Independent profile. Not owned, sponsored or endorsed by Encore Capital Group / Midland Credit Management.

Encore Capital Group / Midland Credit Management Reviews, Complaints & Contacts

Midland Credit Management, Inc. (MCM) is a San Diego debt buyer and collector owned by Encore Capital Group, Inc. It collects on charged-off consumer accounts that it or its affiliate Midland Funding LLC owns. MCM is not your original creditor, and you can ask for validation of the debt before you pay.

REVIEWS & COMPLAINTS638on USAComplaints · 2 in 2023-2026
PHONE(800) 296-2657MCM customer service (account managers), Mon-Sun 8am…
WEBSITEmidlandcredit.com
HEADQUARTERSSan Diego, CA
PROFILE CHECKED
Submit a Complaint Read reviews & complaints ↓ Call (800) 296-2657 Official website ↗
VERIFIED

Contacts & Login

PhoneAddress

Customer service & general contact

Billing & payments

Account & login

Official website

Other contacts

Corporate & press

VERIFIED

Locations

  • Headquarters350 Camino de la Reina, Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92108
  • Mailing addressAttention: Chief Compliance Officer, P.O. Box 939069, San Diego, CA 92193
  • Mailing address320 E Big Beaver Rd., Suite 300, Mailed payments only, Troy, MI 48083
EDITORIAL

Is Encore Capital Group / Midland Credit Management Legitimate?

BBB, CFPB and Trustpilot figures

Legal name
Midland Credit Management, Inc.
Founded
1953
Business type
Debt buyer and collector: Encore Capital Group, Inc. (San Diego, California; Nasdaq: ECPG) owns Midland Credit Management, Inc. (MCM), which services accounts owned by MCM and by its affiliate Midland Funding LLC
Website
midlandcredit.comSource: MCM website, checked
Headquarters
San Diego, CASource: Encore Capital Group 2025 Form 10-K and BBB profile of Midland Credit Management, checked

Midland Credit Management, Inc. is a debt buyer and collector. It lists its NMLS ID (934164) on its website, and its parent, Encore Capital Group, Inc., is listed on Nasdaq and files annual and quarterly reports with the SEC. BBB rates the San Diego headquarters listing A+ and shows the company as not BBB accredited. The company has also been the subject of government actions: CFPB actions in 2015 and 2020, a 2012 FTC penalty against Asset Acceptance before Encore bought it, and a 2018 settlement with 42 states and the District of Columbia. Encore’s 2025 Form 10-K says the 2020 court judgment expired in October 2025.

Whether a particular call or letter really comes from MCM, and whether the debt is yours, are separate questions. The CFPB suggests asking any collector for their name, company name, street address, telephone number and, if your state licenses debt collectors, their license number, and checking those details with your state attorney general or financial regulator. To be safe, call MCM back on the number published on midlandcredit.com, (800) 296-2657 rather than a number given in a call or text. If you do not recognize the debt, request validation in writing within 30 days of MCM’s first notice and compare what it sends with your own records and your free credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com.

EXTERNAL SOURCE

Independent Sources

BBB
1,398 reviews · 771 complaints · BBB business grade A+ · average customer rating 4.63 / 5
Figures checked
CFPB
69,909 complaints
Figures checked
Trustpilot
0 reviews
Figures checked
EDITORIAL

Complaint Themes

Lawsuits, judgments and garnishmentCredit report entries and credit bureau disputesDebts described as old or past the statute of limitationsPhone calls and collector conductCollection notice for a debt the writer says is not theirs or is unfamiliarSettlement offers and payment demandsValidation requests and Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA)

Themes, not a count of complaints.

CONSUMER ALLEGATION

Reviews & Complaints on USAComplaints

638 complaints linked to the Encore Capital Group / Midland Credit Management profile are published on this site (2003-2026). 2 are from 2023-2026.

