Congress Collection

What Congress Collection does

Congress Collection is a Michigan-based debt collection agency operating under a contingency-fee business model, recovering unpaid debts on behalf of business clients only when collection is successful. Founded in 1957 as Congress Credit Bureau by Harry L. and Esther Jacobs, the company serves six primary verticals: Healthcare (hospitals, clinics, physician and dental offices), Government (municipalities, state and local agencies), Financial Services, Higher Education, Utilities (electricity, water, telecommunications), and Commercial (retail and construction). Operations are run from two Michigan offices — a Farmington Hills headquarters and a Lansing regional office — and the company now operates as part of Velo Group alongside affiliated agencies Russell Collection Agency, Mid-Michigan Collections Bureau, and Associates Financial Solutions.

The technology stack is service-light: a web-based client portal (clientaccessweb.com/CongressCollection) enables business clients to upload and track placed accounts, while a separate online payment portal (congresscollection.settlementapp.com) allows consumer debtors to resolve balances digitally. The company markets IT integration capabilities for healthcare, utility, and government clients and emphasizes HIPAA compliance posture. No APIs, SDKs, or mobile applications are disclosed, and there are no public indicators of AI/ML deployment for scoring, skip tracing, or channel optimization.

Revenue is generated entirely on a contingency basis — the company retains a percentage of amounts collected with no upfront costs, setup fees, or recurring platform charges to clients. Go-to-market combines a sales-led B2B motion (direct outreach to healthcare, financial, government, and commercial prospects, supported by a 'Become a Client' web form with 2-business-day response) with a direct-to-consumer motion (toll-free line and online payment portal for consumer debtors). Pricing percentages are not publicly disclosed. The company is privately held, holds no public ticker, has disclosed no venture or private equity funding, and is now part of the Velo Group operating company following an acquisition.

Name

Congress Collection

Legal name

Congress Collection

Website

https://congresscollection.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Debt Collection Services

NAICS

Collection Agencies (561440), Collection Agencies (56144)

SIC

Services-Consumer Credit Reporting, Collection Agencies (7320)

akta.pro primary industry

Third-Party Debt Collection Agencies (Consumer & Commercial) (BPAAAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty & Regulated Collections (Medical, Student Loan, Government, HOA) (BPAAAEAJ), Utilities/Telecom & Other Non-Financial Receivables Collections (FSAKAJAN)

Keywords

• Debt collection services
• Accounts receivable management
• Consumer debt recovery
• Healthcare debt collection
• Contingency fee collections

Headquarters

HQ city

Farmington Hills

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Contingency-Based Collection Fees: Congress Collection operates on a pure contingency fee model where they charge clients only when they successfully collect debt. There are no upfront costs, setup fees, or additional charges. The company retains a percentage of the amounts collected, aligning their success with client outcomes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Congress Collection is a Michigan-based debt collection agency that recovers unpaid consumer and commercial debts on behalf of business clients across healthcare, financial services, commercial, higher education, government, and utilities sectors. The company operates primarily on a contingency fee basis, charging clients only when debts are successfully collected, and applies a consumer-centric, empathetic resolution approach rather than aggressive tactics.

Product overview

Congress Collection is a single unified debt collection service rather than a platform-with-modules architecture. The company offers consumer-centric debt collection services across multiple industry verticals (Healthcare, Financial Services, Commercial, Higher Education, Government) and specialized Utilities collection. Core offerings include customized collection strategies, client web portals for account management, and online payment systems for consumers. All services operate on a contingency fee model where the company retains a percentage of collected amounts. The company also provides affiliated services through Russell Collection Agency, Mid-Michigan Collections Bureau, and Associates Financial Solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Healthcare Collection Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Least intrusive, most effective results while maintaining client's reputation and goodwill with consumers

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Russell Collection AgencyminorOthersAffiliated company within the Congress Collection network of collection agencies. Referenced on the main website footer alongside other affiliated companies.
• Mid-Michigan Collections BureauminorOthersAffiliated company within the Congress Collection network. Part of the affiliated companies section displayed on the main website.
• Associates Financial SolutionsminorOthersAffiliated company within the Congress Collection network. Listed in the affiliated companies section with logo display.
• American Collectors Association (ACA International)coreOthersIndustry association membership. The American Collectors Association is a major trade organization for the accounts receivable management industry, providing training, certification, and advocacy for collection agencies.
• Michigan Association of Collection Agencies (MACA)coreOthersState-level industry association membership for Michigan collection agencies. MACA provides advocacy, networking, and professional development for collection agencies operating in Michigan.
• Velo GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCongress Collection is now part of Velo Group, as indicated by the website footer message. This appears to be a parent company or acquisition relationship.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Southwest Credit Systems: Third-party consumer and commercial debt collection agency serving financial institutions, healthcare, telecom, and utilities. Closely mirrors Congress Collection's vertical mix and contingency-based GTM.
• Professional Finance Company (PFC): Healthcare-specialist debt collection agency focused on hospital and provider receivables recovery. Directly comparable to Congress Collection's HIPAA-compliant healthcare practice.
• The CMI Group: Contingency-based third-party debt collection agency with strong healthcare and government exposure. Highly comparable to Congress Collection's regulated-vertical mix (healthcare, government) and contingency pricing.
• IC System: Third-party debt collection agency serving healthcare, government, financial, retail, and utility creditors across multiple U.S. regions. Directly comparable to Congress Collection in business model (contingency), vertical mix (healthcare/utility/financial), and consumer-facing resolution focus.
• Williams & Fudge: Specialist in student loan and higher-education receivables collections for colleges and universities. Directly overlaps with Congress Collection's higher education vertical and contingency-driven recovery model.
• Credit Collections Bureau: Mid-sized third-party debt collection agency serving healthcare, financial, government, and commercial creditors on a contingency basis. Similar vertical breadth and contingency model to Congress Collection, making it a useful scale-comparable peer.
• Transworld Systems (TSI): Third-party commercial and consumer debt collection agency offering contingency-based recovery, legal network, and skip tracing to SMB and enterprise creditors. Closely comparable to Congress Collection's commercial and financial-services verticals and contingency pricing.

Broad incumbents

• EOS Solutions: International receivables management group offering third-party collection across multiple verticals and geographies. Adjacent incumbent providing BPO-style collection services similar to Congress Collection but at multi-country scale.
• PRA Group (Portfolio Recovery Associates): Large publicly traded debt buyer and manager purchasing charged-off consumer portfolios at scale. Overlaps with Congress Collection in the consumer receivables recovery space but operates at much greater scale and with portfolio-ownership economics.
• Encore Capital Group: Global debt buyer and recovery firm with U.S. operations through Midland Credit Management. Competes in the same pool of consumer and commercial receivables Congress Collection services but is a much larger, multi-jurisdiction incumbent.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/congress-collection-corp

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Congress Collection