Who is Midland Credit Management?
Are you receiving calls from 800-218-9570? This number is associated with Midland Credit Management. They are attempting to contact you because they have purchased a debt in your name — probably for 3-4% of the amount due — and are trying to get you to pay it in full.
You're not alone. This number has been linked to more than 22,000 recorded calls and over 130 consumer complaints through RoboKiller, and has been labeled as a robocall, scam, or debt collection by various users. Before you respond or return a call from this number, there are two pieces of information you should know.
Firstly, there are legal processes that can permanently stop these calls. Secondly, Midland Credit Management is one of the most fined debt collection agencies in the industry, which means that there are recognized weaknesses you can leverage to your advantage. Here's what you need to know about Midland Credit Management and how to handle calls from 800-218-9570.
Midland Credit Management is a debt buyer. This means that they purchase charged-off debts from the original creditor for a steep discount — usually around 3-4% of the face value — then attempt to collect the full amount from the consumer. They are a subsidiary of Encore Capital Group, a publicly-traded company. Their headquarters is located at 350 Camino de la Reina, Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92108.
The majority of the debts that Midland Credit Management collects are credit card debts, but they also pursue debts related to retail store cards, personal loans, telecommunications, utilities, auto loans, and some medical debts.
As a subsidiary of Encore Capital Group, Midland is part of a company that generates $1.3 billion in revenue annually and employs approximately 7,350 people around the world. Midland Credit Management operates in all 50 states and has 24 offices throughout the country, with additional call centers in India, Costa Rica, and the Philippines.
The company has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, although they are not accredited. In the past three years, the BBB has received 1,051 complaints about Midland Credit Management.
A history of regulatory actions
Midland Credit Management is not a debt collection agency with a spotless record. Along with their parent company, they have been the subject of more than $216 million in regulatory fines, actions, and settlements since 2012. Many of these actions were related to illegal practices such as excessive calling, robo-signing false affidavits, and attempting to collect debts that consumers did not owe.
As part of a class action settlement related to unauthorized robocalls, notices were sent to approximately 6.27 million consumers. Clearly, we're talking about a widespread issue.
Later in this article, we'll take a closer look at Midland's history of regulatory actions, because this information is essential to disputing their claims.
Why is Midland Credit Management calling me?
How debt buying works
Midland Credit Management is not calling you on behalf of the original creditor. Instead, they have purchased your debt and are now attempting to collect it from you. Typically, debts are sold to companies like Midland Credit Management when they are 180 days or more past due.
Research has shown that Midland pays an average of three cents on the dollar for the debts they purchase. This means that if you owe $5,000 on a credit card, they paid something like $150 for your debt, and are now attempting to collect the full $5,000 from you.
Understanding this is important, because it illustrates how much room there is for negotiation, and how little incentive Midland has to pursue a lawsuit over a small balance.
Why calls from 800-218-9570?
According to the Midland Credit Management website, 800-218-9570 is a legitimate customer service number that they use to make outbound collection calls. A robocall transcript captured by Nomorobo shows an automated message from this number attempting to contact specific individuals by name.
On Trustpilot, a user describes calls from this number and associated numbers like this: "They continuously called our phone number but the 800 number the caller ID showed was different every time, although they left the same call back number. I finally called back and they would not answer anything without our address and last 4 digits of SSN."
Calls from different numbers that all point back to the same company, with the same callback number, are indicative of automated dialing systems.
What are people saying about these calls?
Reports from across the web
Over and over again, people who have been called by 800-218-9570 report the same types of experiences. They receive repeated robocalls, and are unable to get information about the purpose of the calls unless they provide sensitive personal information.
On Trustpilot, where Midland Credit Management currently has a rating of 2.1 out of 5 stars — with 93% of reviewers giving them one star — user Mellie says: "I tried working things out with them and they were so rude right away. I was practically yelled at by two managers. They also lied about a debt I had."
Another reviewer who posted on the BBB website reports: "I dispute the validity of the debt. Upon further review, it appears that it is not my debt. Midland Credit Management, Inc. is aware that they have purchased a debt that is potentially not collectable. This brings into question their ethical and potentially legal behavior."
There's nothing unique about these complaints. In just three years, the BBB has received over 1,000 complaints about Midland Credit Management.
Harassment of third parties and emotional distress
Some of the worst reports involve people who are being called about debts that aren't even theirs. On WalletHub, a user reports: "A representative from Midland Credit Management called my granddaughter and asked if she was my emergency contact. She was in a panic because she thought something had happened to me."
On Trustpilot, another user says: "This company has been calling me about a relative's debt. When I told the person that I wasn't the correct contact for this debt, they threatened to come to my house."
These practices — contacting third parties, and using threats and intimidation to elicit a response — are among the behaviors that have been the subject of regulatory actions against Midland. This is also information that you can use to support your dispute.