Show 15 more complaints on this page
EDITORIAL

Midland and Encore complaint record: BBB, CFPB database, Trustpilot and this site’s archive

BBB. BBB’s listing for Midland Credit Management Inc at the San Diego headquarters shows an A+ rating and says the company is not BBB accredited. It shows 771 complaints in the last 3 years. Customer reviews on the same listing average 4.63 out of 5 from 1,398 reviews.

CFPB complaint database. The CFPB lists complaints about Midland Credit Management under the company name ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP INC. It shows 69,909 complaints received since March 2013. By product, 56,320 concern debt collection and 8,898 concern credit reporting or other consumer reports. The issue consumers name most often is “Attempts to collect debt not owed” (20,778), followed by “Took or threatened to take negative or legal action” (9,158) and “Written notification about debt” (8,716). The company closed 46,122 complaints with an explanation, 23,442 with non-monetary relief and 98 with monetary relief; 31 responses were not on time.

Trustpilot. Trustpilot has an unclaimed page for midlandcredit.com with no reviews.

Reports on this site. The reports are dated 2003-2026. Most were posted between 2006 and 2009. Writers most often describe collection calls and collector conduct, credit report entries, lawsuits, judgments and wage garnishment, debts they consider too old to collect, and debts they say are not theirs.

Had an experience with Encore Capital Group / Midland Credit Management? Tell other people what happened.

Submit a Complaint
EDITORIAL

Midland Credit Management and Encore Capital: disputing a debt, credit reports, complaints

Who is contacting you. Midland Credit Management, Inc. (MCM) is the company that sends letters and makes calls under the Midland name. MCM’s FAQ says it is both a debt purchaser and a servicer, and that it services accounts it owns as well as accounts owned by affiliates such as Midland Funding LLC. Its parent, Encore Capital Group, Inc. (San Diego, Nasdaq: ECPG), buys portfolios of defaulted consumer debt at deep discounts to face value. MCM says that a letter from it means a creditor you had an account with closed the account and sold it, and that you will need to work with MCM, not the original creditor, to resolve it. A letter from a debt buyer does not by itself show that the amount is correct or that the debt is yours.

Reaching MCM. Account managers answer at (800) 296-2657, Monday to Sunday 8 AM to midnight ET, and by live chat. To say the debt is not yours, that the balance ignores payments you made, or that you filed for bankruptcy, MCM’s FAQ points to Consumer Support Services at (800) 825-8131, ext. 32980, Monday to Friday 8 AM to 7:30 PM ET, and to its online Consumer Resolution Center. After you log in, MCM says its Document Center shows selected documents from your original creditor.

Complaints about how you were treated go to the Chief Compliance Officer: the online Consumer Resolution Center form, (877) 420-0039, or mail to Attention: Chief Compliance Officer, P.O. Box 939069, San Diego, CA 92193. MCM asks you to include your name, MCM or original account number, the last four digits of your Social Security number, your address and phone number, and not to send your full Social Security or card numbers. If you previously told MCM to stop contacting you, say in your letter whether it may contact you about the complaint. Payments by mail go to 320 E Big Beaver Rd., Suite 300, Troy, MI 48083, with your MCM account number.

Your dispute rights. Under the federal debt collection rule, a collector must give you validation information about the debt, in its first written notice or within five days of first contacting you. The CFPB says you then have 30 days to dispute all or part of the debt; the validation notice states the end date. If you dispute in writing within that period, or ask in writing for the name and address of the original creditor, the collector must pause collecting the disputed amount until it responds. Send a copy of your dispute and keep the original, preferably by certified mail with a return receipt, keep copies of any payment proof you send, and write down the date and name of everyone you speak with. The CFPB publishes sample dispute letters.

Old debts. Before you pay anything on an old account, find out your state’s statute of limitations for that type of debt. The CFPB says most states set it at three to six years, that a collector cannot sue or threaten to sue once it has passed, and that in some states a partial payment or an acknowledgment that you owe the debt can restart the clock. An expired limitations period does not erase the debt, and MCM says its credit report entry stays until seven years after the date of delinquency. If MCM sues on a debt you believe is too old, you must raise that defense in court.

