How to Resolve a Debt with a Unifin Debt Collector

Sarah Edwards | July 14, 2023

Edited by Hannah Locklear

Receiving a debt collection notice is the absolute worst. You’re going about your day one minute, and the next minute, BAM! Someone claims you owe money you might not have the funds to repay.

Unfortunately, if your debt ends up with Unifin, you can expect lots of collection notices, emails, and phone calls until you resolve the situation. If you don’t repay the bill or set up a payment arrangement, Unifin may decide to take further action with a debt lawsuit.

We’ve created this guide to help you resolve your debts with Unifin and move on with your life. So, without further ado, let’s get into it.

Sued by Unifin? Settle your debts with the help of SoloSettle.

What to know about Unifin

When Unifin contacts you, you might wonder whether it’s a legitimate biz or a sly scam company out to steal your money.

Unifin is an entirely legitimate debt collection agency with an office in Skokie, Illinois. It partners with creditors and other businesses that hold outstanding consumer debts. Unifin will contact you if you have an outstanding obligation with one of its clients.

The mailing address for Unifin is P.O. Box 4519, Skokie, IL 60076. Unifin’s toll-free number is (888) 572-3987. The company has other offices in Guatemala, Jamaica, and the Philippines.

You can tell a lot about a company from its Better Business Bureau (BBB) profile. Unifin is an accredited company with the BBB and has a current B rating, with hundreds of complaints submitted by consumers concerning harassing communications, like unwanted texts and phone calls. Others complain that the debts that Unifin is chasing them for aren’t valid.

Luckily, there are laws in place to protect consumers, like you, from unfair debt collection practices. Keep reading to learn more.

The FDCPA protects you

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) prevents debt collectors from specific actions it considers abusive or harassing. If Unifin’s collection efforts include any of the following, don’t hesitate to file a complaint with the FTC:

• Calling you before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.
• Repeatedly calling you from different phone numbers throughout the day
• Telling you it will send you to jail if you don’t repay a debt
• Contacting you at work, if you send a written notice asking the collector to refrain from calling you there
• Telling your friends or family you owe money

Debt collectors must follow these and many other restrictions included in the FDCPA. If you’re unsure whether Unifin’s actions have violated your rights, you can contact the FTC for clarification.

Make Unifin validate your debt

If you receive notice of a debt from Unifin, review the letter closely to determine whether you recognize the obligation. Under the FDCPA, you have 30 days from receipt of a collection notice to demand validation of the debt.

Once Unifin receives your Debt Validation Letter, it must provide you with evidence that it has the right to collect the obligation and that you owe the money. Unifin must stop all collection efforts against you if it can't substantiate its claims.

Not sure where to start with your Debt Validation Letter? Watch this video to learn more:

Unifin is suing me for unpaid debt. What should I do?

If you ignore Unifin’s attempts to collect money from you, it probably isn’t going to take the hint and hit the road. Instead, it will grab a figurative megaphone and file a debt lawsuit against you.

A debt lawsuit is a consumer’s worst nightmare. Once Unifin starts the legal process against you, you’ll have just a few weeks to take action to avoid a judgment. A judgment will give Unifin the right to make additional efforts to collect the money you owe, like garnishing your wages or freezing your bank account.

You’ll know Unifin is suing you when you receive a Court Summons, which will include your hearing date and a copy of Unifin’s Complaint. The Complaint, also known as a Petition in some states, will list the reason for the lawsuit (nonpayment of debt) and the amount you owe. It might contain other information about the obligation, which you should read carefully and verify.

The worst thing you can do is ignore Unifin’s Complaint. Instead, you should respond to the Complaint with an Answer. An Answer is your formal response to Unifin and includes any reasons you have for not paying the debt. If aspects of the lawsuit are inaccurate, you should list the inaccuracies in your Answer.

Respond to a Unifin debt lawsuit

If you’ve been sued by Unifin for debt, it’s best to respond to the lawsuit with a written Answer document.

