Are you dealing with a collection account on your credit report from Hollis Cobb Associates? Before you do anything else, it’s essential that you understand who this debt collection agency is, what their history is, and where their weaknesses are.
Many consumers mistakenly believe that simply paying off a collection account is the best course of action for your credit report. In reality, paying off a collection account is not that simple. A paid collection can still hurt your credit report, and actually paying it can sometimes even re-start the clock for how long that negative information shows up on your credit report. So, what can you do instead?
First, you have to understand what you’re up against.
Who is Hollis Cobb Associates?
Hollis Cobb Associates is a debt collection agency that primarily focuses on collecting medical debt. Here’s their contact information:
Contact Information:
Address: 3175 Satellite Boulevard, Building 600, Suite 400, Duluth, GA 30096-9040
Phone: (678) 969-7800
Billing Questions: (678) 606-5537
Email: Sales@holliscobb.com
Mailing Address: PO Box 279, Norcross, GA 30091-0279
Years in Business: Founded on March 4, 1977 – 48 years
CEO: Greg Hocutt
This company also operates under several different trade names, including:
Patient Accounts Bureau
North Georgia Credit Services
Retail Account Bureau
First South Business Administrative
This means you might see a collection on your credit report under one of these different names, but it’s actually still associated with Hollis Cobb Associates.
The History of Hollis Cobb Associates
The history of Hollis Cobb Associates includes a number of concerning issues for consumers, particularly when it comes to their licensing and debt collection practices.
In April 2025, Hollis Cobb Associates was issued a Desist and Refrain Order from the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation for violating the Debt Collection Licensing Act. This means the company was essentially practicing without a license, or violating consumer protection laws in some way that rose to the level of the state needing to step in.
This isn’t the first time the company has run into regulatory issues, either. Back in 2010, the West Virginia Attorney General’s office reached a settlement with Hollis Cobb Associates after the company allegedly attempted to collect debts in the state without first obtaining the proper licensing. As a result, Hollis Cobb Associates was forced to issue refunds totaling over $15,337 to consumers who were impacted.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has received more than 87 complaints about Hollis Cobb Associates. Many of those complaints describe harassment, attempting to collect a debt that has already been paid, disclosing information about the debt to third parties, and failing to identify the debt. All of these are violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), and ones you may be able to leverage in your favor if you’re dealing with this company.
Why You Should Dispute Before You Pay
Why is it so important to dispute a collection account before you pay it? To start, it’s essential to recognize that paying a collection account is not going to simply make the account go away. In fact, research has shown that as many as 79% of all credit reports contain errors or inaccuracies of some kind. So, before you pay a collection account, you should first verify that it’s valid.
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act says that you have the right to request validation of a debt that you don’t think you owe. If you request debt validation, the collection agency will have to provide you with documentation that proves you owe the debt, that the correct amount is being collected, and that the agency has the right to collect the debt on behalf of the original creditor.
If the collection agency is unable to provide that documentation, then the account could potentially be removed from your credit report altogether.
Additionally, it’s worth noting that if you make a payment on a collection account, you could inadvertently restart the clock for how long that information can remain on your credit report. Most negative information can only be included on your credit report for seven years from the original date it was first reported. However, if you make a payment on an old debt collection, you could restart that clock and cause the information to remain on your credit report for another seven years.
Communicating with a Debt Collection Agency
It’s extremely important that you do not communicate with a debt collection agency over the phone. In fact, you should never place a call to a debt collection agency for any reason. If you talk to a debt collector on the phone, there’s no record of what was discussed or agreed to. Plus, it’s easy to miscommunicate or for the debt collector to lie about your payment or the status of your account.
A debt collector may also try to coerce you into paying a debt immediately, and could even threaten to sue you or have you arrested if you don’t pay. In reality, though, debt collection agencies very rarely file lawsuits against consumers. And, debt collectors cannot have you arrested for not paying a debt. Those are simply scare tactics designed to get you to pay up.
Instead of calling, any communication with a debt collector should be done in writing and sent via certified mail with return receipt requested. This provides you with a paper trail in the event that you need it later, and can help prevent a debt collector from claiming you admitted that you owe a debt if you talk to them on the phone.
You should also be on the lookout for other harassment and intimidation tactics that debt collectors might use. For example, the CFPB has received complaints about Hollis Cobb Associates threatening to garnish consumers’ wages without a court order, or even have them thrown in jail for not paying a debt. Again, these are illegal threats, but ones that consumers often take seriously because they don’t know their rights.