Calls and stopping contact. Federal rules presume a collector is breaking the law if it calls you about a debt more than seven times in seven days, or within seven days after a phone conversation with you about it. Collectors may not call before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m., and you can ask MCM in writing to stop contacting you. The CFPB notes that this does not make the debt go away and does not stop MCM from suing or reporting the debt to credit bureaus.

Where to escalate. You can submit a complaint about a debt collector to the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint, which forwards it to the company for a response; to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov; to your state attorney general or the state agency that licenses debt collectors; and to BBB. For a wrong credit report entry, dispute it both with MCM and with each credit bureau that shows it. If you are sued, the deadline in the court papers applies even while you are writing to MCM.

EDITORIAL

CFPB, FTC and state attorney general actions involving Encore, Midland and Asset Acceptance

CFPB consent order, September 2015. On September 9, 2015 the CFPB issued an administrative consent order (File No. 2015-CFPB-0022) against Encore Capital Group, Midland Funding LLC, Midland Credit Management and Asset Acceptance Capital Corp.; the companies consented to it without admitting or denying the findings.

More on regulatorsShow less

The CFPB found that Encore bought debts that were potentially inaccurate, lacking documentation or unenforceable. It listed practices including collecting without verifying the debt, filing misleading robo-signed affidavits in collection lawsuits, sending letters from at least July 21, 2011 to March 31, 2013 that offered a time-limited chance to “settle” without saying the debt was too old to sue on. At Asset Acceptance, it also listed thousands of calls outside the 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. window. The order required Encore to pay up to $42 million in consumer refunds and a $10 million penalty, stop collecting on more than $125 million of debts and stop reselling debts. After the 2020 court judgment described on this page, the CFPB issued an order terminating the 2015 consent order on October 20, 2020; the judgment kept certain conduct provisions of the 2015 order in force for five more years.

CFPB lawsuit, September 2020. On September 8, 2020 the CFPB sued Encore, Midland Funding, Midland Credit Management and Asset Acceptance Capital Corp. in federal court in San Diego (No. 3:20-cv-01750). It alleged that they had violated the 2015 order and again violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Consumer Financial Protection Act. The CFPB alleged that since September 2015 the companies sued consumers without the required documentation, used law firms and an internal legal department to collect without required disclosures. It also alleged that they failed to provide loan documents consumers asked for, sued or tried to collect on time-barred debts without required disclosures, and did not disclose possible international-transaction fees.

The case ended on October 16, 2020 with a stipulated final judgment that, according to the CFPB, required $79,308.81 in consumer redress and a $15 million civil money penalty. It also required certain disclosures, no collection of time-barred debt without required disclosures, and compliance with conduct provisions of the 2015 order for five more years. Encore’s 2025 Form 10-K says the judgment required it to keep following a narrow subset of operational requirements and expired in October 2025.

42 states and the District of Columbia, December 2018. On December 4, 2018 Virginia’s attorney general announced that Virginia had joined 41 other states and the District of Columbia in a $6 million settlement with Encore Capital Group, Midland Credit Management and Midland Funding. The release says the settlement resolved claims that Midland signed and filed affidavits in state courts in large volumes without verifying the information in them.

It requires Midland to have account documents, including proof of the agreement and of the amount, before filing a lawsuit, to review original account documents and provide them free of charge when a consumer disputes a debt, and to oversee the law firms it uses. It also barred Midland from reselling debt for two years. In Virginia the settlement eliminated or reduced the judgment balances of 689 people, totaling $879,729, and set aside $25,000 to repay Virginians who paid debts they did not owe or paid more than they owed.