A history of enforcement actions
Federal actions
In 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sued Midland Credit Management and its parent company, Encore Capital, for collecting debts without verifying their validity, filing lawsuits that relied on robo-signed false affidavits, and making more than 20 calls to consumers within a two-day period.
As a result of this action, the companies agreed to provide up to $42 million in refunds to consumers, pay a $10 million civil penalty, and stop collection activities on $125 million in debts.
Then, in 2020, the CFPB sued them again for violating the terms of the original consent order. The resulting settlement imposed an additional $15 million penalty on the companies.
When a federal agency has to pursue the same company twice for the same behaviors, that tells you something about how entrenched those behaviors are.
Actions at the state level
In 2018, the attorneys general of 42 states, plus the District of Columbia, reached a $6 million settlement with Encore Capital and Midland Credit Management. The states had alleged that the companies were engaging in robo-signing — that is, signing computer-generated affidavits without reviewing them for accuracy. In some cases, employees were signing as many as 200-400 affidavits per day, then filing them in state courts around the country.
In 2022, Massachusetts reached a $12 million settlement with Midland Credit Management over similar issues. Specifically, the state alleged that the company was making as many as 15 calls within a seven-day period, and was falsely telling consumers who received Social Security disability benefits that they were obligated to make payments on their debts.
These state-level settlements are important, because they highlight where the greatest enforcement efforts are being focused, and where debt collectors are at the greatest legal risk.
Where does Midland operate, and where are they most vulnerable?
States that protect consumers
In the United States, some states are more consumer-friendly than others when it comes to debt collection activities. Although Midland Credit Management operates in all 50 states, they are at greater legal risk in some jurisdictions than in others.
States like Massachusetts, New York, California, and Minnesota have been among the most aggressive in enforcing consumer protection laws against debt buyers. In fact, Minnesota brought what is believed to be the first government lawsuit against a debt-buying firm in 2012 — and the target was Midland Credit Management.
If you live in one of these states, you should know that debt collectors like Midland are already operating under a higher level of scrutiny. In these jurisdictions, the cost-benefit analysis of pursuing a lawsuit over a small debt is already tilted away from the collector. Most debts simply aren't worth the investment and the risk.
How state laws influence debt collection practices
Midland's own financial reports show that, in 2024, only 36% of the debts they collected were through the legal system. That's the lowest percentage on record. This decline is driven in part by state-level consumer protection laws that make it riskier and more expensive to sue consumers.
Debt collectors rely on quick, easy collections. That's how they make their money. Every dispute that drags on is a money-loser for them, not a money-maker.
This is why professional credit report disputes are so effective. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) aren't just shields to protect you from inappropriate and illegal behaviors. When they're used strategically by someone who understands the legal technicalities, they can also be offensive weapons that force the collector to verify the details of the debt or have it removed from your credit report.
In many cases, simply disputing the debt through the proper legal channels is enough to have it deleted, because the burden of proof is on the collector, and debts that have been sold to a third party often lack the documentation needed to survive a dispute.
How do I protect myself from calls like this?
Why you should not respond directly
The temptation to call the number back and clear things up is understandable, but in many cases it can do more harm than good. Any information you provide — even if it's just to confirm your identity — can be used to re-age an old debt, or to strengthen a collection claim.
Over and over again, consumers have reported that when they call Midland Credit Management back, they are asked to provide their Social Security number and address before they can get any information about the debt.
Instead, the credit report is where the rubber meets the road. If Midland is calling you, there is probably a debt collection account on your credit report. That's what gives them the leverage they need to pursue you. Disputing the account through the proper legal channels is how you take that leverage away.
The importance of professional help
Knowing how to use the FCRA and FDCPA to your advantage requires specialized knowledge. There are nuances to these laws, and strategies for using them, that aren't immediately apparent to consumers.
BBB complaints, CFPB actions, and patterns of regulatory fines aren't just warnings to other consumers. They're also evidence of systemic problems that can be used to support your dispute.
This is a company that has paid more than $216 million in regulatory fines, that has engaged in robo-signing, that has been the subject of multiple federal consent orders. This is not a company that has perfect documentation for every account they've purchased for three cents on the dollar. And that difference — between what they claim you owe, and what they can actually prove — is where successful disputes happen.
The bottom line
If you're getting calls from 800-218-9570, you now know who's on the other end, and why. You also know that Midland Credit Management has a history of engaging in illegal and inappropriate collection practices that have cost them hundreds of millions of dollars in fines.
You don't have to answer these calls. And you don't have to accept what they're telling you at face value. There are tools available to you under federal and state law to fight back. And Midland's own history suggests that their documentation may not stand up to scrutiny.
At FightCollections.com, we specialize in helping consumers dispute invalid collection accounts from their credit reports. If you're getting calls from Midland Credit Management, let us help you understand your options and develop an effective strategy for moving forward.
Visit FightCollections.com today to learn more.