CFPB Consumer Complaint Profile
Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC
Behind the 54,759 CFPB complaints on file for this company is a data trail showing how it typically handles credit, billing and collection disputes.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 54,759
- Total complaints
- 17,579
- Last 12 months
- 98.7%
- Timely response
- 57
- States affected
The verdict
54,759 CFPB complaints put Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC at #13 out of 3,848 financial companies ranked by complaint volume. It answers 98.7% of complaints on time - above the 93% median for companies with 100+ complaints.
- #13
- of 3,848 companies by volume
- 98.7%
- answered on time
- Debt collection
- most-complained product
- 57
- states with complaints
Percent of CFPB complaints answered within the regulator's expected window. Industry benchmark sits at 95%.
Reading this profile
Complaints by Product
Top Issues
Complaints by Year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2013 | 341 |
| 2014 | 1,183 |
| 2015 | 1,468 |
| 2016 | 1,502 |
| 2017 | 2,205 |
| 2018 | 2,881 |
| 2019 | 2,259 |
| 2020 | 3,160 |
| 2021 | 4,435 |
| 2022 | 3,136 |
| 2023 | 3,667 |
| 2024 | 7,613 |
| 2025 | 16,199 |
| 2026 | 4,710 |
Complaints by State (Top 15)
Company Responses
What the CFPB Complaint Record Shows for Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC
The CFPB Consumer Complaint Database has logged 54,759 complaints against Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC overall, with 17,579 of those filed in the trailing 12 months. Reports have come from consumers in 57 states and territories, making this a nationwide complaint footprint. "Debt collection" tops the product-level breakdown by a clear margin, marking it as the area of greatest consumer friction. Within that category, the most frequently cited specific issue is "Attempts to collect debt not owed" - a useful starting point for anyone trying to understand what goes wrong most often in the company's consumer interactions.
98.7% of CFPB-forwarded complaints against Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC get a reply inside the Bureau's 15-day window. That is at or above benchmark levels, a sign the company handles intake and escalation well. In 21.8% of resolved cases, the consumer formally disputed the company's response - a rough measure of how often the first resolution missed the mark. Among resolved complaints, 35.8% closed with the consumer receiving monetary or non-monetary relief.
How to read complaint counts
Complaint counts alone do not tell the full story, larger institutions with more customers will naturally generate more complaints in absolute terms. The more informative signals are the direction of the yearly trend shown above, the state-level concentration (which hints at regional servicing issues or regulatory exposure), and the ratio of monetary-relief closures to closed-without-relief outcomes. Taken together, these fields give consumers a reasonable empirical basis for deciding whether to escalate a dispute, and give researchers a starting point for investigating institutional patterns.
Educational data summary, not financial or legal advice. Individual complaint outcomes vary. Consumers should consult a qualified attorney or financial advisor for guidance on a specific dispute.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many CFPB complaints does Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC have?
54,759 complaints have been filed against Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC with the CFPB overall - 17,579 of them in the past year.
Does Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC respond to complaints on time?
98.7% of the CFPB complaints against Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC get a response within the expected window. That is a strong response record by CFPB standards.
What product generates the most complaints for Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC?
The most complained-about product for Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC is "Debt collection." You can view the full product breakdown on this page.
What is the most common complaint issue with Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC?
Consumers most often cite "Attempts to collect debt not owed" when complaining about Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC; the full issue list with counts is above.
How do I file a complaint against Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC?
You can file a complaint against Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC directly with the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint. The CFPB will forward your complaint to the company and work to get you a response, typically within 15 days.
In how many states have consumers complained about Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC?
Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC has drawn CFPB complaints from 57 states and territories. That figure covers the 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, and smaller CFPB-tracked jurisdictions (Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, military postal codes), so it can run higher than the 52 states/territories with a dedicated page on this site.
Similar Companies
Matched by complaint volume nationwide and by product category - a different peer set than the sibling-portal links below.
Similar complaint volume (~54,759)
Also handles Debt collection
Source: CFPB Consumer Complaint Database CFPB Consumer Complaint Database Data through March 2026
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.