One consumer even reported to the Better Business Bureau that a representative from Hollis Cobb Associates called them daily, sometimes multiple times per day, and were extremely rude and unprofessional when they did answer the phone.
“I have answered and tried speaking with these people and they are very rude, refuse to answer any questions unless I provide my social security number… One of their employees that called was so extremely rude that they called me names, mocked me, told me they needed to speak to my husband since I was an ignorant woman.”
Federal Lawsuits
Hollis Cobb Associates has been a defendant in at least 19 federal lawsuits since 1989. The majority of those lawsuits accuse the company of violating the FDCPA and/or the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Many of those lawsuits are still pending, but in others the court has already ruled in favor of the consumer.
In the case of Franklin v. Hollis Cobb Associates, which was filed in the Northern District of Georgia in 2021, the consumer accused the company of placing repeated robocalls after they revoked consent to be contacted. In September 2022, the court denied Hollis Cobb’s motion for summary judgment, and allowed the case to proceed to trial after finding that there were “genuine issues of material fact” about both the revocation of consent and the use of prerecorded messages.
In another case, called Spillers v. Hollis Cobb Associates and filed in 2017, the consumer accused the company of attempting to collect a debt from her on multiple occasions after she filed for bankruptcy. When a consumer files for bankruptcy, by law debt collection agencies must cease all collection activities. Continuing to attempt to collect a debt from someone who has filed for bankruptcy protection is a violation of federal law.
What to Do If You’re Dealing with Hollis Cobb Associates
If you’re dealing with Hollis Cobb Associates on your credit report, there are a few steps you should take.
First, make sure you understand your rights under the FDCPA. That law says debt collectors can’t harass or abuse consumers, and must be truthful about the debts they are attempting to collect. If you believe a debt collector has violated your rights under the FDCPA, you may have legal recourse.
Next, carefully review your credit report to see how the debt from Hollis Cobb Associates is being reported. Take note of the date the account was first reported, as well as the current balance and status of the account. You should pull copies of your full credit report from all three of the major credit reporting bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — to compare that information and see if it’s consistent across all three reports.
If you find any information that you believe is inaccurate or incomplete, your first step should be to dispute that information with the credit reporting bureau. You can do this by sending a written letter via certified mail with return receipt requested. In your letter, state the account you are disputing, the reason you are disputing it, and include any documentation you have to support your position.
You can also dispute the account directly with the credit reporting bureau online, but if you do choose to dispute online you should still also follow up with a written letter and retain documentation to prove that you disputed the account and the credit reporting bureau received your dispute.
Why You Need Professional Help
Debt collectors have entire staffs of people who do nothing but attempt to collect debts all day, every day. They know the laws inside and out, they know all of the deadlines and time limits, and they know all of the high-pressure tactics designed to get consumers to make payments on debt collections as quickly as possible.
When you’re up against that kind of expertise and experience, you are at a distinct disadvantage. By working with a professional, you can help level the playing field and ensure a fair outcome. With professional assistance, you will also be able to ensure you’re meeting all of the necessary deadlines and following the right procedures.
Additionally, the professionals at FightCollections.com have extensive experience with debt collection agencies like Hollis Cobb Associates, and we know all of the tactics they use to attempt to collect debts. We can help you anticipate their next move, and make a plan to respond accordingly.
We can even communicate with the debt collector on your behalf, so you don’t have to talk to them at all. Instead, we will handle all of the communication and ensure everything is done properly.
Conclusion
Hollis Cobb Associates has a long history of regulatory issues, federal lawsuits, and complaints from consumers. The company has been the subject of a Desist and Refrain Order from the state of California, and has reached a settlement with the state of West Virginia after attempting to collect debts without a license. The CFPB has received dozens of complaints about the company, and there are nearly 20 federal lawsuits pending against them.
All of those issues are very concerning for consumers. However, they could also be leverage for you if you are dealing with this debt collection agency. With the right help and support, you may be able to get the debt collection removed from your credit report altogether. At the very least, you should take steps to verify that the information is complete and accurate before you make any payments.
So, what are you waiting for?
Take the first step today, and contact the professionals at FightCollections.com to schedule a free consultation. We can help you understand your legal rights and develop a strategic plan to address the debt collection agency and remove the negative information from your credit report once and for all.