An Answer stops Unifin from asking the judge for a default judgment during the hearing. Instead, the judge must listen to your side of the story before deciding on your case’s outcome. The judge can’t just bend to Unifin’s will and grant it the right to take harsher measures against you.

In your Answer, you should address each claim against you that was listed in the Complaint. You should also assert your affirmative defenses, because it will be your only chance to do so in this case. An affirmative defense is a set of facts or legal arguments that, if proven, would undermine the Unifin’s case or provide a legal justification for your actions.

Filing an Answer is simple if you know where to start. Watch our video below for six tips on drafting the perfect Answer.

Settle your debt with a Unifin debt collector

Your next step is to resolve the debt before your court date. You can either repay the debt or attempt to settle it. Repaying the debt is ideal if you have the money. Once it receives the money you owe, Unifin must drop its lawsuit and report the debt paid.

However, settlement may be an option if you can’t afford a complete repayment. In a settlement, you offer Unifin a portion of the debt in a one-time, lump-sum payment. Unifin will drop the lawsuit and release you from the remaining balance if it agrees to your terms.

Let’s consider an example of how to settle a debt with Unifin:

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.

Dealing with Unifin is frustrating but worth the effort

No one likes unexpected bills. However, if you’ve forgotten about a debt and it resurfaces to haunt you, you’ll need to take action quickly. You don’t want a debt collector like Unifin reporting negative items on your credit report, and you definitely don’t need a judgment. Try to resolve the matter before it gets out of control. Your future self will thank you!

Are you ready to settle a debt with Unifin? SoloSettle can handle the process for you.

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.

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

Guides on how to beat every debt collector

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

• Absolute Resolutions Investments LLC
• Accredited Collection Services
• Alliance One
• Amcol Clmbia
• American Recovery Service
• Asset Acceptance LLC
• Asset Recovery Solutions
• Associated Credit Services
• Autovest LLC
• Cach LLC
• Cavalry SPV I LLC
• Cerastes LLC
• Colinfobur
• Covington Credit
• Crown Asset Management
• CTC Debt Collector
• Cypress Financial Recoveries
• Delanor Kemper & Associates
• Eagle Loan of Ohio
• Educap
• Estate Information Services
• FIA Card Services
• Forster & Garbus
• Freshview Solutions
• Fulton Friedman & Gullace LLP
• Harvest Credit Management
• Howard Lee Schiff
• Hudson & Keyse LLC
• Integras Capital Recovery LLC
• Javitch Block
• Jefferson Capital Systems LLC
• LVNV Funding
• Mannbracken
• Mariner Finance
• Medicredit
• Michael J Adams PC
• Michael J Scott
• Midland Funding LLC
• Mullooly, Jeffrey, Rooney & Flynn
• Mountain Land Collections
• MRS Associates
• National Collegiate Trust
• Nationstar Foreclosure
• Northstar Capital Acquisition
• NCEP LLC
• NRC Collection Agency
• OneMain Financial
• Palisades Collection LLC
• Pallida LLC
• Paragon Revenue Group
• Pinnacle Collections Agency
• PMAB LLC
• Portfolio Recovery Associates
• Provest Law
• PYOD LLC
• Reunion Student Loan Finance Corporation
• Revenue Group
• Regents and Associates
• RSIEH
• Salander Enterprises LLC
• Second Round Sub LLC
• Security Credit Services
• Sherman Financial Group
• Suttell and Hammer
• T-Mobile
• Transworld Systems
• Tulsa Teachers Credit Union
• UCB Collection
• Velo Law Office
• Velocity Investments
• Waypoint Resource Group
• Weinberg and Associates
• Wolpoff & Abramson

Win against credit card companies

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

• Bank of America
• Capital One
• Chase
• Credit One Bank
• PayPal Synchrony Card
• SYNCB/PPEXTR
• Synchrony Bank
• Target National Bank
• Wells Fargo

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