How to Beat Westlake Portfolio Management

Edited by Hannah Locklear

Whenever you apply for credit, you hope to keep up with the monthly payments. You also may not foresee the original creditor selling your account to a third party. So you may be surprised, even shocked, to learn that you now have a contract with Westlake Portfolio Management. Even more distressing is having to set up a new repayment plan.

Westlake Portfolio Management acquires credit cards, auto loans, and other credit portfolios to become the new servicer. The problem is you may not be aware of when it happens. And before you realize it, you are late on repayments, and your credit score has dropped.

Many consumers have faced such a dilemma. You may have too. This article teaches you all you need to know about Westlake Portfolio Management and how you can beat it.

Who is Westlake Portfolio Management?

Westlake Portfolio Management, also known as Westlake Portfolio, WPM, or simply Westlake, works as a loan servicer for credit unions, secured and unsecured loan providers, and finance companies.

As a loan servicer, the company handles repayments, collections, and reporting on all the accounts they acquire.

It is a legitimate company with offices in Los Angeles, California, and other locations. The main office is at 4751 Wilshire Blvd STE 100, Los Angeles, CA 90010-3847.

Westlake Portfolio Management’s phone number is 877-854-5688, according to their BBB profile. But its website also lists 877-854-1898 as the preferred contact phone number.

WPM has a B rating on the BBB but is not yet accredited. Despite it’s decent rating, consumers have plenty of negative things to say about Westlake Portfolio.

Consumer complaints against Westlake Portfolio Management

One plus of the digital age is accessing fellow consumers' reviews and complaints online. And Westlake Portfolio has no shortage of negative reviews.

WPM’s consumer reviews stand at 1 star out of 5 on its BBB profile and 1.1 out of 5 stars on Google reviews.

Complaint number 5946136 on the CFPB platform is against Westlake Portfolio Management. The consumer echoes the words of many others who were unaware that WPM had acquired their credit card accounts.

This particular consumer complains that Westlake proceeded to stop their autopay plan with the original creditor. The account was already on their credit report when they realized they had not made monthly payments. And WPM refused to remove it until they paid the whole amount, which they say is more than they owe. Further complicating the matter, the original creditor's website is off the internet. So they cannot access the original contract and repayment history.

The story is no different on the BBB. For a company that has been operational for only four years, Westlake already has 160 complaints from the last three years.

Here is an example of a real complaint from Westlake Portfolio’s BBB profile:

“I purchased aligners through Byte and was paying them directly until they sold my account to Westlake Portfolio Management who are servicing the loan. I am unable to view my account. When I login, I get an FAQ page, no account or payment details. I have called several times to complain that I cannot see my account information and I urgently need to change my payment method on file. I keep getting the runaround. I get hung up on and have to deal with rude people. Was told that IT would resolve the issue 2 weeks ago after calling several times. Today is my last straw, I need to change my payment method on file before my account gets delinquent. At the moment I am being treated as if my account is past due.”

Remember, you can dispute any false or inaccurate entries on your report.

Below is an example.

Your rights under the FDCPA

If you fell behind on your payments because your loan was aquired by Westlake Portfolio Management, debt collectors may come after you.

The FDCPA (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act) regulations protect you from abusive and overly aggressive debt collectors.

For example, debt collection agencies cannot try to collect a debt for which they cannot prove ownership or provide the original contract you signed. If they do, you should immediately send them a Debt Validation Letter.

The letter, which you can easily create with SoloSuit, asks for verification of every detail regarding the debt. If WPM fails to provide documentation for the account, they must stop asking you to pay.

Your other FDCPA rights are:

• Debt collectors cannot call you too early or late in the day.
• They cannot ask for personal information such as Social Security numbers.
• No debt collector can insult you or use profanities when talking to you.
• They cannot try to embarrass you by discussing your debt with an unauthorized third party, etc.

You can sue and get compensation if they do not follow the rules.

Stop debt collection calls with SoloSuit.

Beat debt collectors in court

When Westlake Portfolio Management acquires your credit card or auto loan, there is a good chance your payments will fall through without you even knowing. As a result, you may fall behind on payments until the account is charged off and passed on to a debt collection agency.

Debt collectors hope that you will feel defeated and rush to pay. When these strategies fail, a lawsuit can be their last weapon. But winning a debt collection lawsuit is not beyond you.

When you get sued for a debt, the first step to winning your case is to respond to the Summons and Complaint documents with a written Answer before your states deadline. SoloSuit can help you Answer your debt collection case in just 15 minutes.

Respond to debt collectors in court and win with these three steps:

1. Answer each claim listed in the Complaint document: The first and most important section of your Answer should focus on responding to the claims listed in the Complaint document. You can admit, deny, or deny due to lack of knowledge. Most attorneys recommend denying as many claims as possible.


2. Assert your affirmative defenses: An affirmative defense is any legal reason that the debt collector's case in invalid. A common affirmative defense to mention in a debt lawsuit case is the statute of limitations on debt. If the statute of limitations on a debt has passed, the collector cannot sue you for the debt. There are several other affirmative defenses you can bring up to strengthen your side of the case.


3. File the Answer with the court, and send a copy to the debt collector’s attorney: After you've drafted your Answer, you should file it within the court's deadline. The deadline to respond to a debt lawsuit is anywhere from 14-35 days, depending on which state you live in. Make a copy of the Answer and send it, via USPS certified mail, to the attorneys representing the collector.

Let's consider another example.

Check out this video to learn more about these three steps:

Settle your debt

After filing the Answer, you can send an offer to settle with the help of SoloSuit’s SoloSettle. The proposal helps you negotiate with Westlake Portfolio, with a high chance of paying considerably less than the total amount.

You can beat Westlake Portfolio Management by standing up for your rights and responding to the lawsuit in time. You may also offer to settle the debt for less.

Regardless of where you find yourself in the debt collection process, SoloSuit can help you respond to debt collectors and win.

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 your state

Here's a list of guides for other states.

All 50 states.

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Guides on how to beat every debt collector

Being sued by a different debt collector? Were making guides on how to beat each one.

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Win against credit card companies

Is your credit card company suing you? Learn how you can beat each one.

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