Consumer complaint received 2026-05-14 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — I do not know
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed — Debt is not yours
Company: ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP INC.
State: FL

Complaint narrative:
I am filing this complaint regarding Midland Credit Management 's continued collection efforts and credit reporting on a debt where they can not establish legal ownership or chain of title. I previously filed CFPB complaint XXXX against Midland on XX/XX/XXXX. XXXX 's final response dated XX/XX/XXXX contains admissions and impossibilities that prove they can not verify this debt. Midland identifies the " Original Creditor '' of this account as " XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX '' a securitization trust dated XXXX. However, the underlying loan was originated by XXXX XXXX XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX and serviced by XXXX XXXX A securitization vehicle named " XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX '' can not legally be the original creditor of a loan that did not yet exist when the trust was created. This is a factual impossibility on its face. The actual original creditor is XXXX XXXX XXXX, as confirmed by the underlying loan documents XXXX provided to me. XXXX XXXX confirmed in writing in their XX/XX/XXXX response to my prior CFPB complaint that they sold this account directly to Midland Credit Management on XX/XX/XXXX. XXXX now claims the original creditor is XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX with a purchase date of XX/XX/XXXX from that entity. Both statements can not simultaneously be true. The chain of title is fundamentally contradicted between XXXX 's written statement and Midland 's written statement. I requested multiple times for Midland provide complete chain of title documentation which they refuse to do. Midland 's XX/XX/XXXX response explicitly refused, stating : " the original contract, complete payment history, and a full set of billing statements are not required under the FDCPA. '' Midland is conflating their FDCPA collection notification requirements with the FCRA accuracy requirements for furnished credit data. Without a complete chain of title showing each assignment of this specific account by account number, Midland can not verify the accuracy of what they are reporting and can not prove they legally own this debt. Furthermore, Midland 's XX/XX/XXXX response contains an explicit admission of double reporting in violation of FCRA 1681e ( b ). Their exact words : " the original creditor 's tradeline may remain on your consumer credit files and a new tradeline may be created by the buyer. '' The XXXX tradeline and the Midland tradeline are both currently appearing on my credit report for the same underlying debt, creating a materially misleading picture of my creditworthiness. Additionally, XXXX identified by Midland as the " XXXX '' on this account is currently making active modifications to their tradeline 16 months after the alleged sale to Midland. These modifications are being applied inconsistently across the three bureaus, with XXXX showing different late month patterns than XXXX and XXXX. This active post-sale tradeline manipulation, combined with Midland 's refusal to produce chain of title, demonstrates the data being furnished on this debt is unreliable and unverifiable. Midland 's response constitutes a refusal to investigate or correct demonstrably inaccurate information after being placed on notice. The impossible original creditor identification, contradicted chain of title, admitted double reporting, and refusal to produce bills of sale collectively constitute willful noncompliance under FCRA 1681s-2 ( b ) and 1681n. I reserve all rights and remedies available under FCRA including actual damages, statutory damages, punitive damages, and attorney fees.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation