Sarah Edwards | October 26, 2023
Edited by Hannah Locklear
Fact-checked by Patrick Austin, J.D.
Summary: Unifin is a debt collection agency that collects on student loan debt, medical debt, and other types of debt. If you’ve been sued by Unifin, SoloSuit can help ask them to validate the debt and respond to the lawsuit, increasing your chances of winning in court by 7x.
Debt collection notices are probably the worst piece of mail that you can receive in your mailbox. They can be stress inducing and worrisome. Following the written notice, you'll probably begin receiving phone calls from the debt collectors in an attempt to collect money. If you're juggling a lot, such as work, family, or other responsibilities, responding to a debt collector can be the last thing you want to deal with.
However, it's often best to find out exactly what the debt collector is seeking from you and why. In some cases, the debt collection notice may have been sent to you in error, or it may be for the wrong amount. So let's discuss how to handle a debt collection notice from Unifin.
Sued by Unifin? Settle your debts with the help of SoloSettle.
Unifin is a verified debt collection agency that typically tries to collect unpaid debts related to student loans, health care providers, utilities, telecommunications, and government agencies. According to the BBB, Unifin has has hundreds of complaints filed against them over the past three years. Even worse, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reported dozens of complaints against Unifin in the last ten years.
The complaints against Unifin mainly involve consumers who have indicated the debt that they are being asked to repay doesn't belong to them. The complaints also demonstrate that Unifin regularly reports fraudulent debts to the credit reporting agencies, as most of these consumers are victims of identity theft.
Let's take a look at a real complaint against Unifin.
“I just received a letter last week from this debt collector on a debt I know I paid off from 2016. It has been 6 years! My credit reports all say this credit card is paid off and the amount due is $0 and it's not in collections. I also bought my first house last year and during the process, they never said this was in collections at all! I called to dispute it today and talked to a VERY rude person in customer service that pretty much said there is no point in disputing and I have to pay it. How is this possible if even my credit reports say nothing about me owing???”
It's best to look out for abusive or harassing activities from Unifin, as they have been known to occur. Know your rights under the federal law so you can protect yourself.
The FDCPA protects consumers from abusive and harassing debt collection activities. Whenever you receive a notification that a debt collector is attempting to collect money from you, your best course of action is to immediately force them to validate the debt that you may owe them. To do so, you can dispute in writing that you owe the debt. This will force the collector to mail you a verification of the debt and the name and address of the original creditor. It will also stop all communication from Unifin until they do so.
If you receive a validation of the debt, communication efforts to collect it will probably step up. However, keep in mind that debt collectors are not allowed to harass or abuse you. This means that they cannot engage in certain activities, including any of the following:
Any of these methods to collect a debt are banned by the FDCPA. If you experience them, you can notify the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the BBB. In extreme cases, you may be able to file a lawsuit against the company to collect civil damages.
Before you agree to make any payments to Unifin, you should try requesting a debt validation by sending a Debt Validation Letter. This letter forces Unifin to prove the following before they continue pursuing the debt:
While this may sound like basic information, in many cases, debt collectors don't actually have the documentation to verify your debt. They may have thousands of consumers they are currently pursuing, and documentation may have been lost in the shuffle.
In other cases, they simply purchase a large number of aged accounts but don't actually obtain all of the paperwork needed to substantiate the amounts owed. In these cases, it's a numbers game—they're just hoping to get enough consumers to pay on aged debt without a lot of pushback.
Check out this video to learn more about Debt Validation Letters:
If you've received a Complaint by Unifin that they are pursuing a legal claim against you, then it is important to understand that you can (and should) respond to the Complaint by filing a written Answer. Make sure to file your Answer before the court deadline, which is typically between 14 and 35 days depending on which state you live in.
Save yourself the time and stress of finding a lawyer to help you Answer. You can represent yourself with SoloSuit's help. In your Answer, you should follow these six tips:
SoloSuit can help you draft and file an Answer in all 50 states.
Learn more about these six tips in this video:
If you don't respond to the complaint from Unifin and don't pay the money, a default judgment may be entered against you in court. This judgment can allow Unifin to pursue the amount of the judgment due by garnishing your wages, freezing your bank account, or putting a lien on your personal property. You don't want that—especially if you're not even sure that the debt is yours!
If Unifin is suing you for an unpaid debt, you can use SoloSuit to represent yourself in court and win! Create an Answer to the debt lawsuit Complaint (also known as a Petition in some states). The whole process only takes 15 minutes, and SoloSuit has a great track record with many of its users getting their cases dismissed entirely.
SoloSuit also offers other personalized documents and resources that can help you beat debt collectors. Use the document calculator below to discover which service is most appropriate for you and your case.
This calculator is for educational purposes only.
SoloSuit can help you respond to debt collectors at any stage of the debt collections process.
Our software can help you draft legal documents to respond to debt collectors when they come knocking. These documents, including a Debt Validation Letter, Debt Answer, and more, can help you stand up for your rights and get collectors off your back.
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 NPR story on SoloSuit. (We can help you in all 50 states.)
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Out Debt Validation Letter is the best way to respond to a collection letter. Many debt collectors will simply give up after receiving it.
"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