dealers, funds those purchases mainly through securitizations and services the contracts; its SEC filings describe selling receivables to securitization trusts while CPS continues to service them, so the entity that holds a contract can differ from the dealer that signed it. Your contract and the notice of assignment or first billing statement identify who holds it. CPS's 10-K says that, as an assignee of dealer-originated contracts, it can be named alongside a dealer in a consumer lawsuit. For questions about the vehicle, its price or the dealer's promises, start with the dealer and your contract; for payments, payoff, repossession and credit reporting, use CPS.

How do I contact Consumer Portfolio Services and where is it located?

CPS's customer contacts page lists a toll-free number, (888) 469-4520, and its Contacts page lists P.O. Box 57071, Irvine, CA 92619 under "Headquarters." CPS's SEC filings list principal executive offices at 3800 Howard Hughes Parkway, Suite 1400, Las Vegas, Nevada 89169 and telephone (949) 753-6800, and describe operating headquarters in Irvine, California. Customers can manage an account through the portal at customers.consumerportfolio.com and file complaints through cpsresolution.consumerportfolio.com. BBB separately lists another phone, (844) 271-6473, for the company.

Sources (35)

Consumer Portfolio Services (CPS) (own site)

Public records

Review sites