If you find that a collection account from Bull City Financial Solutions has been added to your credit report, then you know how devastating it can be.
Your credit score plummets. You start getting denied for loans. You begin receiving harassing phone calls from debt collectors demanding that you pay them.
But before you respond to that message or return that phone call… or before you send a single payment their way… you need to take a deep breath, calm down, and remember one important thing.
This is not a time for fast action. In fact, it’s just the opposite. The debt collectors at Bull City Financial are hoping that you do not read this webpage. They’re praying that you’ll panic. That you won’t bother to educate yourself on your rights as a consumer. And that you’ll pay them the money they say you owe them – regardless of whether or not you actually owe that debt.
After all, did you know that 79 percent of credit reports contain some kind of error or serious mistake, according to a study by U.S. PIRGs? This means that the likelihood of the information on your credit report being accurate is staggeringly low.
In this article, we will walk you through the steps you need to take in order to take control of the situation with Bull City Financial. So read on!
What is Bull City Financial Solutions?
Bull City Financial Solutions, Inc. is a debt collection agency that has operated out of Durham, North Carolina, since 1975. The company is also known as J.L. Walston and Associates, as well as Professional Credit Service.
Here is some basic information about the company:
Address: 2609 N. Duke St., Ste 500. Durham, NC 27704
Phone: 800-489-7999
Corporate Office: 919-286-5466
Years in Business: May 30, 1975 (incorporated and has been around for 50 years)
Contact Email: [Not available. The company directs consumers to fill out online contact forms instead.]
What Do Other Consumers Have to Say About Bull City Financial?
Despite their long history, Bull City Financial has a history of racking up a high number of consumer complaints.
According to data from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, complaints against the company increased by 355 percent between 2016 and 2021. This means that complaints rose from just 40 in 2016 to 182 in 2021. This ranked Bull City Financial as the 182nd most complained-about financial services company in the entire country for 2021.
The Better Business Bureau currently assigns a rating of C-minus to Bull City Financial. (The company was reportedly rated A+ as recently as 2017.) Of the 198 complaints that were filed against the company through the BBB in the last three years, only five of them have been closed to the satisfaction of the consumer. That means the company has managed a resolution rate of just 2.5 percent.
The content of the complaints against Bull City Financial is perhaps more telling than the quantity alone. Many consumers have reported that the company engages in aggressive tactics and frequently fails to verify the debts it claims are owed.
Here’s what one verified reviewer had to say about their experience with Bull City Financial on WalletHub:
“Absolutely the most vile customer service agents I have ever had the displeasure of speaking with. So happy that I called, informed them the account wasn’t mine and on my recorded line, they called me a deadbeat and told me to pay my bills.”
Now that we have covered the essential background information on the company, let’s dive into our five-step process for dealing with a collection account from Bull City Financial Solutions.
Step 1: Gather Your Intelligence
The very first thing you need to do is get your hands on a copy of your credit report. Why? Because you need to understand exactly what Bull City Financial has reported about you.
Fortunately, federal law says you’re entitled to a free annual credit report from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus – TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax. So head on over to AnnualCreditReport.com to request your reports now.
Once you’ve got your reports in hand, go through them carefully. Start with the information Bull City Financial has reported. Make sure you understand every detail about the account, from the balance they’re claiming to the date of first delinquency.
As you review this information, pay special attention to any discrepancies you find. Is the balance wrong? Is the original creditor name correct? Are they using the right date of first delinquency?
Keep in mind that collection agencies frequently report incorrect information to the credit reporting bureaus. So the more mistakes you can find, the better.
Also, never forget that your credit report is the battlefield here. We’re not talking about whether or not you owe money. We’re talking about what’s being reported on your credit report and how long it’s going to be allowed to damage your credit.
Finally, document everything. It’s time to create a file for this particular collection account. So go ahead and print out your credit reports. Highlight the information about Bull City Financial. Make a note of the account number they’re using and the balance they’re claiming. Jot down how they’ve classified the debt and when the date of first delinquency is.
In addition, dig out any paperwork you still have related to the original account. This might include bank statements, receipts, letters from the creditor – anything.
The more documentation you can find that creates a disconnect between their story and yours, the more powerful your position will be moving forward.
Step 2: Understand Your Strategic Position
Why You Should Never Pay First
It’s only natural if your initial reaction here is to pay what you owe and move on. In fact, this is probably what Bull City Financial is hoping for. But the truth is that paying is usually the worst financial decision you can make.
For one thing, paying a collection account does not mean it will be removed from your report. All it does is change the status of the account from “unpaid collection” to “paid collection.” The account remains. And it will continue to harm your credit for up to seven years.
