CFPB Consumer Complaint Profile

Sterling & Associates, LLC

What 31 consumer complaints filed with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reveal about how this company handles credit, billing and collection disputes.

31
Total complaints
1
Last 12 months
6.5%
Timely response
15
States affected

The verdict

Sterling & Associates, LLC ranks #2307 of 3,848 financial companies by CFPB complaint volume, with 31 complaints on record. It answers 6.5% of complaints on time — below the 93% median for companies with 100+ complaints.

#2307
of 3,848 companies by volume
6.5%
answered on time
Debt collection
most-complained product
15
states with complaints
Sterling & Associates, LLC timely response rate 6.5%
Industry benchmark

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

Complaints by Product

Debt collection — Payday loan debt 14
Debt collection — I do not know 4
Debt collection — Other debt 4
Payday loan, title loan, or personal loan — Payday loan 3
Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports — Other personal consumer report 2
Debt collection — Credit card debt 2
Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting 1
Debt collection — Payday loan 1

Top Issues

1.Took or threatened to take negative or legal action 15
2.False statements or representation 3
3.Written notification about debt 3
4.Incorrect information on your report 2
5.Communication tactics 2
6.Can't contact lender or servicer 2
7.Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem 1
8.Attempts to collect debt not owed 1
9.Taking/threatening an illegal action 1
10.Problem with the payoff process at the end of the loan 1

Complaints by Year

Year Complaints
2016 1
2017 3
2018 7
2019 4
2020 3
2021 7
2022 2
2023 1
2024 1
2025 2

Complaints by State (Top 15)

Georgia 6
Florida 3
Ohio 3
Louisiana 2
Illinois 2
Texas 2
Tennessee 2
Wisconsin 1
California 1
Missouri 1
Indiana 1
South Carolina 1
New Jersey 1
Colorado 1
North Carolina 1

Company Responses

Untimely response 22
Closed with explanation 9

What the CFPB Complaint Record Shows for Sterling & Associates, LLC

The CFPB Consumer Complaint Database has logged 31 complaints against Sterling & Associates, LLC overall, with 1 of those filed in the trailing 12 months. Reports have come from consumers in 15 states and territories, making this a multi-regional complaint footprint. The single largest complaint category is "Debt collection," which consistently leads the product-level breakdown and signals where consumer friction is most acute. Within that category, the most frequently cited specific issue is "Took or threatened to take negative or legal action" — a useful starting point for anyone trying to understand what goes wrong most often in the company's consumer interactions.

Sterling & Associates, LLC's timely response rate stands at 6.5%, meaning that share of CFPB-forwarded complaints received a company reply within the 15-day window the Bureau expects. That is well below the 95% industry benchmark and is a material red flag — late or missing responses are one of the strongest predictors of CFPB supervisory interest. Consumers formally disputed the company's response in 0% of resolved cases, a signal of how often the initial resolution failed to satisfy the complainant. Of complaints that were resolved, 0% closed with some form of monetary or non-monetary relief to the consumer.

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 Sterling & Associates, LLC have?

Sterling & Associates, LLC has 31 total consumer complaints filed with the CFPB, with 1 filed in the last 12 months.

Does Sterling & Associates, LLC respond to complaints on time?

Sterling & Associates, LLC has a 6.5% timely response rate to CFPB complaints. This is below the typical industry benchmark of 95%.

What product generates the most complaints for Sterling & Associates, LLC?

The most complained-about product for Sterling & Associates, LLC is "Debt collection." You can view the full product breakdown on this page.

What is the most common complaint issue with Sterling & Associates, LLC?

The most common issue reported by consumers about Sterling & Associates, LLC is "Took or threatened to take negative or legal action." All complaint issues are listed above with their counts.

How do I file a complaint against Sterling & Associates, LLC?

You can file a complaint against Sterling & 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 Sterling & Associates, LLC?

Consumers in 15 states and territories have filed complaints about Sterling & Associates, LLC with the CFPB.

Source: CFPB Consumer Complaint Database CFPB Consumer Complaint Database Data through March 2026

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