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How to Settle Debt With Ellington and Associates Collections

George Simons | January 28, 2025

Fact-checked by Patrick Austin, J.D.

Patrick Austin
Attorney from George Mason
Patrick Austin, JD

Patrick Austin is a licensed attorney with a background in data privacy and information security law. Patrick received his law degree at George Mason University's Antonin Scalia Law School, where he served as the Editor-in-Chief for the National Security Law Journal.

George Simons
Co-Founder of SoloSuit
George Simons, JD/MBA

George Simons is the co-founder and CEO of SoloSuit. He has helped Americans protect over $1 billion from predatory debt lawsuits. George graduated from BYU Law school in 2020 with a JD-MBA. In his spare time, George likes to cook, because he likes to eat.

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: Is Ellington and Associates calling you about a debt? Solo can help you by responding to the company and taking proactive steps to resolve your debt issue.

Multiple calls, emails, or voicemails from debt collectors can be frustrating and lead to financial and emotional stress. Ellington and Associates Collections is one such debt collection agency that may have contacted you about a delinquent account.

Dealing with debt collectors isn’t a breezy walk on the beach, but most will work with you to resolve your outstanding debt and get back on track. You may even be able to negotiate the debt to settle it for less.

Settle debt with Ellington and Associates

You can negotiate debt settlement at any stage of the collections process. SoloSettle makes it easy.

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What is Ellington and Associates?

Ellington and Associates is a debt collection agency.

While most consumers refer to this debt organization as Ellington and Associates, its official name is Stevens, Ellington, and Associates. It states on their website that they are committed to achieving maximum liquidations for their clients' outstanding receivables. In other words, they help creditors collect on debts. Ellington and Associates claims it is a mitigation or mediation firm, but its tactics reflect that of a debt collection agency. The contact information for Ellington and Associates is:

  • Local Phone Number: (470)-221-7007
  • Toll-Free Number: (877)-470-0032
  • Address: 260 Peachtree Street NW, Suite 2200, Atlanta, GA 30303

Who does Ellington and Associates collect for?

Ellington and Associates pursues delinquent accounts on behalf of various companies operating in different sectors of the economy.

Read Ellington and Associates reviews online

If you are curious to know what people have said about their interactions with Ellington and Associates on different debt collection matters, then take a moment to read these reviews:

Despite the online reviews for Ellington and Associates being pretty mixed, this should not deter you from taking steps to engage with them in an effort to resolve the debt collection matter. Many debt collectors are open to working with individuals to resolve their concerns and get their debt paid in a manner that works for them, based on their current financial situation. Proactive communication is the key.

If calling a debt collector to negotiate doesn’t sound like your idea of fun, try using SoloSettle to negotiate online and resolve your debt through the digital settlement platform.

Know your consumer rights

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), passed in 1978, protects consumers from debt collectors who harass them and use illegal means to collect the debt. Hundreds of debt collection agencies have been closed down due to bad business practices.

FTC and CFPB monitor the debt collection agencies in operation to ensure debt collectors do not mistreat consumers:

  • Calling before 8 am and after 9 pm to discuss a debt
  • Threatening violence, arrest, or other extreme measures
  • Calling multiple times a day with the intent to annoy or intimidate
  • Discussing debt with a consumer's family members, friends, or workmates
  • Lying about the debt amount or other details of the debt
  • Pretending to be a lawyer
  • Contacting consumers after they have sent a cease and desist letter
  • Reaching out about a debt not owed or that has already been paid off
  • Refusing to respond to requests for debt validation

Report Stevens, Ellington, and Associates to the FTC online platform or call 877-382-4357 when they violate these guidelines. You can also submit a complaint on the CFPB website or call 855-411-2372.

Request for more information

When Ellington and Associates contact you, try to get as much information as possible about the debt in question. You can take notes if on a call or ask for more details by email. Some essential information to request includes:

  • Proper identification of the debt collector
  • The contracting company's complete information
  • Ellington and Associates email address to send a written correspondence
  • Details of the debt in question
  • The request they are making

Do not give them any personal and financial information as they should already have it if they are legitimate debt collectors. Do not make any promises until you conduct further investigations or send a debt validation letter, even if the information they give you is genuine.