On top of that, if this is an old debt you’re dealing with, making a payment on it can actually reset the clock, known as the statute of limitations, and leave you open to getting sued for a debt that may not have been collectible before you paid it.
Finally, when you make a payment on a debt like this, you may be acknowledging that you owe it, which can eliminate any defenses you may have had if the debt was not yours or the amount was not accurate.
All of this is why your best bet here is almost always to dispute first. In many cases, you can get the collection removed entirely if the information about it is not accurate, is an error or inaccuracy, or is fraudulent or cannot be verified within a reasonable amount of time.
The Power of Silence
Every single debt collector is a trained negotiator. Their goal with every phone call is to get you to do something – agree to something, promise something, pay something – without them ever being required to keep up their end of the bargain.
But your silence is power. So don’t give it away.
In fact, this is one reason we always recommend that consumers never initiate contact with a debt collector. Instead, we suggest you speak with a professional credit repair expert who can help you make the right decision and develop the right strategy for your needs.
Just consider the recent experience of one consumer who filed a complaint against Bull City Financial with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau:
“During my validation period with this company I requested that they validate the debt, which they agreed to and were supposed to only send me documentation that proved I owed the debt. Instead they sent me other people’s entire medical records with their social security numbers on them. I feel like this was a violation of other people’s privacy.”
Clearly, this consumer did the right thing and kept their wits about them as they dealt with Bull City Financial. And in the end, that meant the consumer was the one with the power, not the debt collector.
Step 3: Challenge the Information
Disputing Inaccurate Info
Do you remember how we said that 79 percent of credit reports contain errors or inaccuracies? Well, under a federal law called the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), you actually have the right to challenge any information about you that you believe is not accurate or may be incorrect.
So if there’s something on your credit report that you don’t think is right, you can file a dispute with the credit reporting bureau. They’ll have 30 days to investigate. And if they cannot verify that the information is accurate, they’ll have no choice but to delete it.
In the case of Bull City Financial, there are already some warning signs out there that the company may have a problem when it comes to verifying the information it’s reporting.
For example, if you take a close look at how Bull City Financial responds to complaints that consumers file with the Better Business Bureau, you’ll notice something interesting. In virtually every case, the company has the exact same response. They say, “In accordance with the FDCPA section 805 (a), we will not respond to this complaint because we cannot verify any personal information through this website due to privacy laws.”
Now, we’re not saying that Bull City Financial doesn’t have the information it needs to verify accounts. But we do think that when every response is the same – down to the word – it may indicate that there’s a problem somewhere along the line.
Whatever the reason, the reality here is simple: If you file a dispute and Bull City Financial cannot verify that they have the right to collect this debt, that you owe the amount they’re claiming and that the debt is actually yours, they’ll have no choice but to have it removed.
What Makes an Effective Dispute?
If you Google around for sample dispute letters or consult with a nonprofit credit counselor, you may be tempted to simply cut and paste a generic template into a letter and send it off. But the truth is that those generic letters are likely to get you a generic response right back.
So what’s the difference between an effective dispute and an ineffective one? The answer is simple. An effective dispute is specific. It points out an error in your report and explains why it’s wrong.
For example, if you say the balance is wrong, tell them what it should be instead – and explain why. If you say the date of first delinquency is wrong, tell them what it should be instead – and explain why.
And remember, the point here is not to prove that you don’t owe the debt. It’s to prove that what’s being reported about you is not accurate.
If you need evidence that this can work, consider that PacerMonitor Maintenance reports that there have been at least 13 lawsuits filed against Bull City Financial in federal court since 2009 in eight different states.
Many of the suits allege violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, a federal law that prohibits abusive, deceptive and unfair debt collection practices. The allegations against Bull City Financial include failure to validate a debt within the required amount of time, making false or misleading statements and attempting to collect the wrong amount.
Of course, none of this means that Bull City Financial actually did any of these things or that they lost any of these cases. But at the same time, we do think that when there are this many smoke signals in the air, there may actually be a fire.
And either way, the point here remains the same: If you identify the right inconsistency, there’s a good chance you may be able to get a collection account removed from your credit report.
This is also why we always recommend that consumers work with a professional credit repair expert who understands how to identify the most important inconsistencies and craft an effective dispute letter.
Step 4: Consider Any Settlement Offer
What a Settlement Offer Really Means
Let’s say that Bull City Financial offers to let you settle with them for less than the full amount they’re claiming. This is a common practice in the debt collection industry known as a settlement or partial payment.
