How to Resolve Debt With Diversified Recovery Bureau

Legal Expert, Paralegal
Dena Standley, BA

Dena Standley is a seasoned paralegal with more than 20 years of experience in legal research and writing, having received a certification as a Legal Assistant/Paralegal from Southern Technical College.

Edited by Hannah Locklear

Editor at SoloSuit
Hannah Locklear, BA

Hannah Locklear is SoloSuit’s Marketing and Impact Manager. With an educational background in Linguistics, Spanish, and International Development from Brigham Young University, Hannah has also worked as a legal support specialist for several years.

Summary: Diversified Recovery Bureau boasts of its success in collecting its clients' money, but sometimes its debt collectors push the boundaries of debt collection laws. If Diversified Recovery Bureau has contacted you about a debt, SoloSuit can help you request a debt validation, respond to a debt lawsuit, and settle your debt before going to court.

Understanding how to effectively deal with collections agencies can feel like deciphering a foreign language, leading to stress and confusion. Among these agencies, Diversified Recovery Bureau stands out. If you find yourself trying to settle an outstanding debt with them, it's paramount to approach the situation with knowledge and strategy. In this blog post, we'll delve deep into the intricacies of resolving debt with the Diversified Recovery Bureau, providing you with step-by-step guidance and invaluable tips to navigate the process.

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What is Diversified Recovery Bureau?

Diversified Recovery Bureau, LLC (DRB) is a national commercial and consumer debt collection agency in New York. It was founded in 2014 with a B rating and accreditation with the Better Business Bureau. Its primary mission is to increase the recovery rate of its client's money and assets.

Who does Diversified Recovery Bureau collect for?

Diversified Recovery Bureau collects for many creditors, especially lenders and credit card companies.

DRB works by following up on a client's outstanding accounts and getting the consumer to pay. Afterward, they receive a percentage of the recovered amount. In other situations, they buy the debt for a fraction of its original value and attempt to collect the entire amount from you.

So, if you’ve been contacted by Diversified Recovery Bureau, chances are you owe a debt (or you at least owed a debt at some point in time).

Below is the Diversified Recovery Bureau phone number and other contact information:

Phone: 888-612-3634
Physical address: 40 Gardenville Parkway, Suite 201, West Seneca, NY
Mailing address: PO Box 28, West Seneca NY 14224
Email: letterprocessing@diversifiedrecoverybureaullc.com
Website: Diversified Recovery Bureau, LLC

Diversified Recovery Bureau reviews

Diversified Recovery Bureau doesn’t have great reviews, and many consumers have submitted complaints against DRB, even in the short time they have been in business. Read BBB complaints here, and check out Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) complaints here.

Here are some of the concerns consumers mention in these comments:

Lack of proper identification of the agents making the calls
Delayed response to a Debt Validation Letter
Wrong debt entered into a consumer's credit report
Incorrect amounts reported to the credit bureaus
Inability to follow up on a debt matter

The following is an example of a real complaint against Diversified Recovery Bureau, taken from the CFPB database (edited for clarity):

“I sent a request for debt verification and another request for them to stop calling my home, cell, and work. They have called six times, called my work, and even called my mother, saying they were searching for me. They violated the FDCPA when they did this. The most difficult part was knowing they called my mother, worrying her as she thought I was missing.”

Based on these reviews, you should definitely investigate the alleged debt before you make any payments to the Diversified Recovery Bureau. In fact, it’s one of your rights as a consumer to request debt validation when debt collectors contact you.

Exercise your rights when Diversified Recovery Bureau contacts you

The above example shows how DRB violates consumer rights when following up on debt. The Fair Debt Collection Practises Act was implemented to monitor and penalize debt collection agencies that go against the guidelines. Therefore, you can beat DRB by knowing your rights. For instance, the guidelines state that DRB should not:

Use profane or abusive language while asking you to pay the debt
Threaten to arrest you or make your life difficult
Sue you for an inaccurate debt
Take time to respond to a Debt Validation Letter
Report the wrong debt to the credit bureaus

If DRB violates these laws, report to CFPB, BBB, your state’s attorney general's office, and the Fair Trade Commission online platform.

Make Diversified Recovery Bureau validate your debt

Another important right granted to you under the FDCPA is the right to debt validation. If you receive a collections notice from DRB, you’ll want to take action quickly. Read over the message to determine whether you recognize the amount due and the original creditor.

Your next step is to send a Debt Validation Letter. This letter asks the collection agency to prove that you owe money and demonstrate that it has the right to collect it. You should request all of the following in your letter:

The name of the original creditor.
The amount that you owe.
The dates of your treatment.
A breakdown of any additional fees.
The age of the debt compared with your state’s statute of limitations.
Proof that DRB now owns your debt.
The company’s debt collection license number for your state.