FTC and Justice Department, January 2012 (Asset Acceptance). Before Encore acquired it in June 2013, Asset Acceptance, LLC, a Michigan debt buyer, agreed to pay a $2.5 million civil penalty under a consent decree entered in federal court in Florida. The decree settled charges, brought by the Justice Department on behalf of the FTC, that the company misled consumers when collecting debts, including by not disclosing that some debts were too old to sue on. It requires the company, when it knows or should know a debt is time-barred, to tell consumers it will not sue on it. Asset Acceptance did not admit the allegations.

EDITORIAL

Midland and Encore consumer lawsuits and settlements

Court records

Robocall class settlement. In re Midland Credit Management, Inc. Telephone Consumer Protection Act Litigation, No. 3:11-md-02286 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, combined consumer class claims over calls made with an automatic telephone dialing system or an artificial or prerecorded voice. A June 28, 2017 order in a related case states that the court granted final approval of the class settlement on December 2, 2016, resolving class members’ claims for calls made from November 2, 2006 to August 31, 2014.

More on the lawsuitsShow less

The CFPB’s 2020 lawsuit. The CFPB’s federal lawsuit filed in September 2020 ended with a stipulated final judgment on October 16, 2020; it is described with the regulator actions on this page.

Current litigation. Encore’s quarterly report for the period ended June 30, 2026 says there were no material developments in the legal proceedings disclosed in its 2025 Form 10-K and no new material legal proceedings in the first half of 2026.

If Midland sues you. Read the summons carefully: it names the court and the deadline to file a written response, and that deadline does not pause while you write to or negotiate with MCM. If you do not respond, the court can enter a default judgment, which can lead to wage garnishment or a bank levy where state law allows. You can raise defenses such as an expired statute of limitations, a debt that is not yours or a wrong amount. Local legal aid or a licensed consumer attorney can help; under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, a consumer has one year from a violation to sue a collector over it.

PUBLIC RECORD

Court & Public Records

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v. Encore Capital Group, Inc.; Midland Funding, LLC; Midland Credit Management, Inc.; Asset Acceptance Capital Corp.

Settled

U.S. District Court, S.D. CaliforniaFiled Decided Docket 3:20-cv-01750-GPC-KSCSource ↗

Settled

The CFPB’s enforcement page lists the matter as Post Order/Post Judgment; Encore’s 2025 Form 10-K says the judgment expired in October 2025.

Case details: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v. Encore Capital Group, Inc.; Midland Funding, LLC; Midland Credit Management, Inc.; Asset Acceptance Capital Corp.Show less

The CFPB sued, alleging that Encore and its subsidiaries violated the CFPB’s 2015 consent order and again violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Consumer Financial Protection Act. The case ended on October 16, 2020, when the court entered a stipulated final judgment that, according to the CFPB, required $79,308.81 in consumer redress and a $15 million civil money penalty, certain disclosures to consumers, no collection of time-barred debt without required disclosures, and compliance with conduct provisions of the 2015 order for five more years.

In re Midland Credit Management, Inc. Telephone Consumer Protection Act Litigation (class settlement)

Settled

U.S. District Court, S.D. California (MDL)Decided Docket 3:11-md-02286-MMA-MDDSource ↗

Settled

This multidistrict proceeding combined consumer class claims under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act over calls made with an automatic telephone dialing system or an artificial or prerecorded voice. A June 28, 2017 order in a related case, Canter v. Midland Credit Management, states that the court granted final approval of the class settlement on December 2, 2016, resolving class members’ claims for calls made from November 2, 2006 to August 31, 2014.

EDITORIAL

About Midland Credit Management, Midland Funding and Encore Capital Group

Who they are. Midland Credit Management (MCM) says it specializes in servicing accounts that have fallen behind and been charged off by the lender, and that it is a subsidiary of Encore Capital Group, a public company listed on Nasdaq as ECPG. MCM says it has helped more than 7 million people and has operated since 1953; BBB also lists a 1953 start date.

