Are You Being Called By Northern Credit Services, Inc.?*

Are you being called by Northern Credit Services, Inc.?* Here’s what you need to know.

These days average U.S. household carries a credit card balance of $15,000. This means that thousands of dollars in income goes towards paying down the interest alone. If you lose your job or anything else happens to affect your ability to pay, you may have debt collectors calling and sending you letters. If they are also abusive, you have grounds to take legal action.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

In 1977 Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or FDCPA, was passed to regulate the actions of third-party debt collectors. Today, any collection agency that uses strategies like those below with indebted consumers can be fined or lose their license.

• Calling you before 8:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m. in your time zone
• Pretending to be attorneys, police officers, or federal agents
• Demanding an amount that is not supported by law or the original debt agreement
• Swearing and using profane language
• Talking to uninvolved parties such as your friends, family, and co-workers about the debt
• Calling you repeatedly and leaving messages that do not identify them as debt collectors

Company Profile: Northern Credit Services, Inc.

If you are being called by Northern Credit Services, Inc., information about the company is below.

Northern Credit Services, Inc. is a debt collection agency located in Ketchikan, Alaska, with a branch office in Sitka. It opened for business in 1984, has less than 10 employees, and is managed by its President, Steve Phillips. Litigation records viewable at the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website confirms that consumers who felt that they were being harassed by Northern Credit Services, Inc. chose to challenge the agency in federal court.

Alleged Violations against Northern Credit Services, Inc.

According to PACER, on or about December 21, 2009 Northern Credit Services, Inc., represented by attorney Dennis McCarty, filed suit in Alaska Small Claims Court against a consumer for two alleged debts; one for $183.40 and one for a separate 2008 charge of $238.20 allegedly owed to Diagnostic Radiology Consultants.

The consumer answered, denying the amount of the alleged debt and claiming the affirmative defense that debts alleged were time-barred. On May 17, 2010, trial was held in the Juneau small claims court and attorney Dennis McCarty, acting for Northern Credit, moved the court to withdraw the claim against the consumer for the $183.40 because the alleged debt was time barred at the time the complaint was filed. The court subsequently issued judgment in favor of Northern Credit on the $238.40 debt claim and accepted Northern Credit’s oral dismissal of the time-barred debt. the consumer also asserted that at no time was he ever provided with a written notice of his verification rights.

Feeling harassed by Northern Credit Services, Inc., he hired a consumer attorney and sued the company for allegedly violating the FDCPA in the following ways:

• Filing suit against him on a time-barred debt
• Failing to validate the debt

The matter was later dismissed.

Hire an Attorney

The phone numbers for this debt collection agency are as follows:

• 1-907-225-5131
• 1-907-747-8641

If you ever see either number on your caller ID, it means that you are being called by Northern Credit Services, Inc., likely about an alleged debt. If they file a lawsuit against you for a time-barred debt, call a consumer attorney immediately. If you file a successful claim against Northern Credit Services, Inc., you may be awarded $1,000 per FDCPA violation plus attorney fees and court costs. When debt collectors go too far, the law gives you the resources to assert your rights.

*Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is Case 3:10-cv-00118-TMB from the United States District Court for the District of Alaska.

Disclaimer: The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be constructed as legal advice. If you file a claim against Northern Credit Services, Inc., or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.