NCB Management: How to deal with collection calls

NCB Management is a well-established debt collection agency. They provide debt collection services and also buy debt. They offer debt collection services to major financial institutions covering these types of debt: bank cards, retail cards, consumer lending, installment loans, auto deficiencies, and mortgage servicing. They have been in business since 1994. They have about 240 employees, with the primary office in Trevose, Pennsylvania. Other office locations include Jacksonville (Florida), Lincoln (Nebraska), and Sioux Falls (South Dakota).

Just like dealing with any debt collector, be prepared. Verify that you owe the debt, that the company does not harass you, and that you have the right tools to settle your debt.

What is NCB Management? Are they real or a scam?

NCB Management Services, Inc. is not a scam. It is a real debt collection agency. They serve original creditors, third-party debt owners and also buy debts from credit card companies and banks. They have special collection programs focusing on collecting money before charge-off. These programs aim to identify consumers who can afford a quick payoff program. In addition, NCB  Management also offers aggressive debt collection services for post-collection debt.

Do you owe NCB Management money?

NCB Management Services, Inc. services debt from many creditors. Like most big debt collection agencies, they usually buy the debt for pennies on the dollar. They may appear on your credit report, or NCB may contact you with these names: NCBI, NCB Management Services, or NCB Management.

However, there are various reasons that you may not owe them money. For example, the debt may not belong to you, the statute of limitations expired, or you already paid off the debt.

Step 1 - Validate your debt.

The first thing that you need to do when contacted by NCB Management is to validate the debt.  After the initial contact, either by mail or phone, you have 30 days to validate the debt, so act quickly. It is advisable to send a registered letter. Validate the debt even if you are not sure if you are responsible for it.

According to the law, NCB Management must validate the debt. If you don’t receive proper validation, then send a notice of insufficient validations. If NCB cannot validate the debt, it has no legal basis to collect it.

>>Learn more: Follow the steps described in the Bills.com debt validation article to preserve your rights under the FDCPA.

Step 2 - Check to see if the Statute of Limitations (SOL) is valid.

Debt collectors have a limited time to sue you and get a judgment. SOL laws set the amount of time a creditor can sue and collect on the debt. In most states, a third-party collection agency like NCB Management cannot sue after the SOL expires. However, check to see if they are collecting for a third-party debt buyer or the original creditors (first-party creditors). 

Statute of limitations laws are not easy to understand and vary by state and type of debt or contract.  The creditor may have a different opinion on the expiration date due to re-aging a debt or the relevant state law that applies. It is always wise to respond to a lawsuit.

In any case, NCB Management still has the right to contact and get you to negotiate a settlement.

>> Learn more: Learn more about states' laws regarding statute of limitations.

Stop NCB Management from debt collection harassment.

Debt collectors often are extremely aggressive in their collection tactics. As is true for all debt collection agencies, NCB Management is strictly regulated by The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

Here are some of the actions that they are forbidden to do:

• Seek Unjustifiable Amounts
• Use the Telephone to Annoy or Harass
• Use Abusive or Threatening Language
• Contact a relative, friend, or colleague who doesn’t own the debt
• Threaten Arrest
• Call at an unreasonable time such as before 8:00 AM or after 9:00 PM
• Contact a Consumer at Work

Consult with a consumer rights attorney if you believe that NCB Management violate your rights under the FDCPA. Discuss possibly filing a lawsuit against the collection agency; not only could a lawsuit result in the cancellation of your debt, but you could be awarded damages.

Learn how to negotiate your debt with NCB Management

NCB Management Services will contact you, hoping to collect the debt. When serving creditors with debt in an early stage, they are interested in closing the account quickly. They are interested in getting you to make a full payment or set up a payment plan. According to their website, 

"NCB is a brand sensitive debt buyer and service provider that recognizes the value of a customer centric approach to collections in an environment that has grown increasingly demanding from a regulatory standpoint.

However, since they also buy debt or work with creditors with debt in charge-off status, they will also negotiate a settlement.

Your first option is to negotiate directly with NCB Management. It is stressful and time-consuming. It takes a significant amount of time and effort. To receive a beneficial settlement, it is helpful if you convince them that you are in a hardship. Here are three tips: Be calm, clear, and convincing. Be persistent. Send a debt negotiation letter.

Suppose you do not feel comfortable negotiating, then partner with a debt negotiation company. Debt settlement companies rely on databases of past settlements, so their negotiators know what range original creditors and collection agencies have accepted for payments in the past. They can reach a negotiated settlement with your debt collection agency quickly.

Complaints and lawsuits about NCB Management

Like most collection agencies, NCB Management Services, Inc. has complaints registered in the BBB and the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB). The CFPB has complaints about collecting a debt that the consumer didn’t owe, harassment, and impersonating an attorney, law enforcement, or government official. The complaints themselves are not proof of illegal or improper activities, although a good source to learn about how consumers perceive the interactions and problems they have with the debt collection agencies.

Here is a couple of example of complaints:

Communication tactics - Frequent or repeated calls "Every single day NCB Management calls me at least twice a day, sometimes more. I worked in collections and know it is a FDCPA violation to call more than once per day, especially leaving multiple messages per day".

False statements or representation - Attempted to collect wrong amount "Debt collection company agreed to remove from credit report once paid and they DID NOT AS AGREED

Deal with an NCB Management lawsuit

NCB Management can contact you, but they are forbidden to make empty threats to sue you when making a collection call. If the statute of limitations is valid,  they do have the right to start a lawsuit and pursue legal remedies such as a wage garnishment or bank levy.

If it files a lawsuit against you, consult with a lawyer in your state with consumer law experience. You must file an answer to their summons and complaint or risk losing the lawsuit by default. Ignoring a summons will not make it go away, so take action to respond to the lawsuit.

Can you remove NCB Management from your credit report?

Yes, you can remove mistaken and inaccurate items from your credit report. 

However, accurate negative tradelines stay on your credit report for seven years from the delinquency date. Bankruptcies remain for ten years, and judgments can remain for even longer if the creditor renews them.

If you notice an inaccurate item from NCB Management or a company associated with it, file a dispute with the Credit Reporting Agencies and have the negative items removed from your credit report.

>> Learn more: Learn how to dispute a credit report.