Encore’s 2025 annual report on Form 10-K says it primarily buys portfolios of defaulted consumer receivables at deep discounts to face value, and that operations in India and Costa Rica support its work. Encore also owns Cabot Credit Management in the United Kingdom: it bought a controlling stake in July 2013 and the remaining interest in July 2018, making Cabot a wholly owned subsidiary. In its 2020 lawsuit the CFPB described Encore and its subsidiaries together as the largest debt collector and debt buyer in the United States.

More company historyShow less

Company names you may see. MCM’s FAQ lists Midland Credit Management, Inc. (NMLS ID 934164) and the affiliates whose accounts it may service. They are Midland Funding LLC (NMLS ID 973111), two Atlantic Credit & Finance Special Finance Unit companies, Asset Acceptance, LLC (NMLS ID 1085166), MRC Receivables Corporation and Midland Funding NCC-2 Corporation. MCM describes Midland Funding as a debt purchaser and itself as both a purchaser and a servicer. That is why Midland Funding can appear on your credit report as the owner of the account while the letters and calls come from MCM. Asset Acceptance, a Michigan debt buyer, became part of Encore when Encore closed its acquisition of Asset Acceptance Capital Corp. in June 2013.

What MCM says about credit reporting. MCM’s FAQ says it does not report an account to the credit bureaus during the first six months after its first notice to you. It will never report it if you start paying in that period and keep paying as agreed until the account is resolved. If a reported account is paid in full or settled for less, MCM says it asks the bureaus to remove it, and the change can take up to 45 days to show. MCM also says it must delete its entry seven years after the date of delinquency whether or not the account is paid, and sooner in some states.

What MCM says about lawsuits. The FAQ says MCM will not sue you while you are actively making payments. In some circumstances it may sue, and then seek a judgment, wage garnishment or a lien on property where the law allows. Once an account is past the statute of limitations, MCM says it tells you in later letters that it cannot and will not sue. It also says that logging in to its website does not restart the statute of limitations and does not mean you agree to pay. MCM publishes a Consumer Bill of Rights setting out the conduct standards it says it follows.

VERIFIED

Company Relationships

  • Collects debts forMidland Funding LLC
  • Affiliated withAsset Acceptance Capital Corp.
  • Affiliated withAtlantic Credit & Finance
  • Affiliated withCabot Credit Management Limited
EDITORIAL

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Midland Credit Management, Midland Funding and Encore Capital Group?

Encore Capital Group, Inc. is the Nasdaq-listed parent company (ECPG). Midland Credit Management, Inc. (MCM) is its subsidiary that buys debts and services them: it sends the letters, takes the calls and handles payments and disputes. Midland Funding LLC is an affiliate that owns purchased accounts, so it may appear on your credit report as the creditor while MCM contacts you about the same account. None of them is your original creditor.

How do I dispute a debt with Midland Credit Management?

Send MCM a written dispute within 30 days of its validation notice; the notice gives the end date. Say which part of the debt you dispute and why, ask for verification and for the name and address of the original creditor, send it by certified mail with a return receipt, and keep a copy. The CFPB says that once you dispute, the collector cannot contact you to collect the debt until it has responded with verification. MCM also takes disputes through Consumer Support Services at (800) 825-8131, ext. 32980 (Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 7:30 PM ET), its online Consumer Resolution Center and live chat, but a written dispute inside the 30 days is what protects your rights under the debt collection rule. If the debt is old, check your state’s statute of limitations before you pay anything, because in some states a partial payment can restart it.

What can I do if Midland contacts me about a debt that is not mine or that I paid?

First make sure the contact really comes from MCM: call back on (800) 296-2657 or log in through midlandcredit.com. MCM’s FAQ says its first letter gives details of the account and your rights, and that selected documents from the original creditor are in the Document Center after you log in. If the debt is not yours, dispute it in writing within 30 days of the validation notice. If you already paid, send copies, never originals, of proof such as cancelled checks, card statements or a settlement letter, and ask the original creditor for records if you have none. MCM’s Consumer Support Services handles these disputes at (800) 825-8131, ext. 32980. If you think someone opened the account in your name, report it at IdentityTheft.gov and dispute the entry with the credit bureaus.