Once DRB receives your letter, it can’t take any further action against you until it responds. If you don’t hear back, the company probably doesn’t have the evidence you requested. Check out the following video to learn how to request a debt validation from Diversified Recovery Bureau:

Respond to a Diversified Recovery Bureau debt lawsuit

If DRB can verify your debt is valid and you ignore its attempts to collect their debt, you might have already received a lawsuit letter with several documents inside. Even if you’ve already been sued by Diversified Recovery Burea, you can still resolve the debt. But first, be sure to respond to the lawsuit using the following three steps.

1. Answer each claim listed in the Complaint

A Complaint is a document within the lawsuit you received that outlines the allegations DRB has against you. The law allows you to respond to them in the following three ways:

Admit: This option means you agree to the allegation DRB has made against you.
Deny: In this response, you want DRB to prove their allegation is true.
Deny for lack of knowledge: Here, you are stating that you do not have enough information to respond accurately to the allegations.

Debt experts advise consumers to deny most of the allegations to give the creditor the task of proving their case.

Respond to your debt lawsuit in minutes online.

2. Assert your affirmative defenses

This section allows you to explain in detail why you are not responsible for the debt in question and, if the debt is rightfully yours, why you should not pay it. Here are some affirmative defenses you can use to build your case against DRB:

The debt reached the statute of limitations
DRB hasn't shown legal standing to collect the debt on behalf of the creditor
You paid off the debt, or it was canceled
DRB violated your consumer rights
The debt information was inaccurate

Make the right defense the right way with SoloSuit.

3. File the Answer in court, and send a copy to Diversified Recovery Bureau

Filing the Answer in court is the last and most crucial step if you are to beat DRB. Why? If you file after the deadline, DRB will get a default judgment (win the case). Hence, confirm your state's deadline for filing and ensure you send the Answer before then. Once you download your Answer from SoloSuit’s platform, make three copies. Send one copy to the court, the second to DRB’s lawyers, and keep the last in your records.

SoloSuit files your Answer for you.

After you respond to your debt lawsuit, you’ll have time to make a debt settlement plan without having to worry about a default judgment. Keep reading to more about how to settle your debt with DRB.

Negotiate debt settlement with Diversified Recovery Bureau

Since the court process can be expensive and time-consuming, DRB may be willing to negotiate a debt settlement. However, you must promise to make a lump sum deposit and clear the remaining balance quickly.

In a debt settlement, you offer to pay Diversified Recovery Bureau a portion of what you owe. The higher your offer, the more likely the company is to accept it. You'll pay the negotiated amount if DRB agrees to the settlement. Then, it will forgive the remaining amount due and report the account settled.

We recommend offering at least 60% of the debt’s value, but it’s at your discretion. If your financial circumstances don’t allow you to pay that much, you can explain the situation and see if DRB will work with you.

Watch this video to learn more about how to settle a debt with Diversified Recovery Bureau:

SoloSettle, powered by SoloSuit, is a tech-based approach to debt settlement. Our software helps you send and receive settlement offers until you reach an agreement with the collector. Once an agreement is reached, we’ll help you manage the settlement documentation and transfer your payment to the creditor or debt collector, helping you keep your financial information private and secure.

Now, let’s take a look at an example of resolving debt with Diversified Recovery Bureau.

Example: Susan is being sued by Diversified Recovery Bureau for credit card debt in NY. The collection agency claims she owes $3,000. After some investigating, Susan finds out the debt is valid. She uses SoloSuit to respond to the lawsuit, giving herself more time to work out a settlement agreement. She uses SoloSettle to send a settlement offer. After a few rounds of negotiations, Diversified Recovery Bureau agrees to settle for 70%, or $2,100. SoloSettle helps Susan transfer her debt settlement payment, keeping her financial information private and protected. Once the payment has gone through, DRB files a dismissal into the case, clearing Susan’s name of the debt.

What is Solo?

Solo makes it easy to resolve debt with debt collectors.

You can use SoloSuit to respond to a debt lawsuit, to send letters to collectors, and even to settle a debt. SoloSuit's Answer service is a step-by-step web-app that asks you all the necessary questions to complete your Answer. Upon completion, we'll have an attorney review your document and we'll file it for you.

SoloSettle can help you contact your debt collector or creditor and negotiate the debt to settle for less, all online. It simplifies and streamlines the process to settling your debt.

No matter where you find yourself in the debt collection process, Solo is here to help you resolve your debt.

>>Read the FastCompany article: Debt Lawsuits Are Complicated: This Website Makes Them Simpler To Navigate

>>Read the NPR story on SoloSuit. (We can help you in all 50 states.)

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Below are some resources on how to use an arbitration clause to your advantage and win a debt lawsuit.

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Like all debt collection laws, the statute of limitations on debt varies by state. So, we wrote guides on each state’s statutes and more.

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The Debt Hotline

Hosted by Team Solo, The Debt Hotline breaks down debt and personal finance topics with help from attorneys, financial experts, and industry pros. We respond to real questions to help you navigate debt with knowledge and courage.

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