Now, it’s only natural if your first thought here is that Bull City Financial must be willing to accept less because that’s really all you owe. But the truth is that’s almost certainly not what’s going on here.
The reality is that most of the time when a debt collector makes a settlement offer like this, what they’re really telling you is that they don’t have the documentation to verify the debt. Or they don’t have the right to collect it. Or it’s not really your debt at all.
Whatever the reason, if Bull City Financial is willing to accept less than the amount they’re claiming, that tells you that the amount is not fixed. And that they’re just trying to get whatever they can from you.
Whatever you do, don’t ever trust a verbal promise from a debt collector. If they call you on the phone and promise to delete the account from your credit report if you pay a certain amount, that means nothing. Because once you make the payment, you have no way to enforce the agreement.
And remember that an email or a letter is always better than a phone call.
Should You Try for a Pay-for-Delete?
Some consumers reading this right now may be tempted to try to negotiate a pay-for-delete arrangement with Bull City Financial. This is when you offer to pay some or all of what they’re claiming in exchange for their agreement to completely remove the account from your credit report.
Now, we’re not going to lie. Getting a pay-for-delete agreement can be a viable strategy in some cases. However, there are also some reasons why this approach is not usually your best bet.
For one thing, many debt collectors are not willing to agree to a pay-for-delete because it technically violates their contract with the credit reporting bureaus. On top of that, even if they do agree on the phone, that’s not worth anything. Because once you pay them, you have no way to enforce the agreement.
Finally, if you follow the steps outlined in this article, you may actually be able to get the outcome you’re looking for – which is removal of the debt – without having to pay them a thing.
Whatever you decide, never forget that Bull City Financial is not your friend. And the less you pay them, the better.
For example, in June 2025, the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation announced that it had reached a settlement with Bull City Financial to resolve allegations of unlawful debt collection licensing activity.
According to the terms of the agreement, Bull City Financial will pay a $5,000 penalty to the state of California. On top of that, the company has also agreed to submit the required licensing fee, which totals $1,130, for its debt collector license.
The settlement resolves an investigation by the California DFPI that found Bull City Financial had been engaging in debt collection activities within the state since January 2020 without a license.
We mention this in part because it appears to be an example of how Bull City Financial may have run afoul of regulators before. And we always think that’s something consumers should know about when they’re determining how to proceed in a situation like this.
Step 5: Know When You Need to Hire a Professional
The DIY Trap
When you’re facing a debt collection issue like this, it can be tempting to try to handle it on your own. After all, the forms seem simple. The law seems clear. And it seems like a waste to pay someone to help you with something you could do yourself.
But the truth is that this kind of thinking gets consumers into trouble more often than you might think.
Think about it like this. When you initiate a dispute with a debt collector, you’re taking on a professional negotiator who does this kind of thing for a living. They know all of the ins and outs of federal and state consumer protection laws. And they have all of the experience in the world when it comes to taking advantage of people who do not know any better.
Meanwhile, you’re an amateur. You do not do this for a living. And you may not even have a good sense of your rights under the law or how to proceed.
Given this, is it really the best idea for you to try to go this alone? Or would you be better off hiring a professional who can give you the help and guidance you need?
What a Pro Can Do For You
If you’re on the fence here, let us ask you one final question. Are you aware of the specific documents that a debt collector is required to keep? And do you know which ones you should request to verify their claims?
If the answer is no, you’re definitely not alone. But you need to recognize that this is not a DIY project. This is a job for a professional.
And it’s also important to understand that when you hire a credit repair expert, they will handle all of the communication with the debt collector for you. This is important because it helps protect you from the traps that we just talked about.
But that’s not all. A credit repair expert can also help you understand your rights and make the right strategic decisions based on your individual circumstances and needs.
Just consider what one former employee had to say about their experience working at Bull City Financial, in an anonymous review of the company left on the website Glassdoor:
“I’ve never done anything more unethical. They teach you how to lie to collect money from people with medical issues.”
When you hear how Bull City Financial employees have been trained to treat consumers, doesn’t that make you want to hire someone to represent your interests and look out for you?
Our Final Thoughts
As we just said, the team at FightCollections.com is committed to providing consumers with the help and guidance you need to fight back against debt collectors and clean up errors on your credit report.
So if you are facing a situation with Bull City Financial or any other debt collection agency, we encourage you to reach out to us today to schedule your free consultation.
During your consultation, we will help you understand your rights and make the right decisions based on your individual circumstances and needs. We will also help you review your credit reports, identify any errors or inaccuracies and develop a strategy to fight for their removal.
Whatever you do, don’t try to go this alone. And whatever you do, don’t pay them. Because the truth is that you may not owe them a thing.