Will Midland Credit Management sue me or garnish my wages?

Midland Credit Management can. MCM’s FAQ says it will not sue you while you are actively making payments, but in some circumstances it may sue and, depending on state law, seek a judgment, garnish wages or place a lien on property. Garnishment requires a court judgment first. Once an account is past the statute of limitations, MCM says it tells you in later letters that it cannot and will not sue, and it says logging in to its website does not restart that period.

The CFPB warns that in some states a partial payment or an acknowledgment that you owe an old debt can restart it, so check your state’s limit before paying on an old account. If you are served with a summons, file a response by the deadline it gives, even if you are talking with MCM; missing it can lead to a default judgment. Local legal aid or a consumer attorney can advise on defenses such as an expired limitations period.

How does Midland report to credit bureaus, and how do I fix an error?

MCM says it does not report an account during the first six months after its first notice, and never reports it if you start paying in that period and keep paying as agreed. If a reported account is paid in full or settled, MCM says it asks the bureaus to delete it, which can take up to 45 days to show, and it deletes its entry seven years after the delinquency date in any case. The entry may appear under Midland Funding, which owns many accounts MCM collects. To fix an error, dispute it with each credit bureau that shows it (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) and with MCM through Consumer Support Services at (800) 825-8131, ext. 32980; if it is not corrected, submit a complaint to the CFPB.

Where can I file a complaint about Midland Credit Management?

MCM sends complaints to its Chief Compliance Officer: use the online Consumer Resolution Center form, call (877) 420-0039, or write to Attention: Chief Compliance Officer, P.O. Box 939069, San Diego, CA 92193. Include your name, account number, the last four digits of your Social Security number and the names of the people you spoke with. Outside the company, you can submit a complaint to the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint, to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, to your state attorney general or debt collector licensing agency, and to BBB. Using one route does not stop you from using the others.

What did the CFPB find or allege against Encore and Midland?

In September 2015 the CFPB issued a consent order against Midland Credit Management, which the companies agreed to without admitting or denying its findings. In it the CFPB said Encore and its subsidiaries tried to collect debts without verifying them and filed misleading court affidavits signed without reviewing the account records (what the CFPB called robo-signing). The order required up to $42 million in refunds, a $10 million penalty, an end to collection on more than $125 million of debts and a ban on reselling debts.

In September 2020 the CFPB sued, alleging the companies had broken that order. The case ended on October 16, 2020 with a stipulated judgment that, according to the CFPB, required $79,308.81 in redress and a $15 million civil money penalty and kept certain conduct provisions of the 2015 order in force for five more years. The CFPB terminated the 2015 order itself on October 20, 2020. Encore’s 2025 Form 10-K says the 2020 judgment expired in October 2025.

What was the 2018 multistate attorney general settlement with Midland?

On December 4, 2018, 42 states and the District of Columbia announced a $6 million settlement with Encore Capital Group, Midland Credit Management and Midland Funding. It resolved claims that Midland signed and filed large volumes of court affidavits without verifying the information in them. Midland must now have account documents before it sues, review original account documents when a consumer disputes a debt and give them to the consumer free of charge, and it was barred from reselling debt for two years. In Virginia alone, judgment balances of 689 people totaling $879,729 were eliminated or reduced.

What do BBB, the CFPB database and Trustpilot show for Midland?

BBB rates Midland Credit Management Inc in San Diego A+ and shows it as not accredited, with 771 complaints in the last 3 years and an average of 4.63 out of 5 from 1,398 customer reviews. Trustpilot has an unclaimed page for midlandcredit.com with no reviews. The CFPB complaint database lists 69,909 complaints since March 2013 under ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP INC.; most concern debt collection, and the issue named most often is an attempt to collect a debt the consumer says is not owed.

CONSUMER ALLEGATION

Related Complaints

Role in the other company’s page

Show 15 more complaintsShow less