Do not admit ownership of the debt

Ellington and Associates debt collectors will try to get you to admit to the debt in question. Do not admit or confirm ownership of the debt even if you are aware of it. Once you acknowledge a debt, even on a call, you may be giving up your legal right to fight or negotiate the debt.

Sometimes debt collecting agencies make mistakes. You need to confirm the correct debt amount, whether it belongs to you, and if the debt has expired. It takes seven years for most types of debt to expire and qualify for removal from your credit report. Debt collectors can still try to get you to repay an old debt.

In addition, withhold making payments until you confirm the debt is real. Any payments you make or offer to pay reaffirms that you owe the debt. Ellington and Associates is legally allowed to report the delinquent debt to the credit bureau.

Send a debt validation letter

The best way to find out the legitimacy of the debt collector and the debt you owe is to send a debt validation letter asking Ellington and Associates to validate the debt. The document they send should verify the original debt figure, the amount you paid, the balance remaining, and any extra fees the creditor quoted. Additional information that should be stated in the debt validation report include:

  • Information of the creditor who contracted Ellington and Associates to collect the debt
  • A statement allowing you to dispute the debt within 30 days or else treated as valid after that
  • Confirmation that Ellington and Associates will verify the debt by mail if you dispute the debt within 30 days
  • A statement allowing you to ask for more information about the original creditor within 30 days

Some debt collectors stop collecting debt once you ask for debt validation. This move is okay if it was a fake debt collector or you do not owe a debt to anyone. On the other hand, if you owe a debt and want to follow up on it, you can report Ellington and Associates to FTC and CFPB if they fail to respond to your debt validation request.

If Ellington and Associates respond, thoroughly review the documentation and confirm the information is accurate. Consult your lawyer on the best move to start repaying the debt to clear your name with the credit bureau.

Negotiate a debt settlement with Ellington and Associates

Dealing with a large debt can feel overwhelming, but do not give up hope. There is the option to proactively engage with Ellington Associates to negotiate a debt settlement whereby you wind up paying less than the amount owed. Here are some recommended steps to try and settle your debt with Ellington and Associates:

  1. In the event Ellington and Associates already escalated the matter to litigation by filing a debt collection lawsuit, make sure to timely file an Answer so you avoid a default judgment being entered by the court.
  2. Once you’ve responded to the debt collection lawsuit, conduct a settlement calculation to figure out how much you can afford to pay toward the balance of the debt. Here is a helpful settlement formula you can use: Amount available to settle = (monthly income – monthly costs) + savings)
  3. After you’ve figured out how much you can actually pay toward the balance, you can begin the settlement negotiations process. You can convey your settlement offer, preferably in writing, to Ellington and Associates. A good rule of thumb is to make sure you opening offer is less than the maximum amount you are actually able to pay.
  4. Do not be shocked if they decline your initial offer. In fact, you should be prepared to go through multiple rounds of negotiating with the debt collector.
  5. If you can reach a debt settlement agreement, make sure to get the terms in writing.

To learn more about these tips and others that may assist you on your debt settlement journey, check out the following interview with a consumer rights attorney, John Skiba, where he shares the best tips for negotiating debt settlement with collectors such as Ellington and Associates:

Watch out for fake debt collectors

Individuals try to scam consumers by pretending to be debt collectors from collecting agencies such as Ellington and Associates. Watch out for the signs of a fake debt collector and cease all communication with them. A debt collector may be fake if they:

  • Fail to identify themselves in details
  • Expect you to pay a debt before validation
  • Use abusive language and threats
  • Refuse to give you additional information regarding your debt
  • Ask you to pay using non-traceable methods such as a gift card
  • Pressures you to start payment immediately

Differentiating between a genuine and fake debt collector can be a challenge. The best way to know you are dealing with a legitimate debt collection agency is to send a debt validation letter. Not only will this letter prove a debt collector is fake, but it will also get real collectors off you back. To learn more about debt validation, check out this video:

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