CFPB Consumer Complaint Profile

Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc.

Consumers have filed 78 complaints with the CFPB against this company, a record that maps out how disputes over credit, billing and collections tend to unfold.

Data updated 2026-08-14

78
Total complaints
Mid-range
0
Last 12 months
92.3%
Timely response
Bottom quartile
24
States affected

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The verdict

Among 3,843 financial companies tracked by CFPB complaint volume, Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc. sits at #1485, with 78 complaints logged. On-time replies land at 92.3%, the 22nd percentile for the 100+ complaint peer group.

#1485
of 3,843 companies by volume
92.3%
on time (22nd pctile)
Debt collection
most-complained product
24
states with complaints

Raw complaint volume, not a rate: larger institutions naturally draw more CFPB complaints because they serve more customers, and a complaint is a consumer-filed record, not a proven finding of wrongdoing.

F
PlainCredit Trust Score
37/100
Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc. · 3 of 3 dimensions reported

Based on this company's own CFPB response record -- timely response, dispute rate, and relief rate, each benchmarked against every tracked company with 10+ complaints. Not a measure of product quality, pricing, or company size.

Timely Response D 92.3%
Share of complaints answered within the CFPB response window
Dispute Rate C- 15.4%
Share of responses the consumer disputed (lower is better)
Relief Rate F 0.0%
Share of complaints closed with monetary or non-monetary relief

Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc. vs. all companies by on-time response rate

Every company with 100+ CFPB complaints on file (1,335 total)

92.3% Among the lowest higher than 22% of 1,335 companies

companies with 100+ CFPB complaints, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more companies. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Consumer Complaint Database · 2026-08-14

Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc. timely response rate 92.3%
Industry benchmark

Percent of CFPB complaints answered within the regulator's expected window. Industry benchmark sits at 95%.

Reading this profile

Complaints by Product

Debt collection - Other (i.e. phone, health club, etc.) 32
Debt collection - I do not know 21
Debt collection - Medical 15
Debt collection - Credit card 7
Debt collection - Auto 2
Student loan - Federal student loan servicing 1

Top Issues

1.Cont'd attempts collect debt not owed 39
2.Communication tactics 19
3.Disclosure verification of debt 11
4.False statements or representation 4
5.Improper contact or sharing of info 3
6.Dealing with my lender or servicer 1
7.Taking/threatening an illegal action 1

Complaints by Year

Year Complaints
2013 8
2014 35
2015 18
2016 17

Complaints by State (Top 15)

New York 10
California 8
Florida 8
Texas 8
Ohio 6
Virginia 6
Georgia 5
North Carolina 4
Tennessee 3
New Jersey 3
Oregon 2
Massachusetts 2
Kansas 2
Wyoming 1
Maryland 1

Company Responses

Closed with explanation 73
Untimely response 5

What the CFPB Complaint Record Shows for Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc.

78 complaints against Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc. appear in the CFPB record, including 0 from the trailing year. The 24 states and territories represented put this footprint in multi-regional territory. No product draws more complaints than "Debt collection," which sits at the top of the product breakdown. Within that category, the most frequently cited specific issue is "Cont'd attempts collect debt not owed" - a useful starting point for anyone trying to understand what goes wrong most often in the company's consumer interactions.

CFPB-forwarded complaints against Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc. draw a 92.3% reply rate inside the Bureau's 15-day window. That falls short of the 95% benchmark, a gap that tends to track with more disputes downstream. The company's response carried a 15.4% formal-dispute rate on resolved cases, indicating how frequently the initial fix fell short. Among resolved complaints, the consumer-relief closure rate is 0%.

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, and the ratio of monetary-relief closures to closed-without-relief outcomes. Together, these fields provide context for reading the published CFPB record; they do not establish wrongdoing or resolve an individual dispute.

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 Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc. have?

The CFPB has logged 78 complaints against Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc. to date, of which 0 came in over the last 12 months.

Does Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc. respond to complaints on time?

Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc.'s CFPB timely-response rate is 92.3%.

What product generates the most complaints for Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc.?

Among all products tied to Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc., "Debt collection" accounts for the largest share of complaints (full breakdown above).

What is the most common complaint issue with Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc.?

Consumers most often cite "Cont'd attempts collect debt not owed" when complaining about Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc.; the full issue list with counts is above.

How do I file a complaint against Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc.?

You can file a complaint against Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc. 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 Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc.?

Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc. has drawn CFPB complaints from 24 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.

Nationwide companies with similar complaint volume or dispute rates

Two CFPB peer sets for Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc.: nearest financial companies by total complaint volume and by the share of complaints consumers mark as disputed. These are cross-firm neighborhoods, not the product-category list below.

Similar dispute rates

Nearest companies by share of complaints marked disputed (15.4% here).

Also handles Debt collection

Other companies with the same primary CFPB product category on file.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many CFPB complaints does Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc. have?

The CFPB has logged 78 complaints against Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc. to date, of which 0 came in over the last 12 months.

Does Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc. respond to complaints on time?

Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc.'s CFPB timely-response rate is 92.3%.

What product generates the most complaints for Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc.?

Among all products tied to Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc., "Debt collection" accounts for the largest share of complaints (full breakdown above).

What is the most common complaint issue with Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc.?

Consumers most often cite "Cont'd attempts collect debt not owed" when complaining about Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc.; the full issue list with counts is above.

How do I file a complaint against Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc.?

You can file a complaint against Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc. 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 Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc.?

Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc. has drawn CFPB complaints from 24 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.

Stephens and Michaels Associates, Inc.'s complaint figures come from the CFPB Consumer Complaint Database, data through March 2026. See our methodology for details.