Start My Answer

Settle Your Debt With Merchants Credit Association

Dena Standley | October 27, 2023

Dena Standley
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

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: The Merchants Credit Association, Inc. (MCA) is a Washington-based third-party collection agency. The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) platform has many consumer complaints that MCA has violated, including misrepresentation and improper information sharing. If MCA contacts you or even sues you, you need to know your rights, and SoloSuit is your friend on the latter.

Has Merchants Credit Associations (MCA) harassed you by calling your cell phone, family, or friends? For one, the Merchants Credit Association is a third-party debt collector, which means they collect debts on behalf of other companies. Some consumers are scared of Merchants Credit Association and will lose sleep, suffer medical ailments from stress, and still have to prove the alleged debts.

If Merchants Credit Association calls you, regardless of whether you owe the debt, they could be violating your rights. For instance, when they robocall you without your consent or after you tell them to stop, they might be violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).

MCA might also call you repeatedly, threaten you with a lawsuit, call you at work, discuss your debt with others, or harass you. All these violate the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). Knowing your rights helps you stand up for yourself. If they go ahead and sue you, you can stop them. Here's what else you need to know.

Sued by Merchants Credit Associates? Resolve your debt through settlement.

Settle with SoloSettle

Make an Offer

Merchants Credit Association: what is it, and how does it operate?

According to their website, the Merchants Credit Association has provided debt management solutions since 1937. The MCA Group is one of the leading debt recovery agencies serving businesses and communities for decades. Some of their clients include:

  • Financial institutions
  • Commercial and retail businesses
  • Municipalities
  • Homeowners' Associations
  • Landlord/Tenant
  • Insurance
  • NSF Checks
  • Courts
  • Utilities
  • Educational institutions

They claim to deliver exceptional recovery results to their clients using their vast institutional knowledge. It rarely happens that way, and the reverse is true of how they treat consumers, as you will see below.

Below is the Merchants Credit Association phone number and other contact information:

  • Phone: (425) 643-2613 and (800) 755-1107
  • Address: 2245 152nd Avenue NE, Redmond, WA USA 98052
  • Fax: (425) 643-8546
  • Website: http://www.merchantscredit.com

Historically, Merchants Credit Association has been the subject of allegations, dating back to 1937, implicating its founder, Charles Sunderlin, and his associates in various misconduct charges, with varying results. These include hearings before the State Bar considering disbarment. Let’s take a closer look at Merchants Credit Association reviews and complaints.

Merchants Credit Association reviews and complaints

Merchants Credit ASsociation has an average rating of 1 out of 5 stars on its Better Business Bureau (BBB) page. Similarly, MCA only has a 1.1 out of 5 star ranking on Yelp.

In the last three years, the BBB has closed several complaint against MCA, but the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has received dozens of complaints against Merchants Credit Association. These complaints claim that MCA collects on invalid debts and uses questionable methods to collect these debts. Here is an example of a real complaint from Merchants Credit Association’s BBB profile:

“MCA is trying to collect double payments from me. They keep ignoring my requests to deal with Lexington Law Firm. I am disabled and over 60. MCAs is violating Federal Law by contacting an elderly disabled person in an attempt to falsely collect funds. They are trying to scam me. They ignore my requests to deal directly with my legal representatives.”

What if the Merchants Credit Association sues me?

Putting off MCA legal notices and papers won't solve the problem. Even if you've seen it on TV, refusing to accept delivery or service of a lawsuit won't stop the process, and your absence will not stop the case.

In other words, the court could rule without hearing your side, and MCA debt collectors could win by default judgment, which allows them to garnish your wages. The court may also award them additional money for collection, interest, and attorney's fees.

In the future, it will be more difficult for you to get credit if you have a judgment on your credit report. Moreover, it can affect your chances of getting a home, job, insurance, or phone. The good news is that these outcomes can be avoided if you do the following.

Answer the Complaint

The Summons and Complaint contain a list of allegations made by MCA against you. Defending your rights requires that you respond to every allegation. Without a response, the court will assume you have taken responsibility for the allegations.

This stage is where SoloSuit comes in to help you quickly respond to debt collection lawsuits considering most states have a timeline. With SoloSuit, you will be asked all the necessary questions to complete your Answer.

After completing the forms, print the hard copies and mail them to the courts. Or you can use SoloSuit to have an attorney review and file them. Here are some responses you can provide to the allegation:

  • Admit
  • Deny
  • Deny due to lack of knowledge

Note that admitting all the claims will likely result in a judgment. On the other hand, when you deny a claim, it’s like asking the debt collector to prove it. If the collection agency didn’t keep good records of the transfer of your debt, or if the debt is in any way invalid, then they probably won’t be able to prove it. And you might just win the case.

State your affirmative defenses

Defend yourself affirmatively as a next step. Affirmative defenses are reasons you shouldn’t be held liable for the debt. It’s important to assert any affirmative defenses applicable to your lawsuit in your Answer, because once you respond, you typically won’t be allowed to bring up these defenses further on in the case.

