Private Collection Agencies

The Bureau of the Fiscal Service first tries to collect the debt in several ways. If the debt remains unpaid, we may send it to a private collection agency, or PCA.

A PCA is a private company that specializes in collecting overdue (delinquent) debts from individuals and businesses.

For more about the legal authority for using PCAs, read about the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996.

PCA Duties

The PCA tries to find and contact the debtor by searching various databases, making phone calls, and sending collection letters.

When the PCA reaches the debtor, it may help resolve the debt by:

• negotiating full or partial payment,
• setting up an agreement for how the debtor will pay over time,
• administrative wage garnishment (where an employer pays the debt over time from the debtor's wages), or,
• finding that the debt may be resolved administratively.

Current PCAs

Fiscal Service awards PCA Task Orders

Fiscal Service awards task orders to PCAs for debt collection services under a General Services Administration Schedule.

Fiscal Service’s current task orders to enlist the services of PCA contractors became effective on January 26, 2018. These task orders were awarded to increase the recovery of and resolve delinquent non-tax federal debts. The task orders were awarded for one base year, with four one-year options available.

Fiscal Service awarded task orders to the following contractors to provide delinquent debt collection services:

The CBE Group, Inc.
P.O. Box 2040
Waterloo, IA 50704-2040
Phone number for consumer debts: 1-866-895-4766
Phone number for commercial debts: 1-855-459-1134

ConServe, Inc.
P.O. Box 1528
Fairport, NY 14450
Phone number for consumer debts: 1-866-547-0501
Phone number for commercial debts: 1-866-562-3255

Pioneer Credit Recovery, Inc.
P.O. Box 189
Arcade, NY 14009
Phone number for consumer debts: 1-877-907-1820
Phone number for commercial debts: 1-888-261-7783

Coast Professional, Inc.
P.O. Box 246
Geneseo, NY 14454
Phone number for consumer debts: 1-800-963-5258
Phone number for commercial debts: 1-800-963-4793

Transworld Systems, Inc.
P.O. Box 15616
Wilmington, DE 19850
Phone number: 1-800-550-5069

Oversight of PCA Contractors

PCA oversight is conducted by a dedicated staff at Fiscal Service. The oversight program is nearly 25 years old. The following describes the major parts of the oversight program.

• Debtor protections
  • PCAs must comply with all applicable federal and state statutes, laws and regulations.
    • Principal statutes: Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Privacy Act of 1974, Federal Claims Collection Standards
  • PCAs must comply with any special rules or policies of agency programs pertaining to collection of debts owed to that agency
  • PCAs must record all collection calls and provide Fiscal Service with access
    • Fiscal Service uses these to verify compliance and investigate debtor complaints
  • PCAs must grant Fiscal Service web access to Fiscal Service accounts on its collection system
• Complaints against PCAs are rare:
  • Between August 18, 2018 – March 31, 2022:
    • Fiscal Service received complaints against less than 0.03% of debts distributed
    • Very few were substantiated- 0.00% of total debts distributed
  • Fiscal Service takes all complaints seriously and thoroughly reviews each one
  • Fiscal Service reviews all PCA activities on accounts with complaints and listens to phone calls
  • Fiscal Service may request removal of a PCA employee from the task orders if they have 2 or more complaints that Fiscal Service finds concerning
  • Fiscal Service may recall debts from the PCA for substantiated complaints
  • PCAs are expected to take needed corrective actions
• Fiscal Service staff perform annual PCA compliance reviews:
  • Fiscal Service samples accounts and uses a checklist that covers task order requirements
  • Fiscal Service issues a formal findings memo and PCAs must respond to each finding in writing with corrective actions
  • Failure to address areas of non-compliance can lead to discontinuing debt distributions, recalling accounts, up to terminating the task order