ANFI has appeared on your credit report. This might have come as a surprise but you are not helpless. Here are steps you can take to remove ANFI from your credit report. You do not need to hire a company to handle this collection account!
Who Is ANFI:
- ANFI is a debt collection agency based in Bloomington, IL
- ANFI has been in business for 86 years and is A- rated with the BBB.
- ANFI is likely hurting your credit score.
- Good news! ANFI is known to do pay for delete, with complete removal of the accounts!
What is ANFI and why are they calling me?
ANFI is a debt collection agency. They are a company that collects on debt owed, often on behalf of another company. Debt collectors often collect for:
- Banks (Defaulted Loans)
- Credit card issuers (Charged Off Debt)
- Healthcare providers (Medical Collection Accounts)
- Universities (Student Loan Repayment)
- Utility companies (Overdue Bills)
- Telecom/phone companies
If ANFI is calling you, it is related to an unpaid debt, whether legitimate or not.
ANFI will continue to contact you unless you pay the debt, show that it doesn’t belong to you, or reach an settlement with them.
ANFI Contact Information
Below is the address for ANFI:
PO Box 3097
Bloomington, IL 61702-3427
Phone: (866) 352-0479
Website: http://www.afnicollections.com
Is ANFI a scam?
ANFI is a legitimate collection company and not a scam. This doesn’t mean the debt they are collecting on is legitimate. ANFI should have sent a dunning notification to your address on file. They are required by the FDCPA to send notification within 30 days of starting collection activity. If you did not receive a notification, be very mindful of their collection activities. They may be improper or illegal.
How do I stop ANFI from calling?
If ANFI is contacting you, you have the ability to temporarily stop them from communicating with you by sending a debt validation letter. Note, this debt validation letter needs to be sent within 30 days of receiving your first letter or contact from the company. Once they validate the debt, they can resume collection activity.
If the debt is old and outside your states statute of limitations, you can prevent this company from contacting you again by sending a cease and desist letter. It is important to state, if there is a judgement related to the debt they will still have the ability to collect.
Whatever you do, fight the urge to ignore debt collectors like ANFI. Make sure you leverage the correct tactics when resolving collection debt.
How much is ANFI hurting my credit score?
ANFI is absolutely hurting your credit score. How much depends on the age of the collection account, and if you have additional negative items on your credit report. Although various scoring models weigh collection accounts differently, the cleanest way to improve your credit score is to have this account removed.
Can I remove ANFI from my credit report?
Your attempt to remove ANFI from your credit report will take effort but is not impossible. There are many examples of ANFI being removed on multiple forums.
If the debt is a mistake or not legitimate: If the debt is not legitimate and you can prove that, you can file a direct dispute with the collection company. You do NOT need to file disputes with the credit reporting agencies initially. If this fails, your best bet will be filing a complaint with the CFPB.
If the debt is legitimate: Your best bet is to pay off the debt. There are two specific approaches when attempting to remove legitimate debt.
- Pay for delete: This a very common approach to removing a collection account. Upon payment the collection agency pledges to remove the account. They allowed to do so based on the language in the FCRA.
- Goodwill deletion: If the company refuses a pay for delete, keep trying. If all else fails, another good approach is pay the debt in full, and ask for removal with a goodwill letter.
- Identity Theft: If this account is due to ID theft, there is a different process you will need to follow.
Read more about specific tactics at our Ultimate Guide for Credit Repair.
Learn more about how ANFI can impact your credit score:
- Will paying off collection accounts increase my credit score?
- Are there different buckets for credit scoring?
- The Ultimate Guide to Credit Repair, updated for 2022.
What are my rights when dealing with ANFI?
When attempting to collect payments from you, ANFI must adhere to the regulations specified in the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. ANFI representatives also need to follow the rules set out in the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.
If a debt collector violates your rights, then you can report them to the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or your state attorney general.
Can I sue ANFI for harassment?
Yes, you can sue ANFI for harassment. If you can show that they’ve violated your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, then you can collect $1,000 in statutory damages for each violation as well as payment for any damages that you’ve sustained as a result of the account.
This article was last updated on August 11, 2022