Here are some example of powerful affirmative defenses for debt lawsuits:

  • The statute of limitations is expired. Each state has put a time limit on how long debt collectors can collect debt in each state. Once the time limit expires, creditors cannot collect.
  • The Summons and Complaint were not properly served. The Summons and Complaint should be served in good time to you or one of your household members who are of legal age.
  • Someone stole your identity. Individuals sued for a debt that isn’t theirs must follow the appropriate steps to report the theft and notify the debt collector. The debt collector cannot act against the individual unless the authorities find that identity theft did not occur.
  • The debt has already been paid. While this is rare, it can happen. Occasionally lines get crossed, and the creditor doesn’t update their files appropriately, resulting in a lawsuit for a debt you no longer owe.

SoloSuit makes it easy to assert your affirmative defenses.

File your Answer in court

File your Answer with the court clerk after you have completed it. Depending on the court, your Answer may be accepted via email or electronic filing. Beware that your cour may charge a filing fee. Some courts also have special requirements for filing, such as additional forms you must submit with the Answer or electronic filing instructions. SoloSuit files your Answer for you and knows your court’s specific filing requirements.

It is still important for you to serve the plaintiff even though you filed your Answer with the court. Generally, this can be done by sending a copy to their lawyer. You should send Merchants Credit Association a copy of all court documents you file and keep a copy for your records.

Many debt collectors drop the case once they receive a response, and at the very least, filing an Answer will buy you time to work out a different payment arrangement that works for your financial circumstance. So, be sure to respond to your debt lawsuit against Merchants Credit Association before your state’s deadline to avoid a default judgment, even if you plan to negotiate a debt settlement or payment plan.

Learn more about how to draft your Answer in the following video.

What is SoloSuit?

SoloSuit makes it easy to fight 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.

>>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.)

How to Answer a Summons for debt collection in all 50 states

Here's a list of guides on how to respond to a debt collection lawsuit in each state:

The Ultimate 50 State Guide

Guides on how to resolve debt with every debt collector

Are you being sued by a debt collector? We’re making guides on how to resolve debt with each one.

Resolve your debt with your creditor

Some creditors, banks, and lenders have an internal collections department. If they come after you for a debt, Solosuit can still help you respond and resolve the debt. Here’s a list of guides on how to resolve debt with different creditors.

Get debt relief in your state

We’ve created a specialized guide on how to find debt relief in all 50 states, complete with steps to take to find relief, state-specific resources, and more.

Debt collection laws in all 50 states

Debt collection laws vary by state, so we have compiled a guide to each state’s debt collection laws to make it easier for you to stand up for your rights—no matter where you live.

Statute of limitations on debt state guides

Like all debt collection laws, the statute of limitations on debt varies by state. So, we wrote a guide on each state’s statutes. Check it out below.

Statute of Limitations on Debt Collection by State (Best Guide)

Check the status of your court case

Don’t have time to go to your local courthouse to check the status of your case? We’ve created a guide on how to check the status of your case in every state, complete with online search tools and court directories.

How to stop wage garnishment in your state

Forgot to respond to your debt lawsuit? The judge may have ordered a default judgment against you, and with a default judgment, debt collectors can garnish your wages. Here are our guides on how to stop wage garnishment in all 50 states.

Other wage garnishment resources

How to settle a debt in your state

Debt settlement is one of the most effective ways to resolve a debt and save money. We’ve created a guide on how to settle your debt in all 50 states. Find out how to settle in your state with a simple click and explore other debt settlement resources below.

How to settle with every debt collector

Not sure how to negotiate a debt settlement with a debt collector? We are creating guides to help you know how to start the settlement conversation and increase your chances of coming to an agreement with every debt collector.

Other debt settlement resources

Personal loan and debt relief reviews

We give a factual review of the following debt consolidation, debt settlement, and loan organizations and companies to help you make an informed decision before you take on a debt.

How to repair and improve your credit score

Debt has a big impact on your credit. Below is a list of guides on how to repair and improve your credit, even while managing major debt.

How to resolve student loan debt

Struggling with student debt? SoloSuit’s got you covered. Below are resources on handling student loan debt.

Settle your medical debt

Having a health challenge is stressful, but dealing medical debt on top of it is overwhelming. Here are some resources on how to manage medical debt.

Guides on arbitration

If the thought of going to court stresses you out, you’re not alone. Many Americans who are sued for credit card debt utilize a Motion to Compel Arbitration to push their case out of court and into arbitration.

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

Stop calls from debt collectors

Do you keep getting calls from an unknown number, only to realize that it’s a debt collector on the other line? If you’ve been called by any of the following numbers, chances are you have collectors coming after you, and we’ll tell you how to stop them.

Federal debt collection laws can protect you

Knowing your rights makes it easier to stand up for your rights. Below, we’ve compiled all our articles on federal debt collection laws that protect you from unfair practices.

Civil law legal definitions

You can represent yourself in court. Save yourself the time and cost of finding an attorney, and use the following resources to understand legal definitions better and how they may apply to your case.

Get answers to these FAQs on debt collection

How-to debt guides

Learn more with these additional debt resources


Not sued yet?

Use our Debt Validation Letter.


Out Debt Validation Letter is the best way to respond to a collection letter. Many debt collectors will simply give up after receiving it.


Let's Do It

It only takes 15 minutes.

And 50% of our customers' cases have been dismissed in the past.


"Finding yourself on the wrong side of the law unexpectedly is kinda scary. I started researching on YouTube and found SoloSuit's channel. The videos were so helpful, easy to understand and encouraging. When I reached out to SoloSuit they were on it. Very professional, impeccably prompt. Thanks for the service!" - Heather



Get Started