Are You Being Called By Statewide Credit Association?*

Owing money does not mean you are a loser or deadbeat, but the message is lost on the debt collectors who abuse consumers whenever payment is not immediately forthcoming.

If you find yourself on the receiving end of such harassment, the first thing you should do is understand your rights. The second is call a consumer attorney.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) was passed in 1977 to protect indebted consumers from being harassed into bankruptcy by third-party collection agencies. It regulates debt collector conduct and does not allow strategies like those below to be used to collect a debt.

• Calling you at inconvenient times and places
• Trying to collect after you have formally disputed a debt
• Failing to identify themselves as debt collectors seeking to collect a debt
• Contacting third parties regarding your debt
• Using profane and abusive language

Company Profile: Statewide Credit Association

If you are being called by Statewide Credit Association, information about the company is below.

Statewide Credit Association is a debt collection company located in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was established in 1968, has a staff of 45, and is managed by CEO Michael S. Shuler.

Civil litigation records retained by the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website suggest that a percentage of American consumers who felt they were being harassed by Statewide Credit Association declined to pay. Instead, they sought damages.

Alleged Violations against Statewide Credit Association

According to PACER, in or around early 2013 Statewide Credit Association allegedly contacted an Indiana woman on a regular basis seeking payment for a debt that someone else owed. Although she insisted that she was not the debtor, calls allegedly continued to come at a daily rate, sometimes as late as 11:00 p.m.

Feeling harassed by Statewide Credit Association, she hired a consumer attorney and sued the company for allegedly violating the FDCPA in the following ways:

• Calling her outside of FDCPA-approved hours
• Using harassing and abusive means to collect a debt
• Using unfair and unconscionable means to collect a debt

The matter was later dismissed.

Hire an Attorney

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

• 1-317-684-1000
• 1-800-467-8822

If you see either one on your caller ID, it means that you are being called by Statewide Credit Association. If they contact you at a harassing rate over a debt that isn’t even yours, hire a consumer attorney who can help you assert your rights.

If you file a claim against Statewide Credit Association and the court rules in your favor, you could receive $1,000 per FDCPA violation in addition to court costs associated with the action. When a debt collector goes too far, a consumer attorney will help you fight for compensation.

Case taken from PACER (pacer.gov). File number is Case 3:13-cv-01078-JTM-CAN from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, South Bend Division.

Additional Resources

• Did a Debt Collector Identify Themselves to a Third-Party?
• FDCPA Laws in Indiana

*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 Statewide Credit Association, or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.