CFPB Consumer Complaint Profile

The Stark Collection Agency, Inc.

Behind the 196 CFPB complaints on file for this company is a data trail showing how it typically handles credit, billing and collection disputes.

Data updated 2026-08-14

196
Total complaints
Above average
60
Last 12 months
77%
Timely response
Bottom decile
30
States affected

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The verdict

The Stark Collection Agency, Inc. ranks #953 of 3,843 financial companies by CFPB complaint volume, with 196 complaints on record. On-time replies land at 77%, the 8th percentile for the 100+ complaint peer group.

#953
of 3,843 companies by volume
77%
on time (8th pctile)
Debt collection
most-complained product
30
states with complaints
F
PlainCredit Trust Score
28/100
The Stark Collection Agency, 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 F 77.0%
Share of complaints answered within the CFPB response window
Dispute Rate F 38.9%
Share of responses the consumer disputed (lower is better)
Relief Rate C- 2.6%
Share of complaints closed with monetary or non-monetary relief

The Stark Collection Agency, Inc. vs. all companies by on-time response rate

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

77% Among the lowest higher than 8% 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

What changed

CFPB Consumer Complaint Database 2024 to 2025 complete years

  • Annual CFPB complaint volume moved from 42 in 2024 to 53 in 2025 (2024 → 2025).

See the full year-over-year release diff

The Stark Collection Agency, Inc. timely response rate 77.0%
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 - I do not know 88
Debt collection - Other debt 36
Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports - Credit reporting 19
Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports - Credit reporting 14
Debt collection - Other (i.e. phone, health club, etc.) 10
Debt collection - Auto debt 6
Debt collection - Telecommunications debt 6
Debt collection - Credit card debt 4
Debt collection - Private student loan debt 3
Debt collection - Medical 2

Top Issues

1.Attempts to collect debt not owed 63
2.Written notification about debt 39
3.Took or threatened to take negative or legal action 20
4.False statements or representation 19
5.Incorrect information on your report 17
6.Improper use of your report 11
7.Communication tactics 7
8.Cont'd attempts collect debt not owed 5
9.Disclosure verification of debt 3
10.Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem 3

Complaints by Year

Year Complaints
2013 3
2014 7
2015 3
2016 4
2017 3
2018 6
2019 9
2020 10
2021 11
2022 12
2023 14
2024 42
2025 53
2026year in progress 19

Complaints by State (Top 15)

Wisconsin 60
Iowa 22
Illinois 15
Tennessee 12
Minnesota 12
Texas 11
Georgia 7
Missouri 5
Florida 5
North Carolina 4
New Mexico 4
Idaho 4
Ohio 4
Indiana 3
South Carolina 3

Company Responses

Closed with explanation 172
Untimely response 19
Closed with non-monetary relief 3
Closed with monetary relief 2

What the CFPB Complaint Record Shows for The Stark Collection Agency, Inc.

196 complaints against The Stark Collection Agency, Inc. appear in the CFPB record, including 60 from the trailing year. The 30 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 "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.

Within the Bureau's 15-day response window, The Stark Collection Agency, Inc. posts a 77% reply rate on forwarded complaints. That trails the 95% benchmark badly, a red flag given how strongly late or missing responses predict CFPB supervisory attention. Resolved cases drew a formal consumer-dispute rate of 38.9% - a rough measure of how often the first resolution missed the mark. Among resolved complaints, the consumer-relief closure rate is 2.6%.

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 The Stark Collection Agency, Inc. have?

The CFPB has logged 196 complaints against The Stark Collection Agency, Inc. to date, of which 60 came in over the last 12 months.

Does The Stark Collection Agency, Inc. respond to complaints on time?

CFPB complaints against The Stark Collection Agency, Inc. draw a 77% timely-response rate inside the expected window. That falls well short of the 95% benchmark most companies clear.

What product generates the most complaints for The Stark Collection Agency, Inc.?

Among all products tied to The Stark Collection Agency, Inc., "Debt collection" accounts for the largest share of complaints (full breakdown above).

What is the most common complaint issue with The Stark Collection Agency, Inc.?

Consumers most often cite "Attempts to collect debt not owed" when complaining about The Stark Collection Agency, Inc.; the full issue list with counts is above.

How do I file a complaint against The Stark Collection Agency, Inc.?

You can file a complaint against The Stark Collection Agency, 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 The Stark Collection Agency, Inc.?

The Stark Collection Agency, Inc. has drawn CFPB complaints from 30 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 The Stark Collection Agency, 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 (38.9% here).

Also handles Debt collection

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

Source: CFPB Consumer Complaint Database Data through March 2026