The Credit Protection Association

What The Credit Protection Association does

The Credit Protection Association Limited (CPA), founded in 1914 and headquartered in Brentford, UK, is a private member-owned credit management service provider selling to UK businesses — primarily SMEs that extend credit to their own customers. CPA operates a membership subscription model in which members pay monthly fees for access to a portfolio of credit-management capabilities delivered through an online portal and supported by phone-based advisors. Its product set comprises four interconnected modules: Bad Debt Prevention (credit checks via CreditCare reports, standardised credit application forms, and ongoing debtor monitoring with daily-updated risk and insolvency data); Overdue Account Recovery (a structured, professionally worded letter/email chase sequence that resolves approximately 84% of submitted accounts with payment sent directly to the member); Escalation to Debt Recovery (recourse debt purchase where CPA takes assignment of the debt at no upfront cost and remits recovered funds less a fee, plus litigation handled by specialist City solicitors at CPA's expense); and Late Payment Compensation (claiming statutory compensation under UK Late Payment of Commercial Debts Regulations, supported by a public LPC Calculator tool).

CPA's underlying technology is a web-based membership portal with a debtor monitoring system and automated communication sequences, supplemented by daily data aggregation from multiple UK commercial-data sources. No AI/ML capabilities are disclosed; credit-limit recommendations are produced by human expert assessors. The business has two wholly-owned subsidiaries — CPA (LPC) Recoveries Limited and Creditpro Limited — which ring-fence specific operating lines within the group. Revenue is generated through monthly membership subscriptions, transaction-fee income from recourse debt purchase, statutory late-payment compensation claim work, and litigation-related fees, with pricing not publicly disclosed (quote-based). CPA holds full accreditation with the Credit Services Association and the Civil Court Users Association, and claims tens of thousands of UK business members across its 110+ year operating history.

Name

The Credit Protection Association

Legal name

The Credit Protection Association Limited

Website

https://cpa.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1914

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Credit Protection Association is a UK member-owned credit management service, founded in 1914, that helps SMEs prevent bad debts, recover overdue invoices, claim statutory late-payment compensation, and monitor debtor creditworthiness through a subscription portal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Credit Management Services

NAICS

Collection Agencies (561440), Credit Bureaus (561450)

SIC

Services-Consumer Credit Reporting, Collection Agencies (7320)

akta.pro primary industry

Credit Bureau Reporting & Dispute Management Support (FCRA/CRA Ops) (BPAAAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Credit Education, Monitoring & Consumer Credit Management Tools (FSAKAKAJ), Credit Bureaus & Consumer Credit Reporting Agencies (FSAKAKAA)

Keywords

• Credit management services
• Debt recovery services
• Bad debt prevention
• Late payment compensation
• Commercial credit reports

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscription: CPA operates on a membership subscription model where businesses pay monthly fees for access to credit management services, debt recovery tools, credit reports, and monitoring. Members receive a set number of debts to be chased each month as part of their subscription.
2. Debt Purchase - Recourse: For late-paying business customers, CPA purchases debts on recourse. CPA takes control of the debt, makes no upfront charge, and upon successful recovery remits the debt to the member less a modest debt purchase fee. CPA bears legal and court costs for irrecoverable cases.
3. Late Payment Compensation Claims: CPA helps businesses claim compensation for late payments under legislation. CPA calculates compensation owed and assists in realisation of these claims.
4. Debt Litigation Service: For cases where debt purchase is not preferred or for non-business debtors, CPA offers debt litigation services. For commercial debts in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland, all costs can be recovered from the debtor if paperwork is sound.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Credit Protection Association is a membership-based credit management service that helps UK businesses prevent bad debts, recover overdue accounts, claim statutory late payment compensation, and monitor customer creditworthiness. Members submit overdue invoices via an online portal for structured recovery (84% resolution rate) and gain access to daily-updated credit reports, debtor monitoring, and recourse debt purchase with litigation support.

Product overview

The Credit Protection Association provides a membership-based credit management platform with four interconnected service modules: Bad Debt Prevention (credit assessment and reporting via CreditCare reports and Credit Application Forms), Overdue Account Recovery (structured communication service resolving 84% of cases), Late Payment Compensation (statutory compensation claims for late payments), and Escalation to Debt Recovery (debt purchase and litigation for unresolved accounts). Members also receive access to debtor monitoring, the LPC Calculator tool, and an online portal for managing credit checks and submitting overdue accounts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bad Debt Prevention Credit management service module that helps UK businesses assess customer creditworthiness, set clear credit terms, and use CPA's credit application forms and daily-updated credit reports to avoid bad debts before they occur. Included in CPA membership for member businesses of all sizes.
• Overdue Account Recovery Structured communication service issuing professionally worded letters and emails to prompt payment of overdue accounts directly to the member, resolving approximately 84% of cases with payments made straight to the business. Members receive a set number of debts to be chased each month as part of their membership.
• Escalation to Debt Recovery For accounts not resolved through standard recovery, CPA purchases debts on a recourse basis (no upfront charge; CPA bears legal and court costs for irrecoverable cases) and offers debt litigation services via retained City solicitors specialising in account recovery. For commercial debts in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland, costs can be recovered from the debtor if paperwork is sound.
• Late Payment Compensation (LPC) Service enabling UK businesses to claim statutory compensation for late payments under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Regulations. CPA calculates the compensation owed from past business customers who paid late and assists in realising these claims. A free assessment is available via phone, email, contact form, or the online LPC Calculator.

Quantifiable outcome

• 84% of overdue accounts resolved through Overdue Account Recovery Service
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Credit Services AssociationcoreOthersCPA is a fully accredited member of the Credit Services Association and committed to their code of practice. This membership provides industry accreditation and adherence to professional standards for credit management and debt recovery services.
• Civil Court Users AssociationcoreOthersCPA is a fully accredited member of the Civil Court Users Association, demonstrating standing and active participation in civil court procedures for debt recovery and litigation services.
• CPA (LPC) Recoveries LimitedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociated company within the CPA group that handles Late Payment Compensation (LPC) recoveries, operating under the same data protection framework and privacy policies as the main CPA entity.
• Creditpro LimitedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociated company within the CPA group operating under the same data protection framework and privacy policies, providing additional credit management and recovery services.
• City Solicitors (Specialist in Account Recovery)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCPA retains highly experienced City solicitors who specialise in account recovery for debt litigation cases. These legal professionals handle cases escalated to litigation at CPA's own risk and expense for recourse debt purchase matters.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Graydon: Graydon supplies UK business credit reports, company information, and risk analytics used by SMEs and corporates for credit decisions, overlapping directly with CPA's credit reporting and monitoring offerings.
• Creditsafe: Creditsafe is one of the most common providers of UK and international business credit reports and monitoring, directly competing with CPA's CreditCare reports and debtor monitoring services on price, data depth, and digital delivery.
• Lowell Group: Lowell is one of the UK's largest debt purchasers and credit management services providers, operating in overlapping debt recovery and collections territory though primarily on consumer debt.

Broad incumbents

• PRA Group UK: PRA Group is a global acquirer of non-performing loans and a credit management services provider with UK operations, partially overlapping with CPA's debt recovery and purchased-debt business lines.
• Experian UK: Experian is a global credit bureau with significant UK business and consumer credit reporting operations. While much larger and broader than CPA, it competes head-on in commercial credit data and monitoring for UK SMEs.
• Dun & Bradstreet: Dun & Bradstreet provides global business credit reports and monitoring, including UK coverage, competing with CPA's CreditCare reports while offering deeper international reach.
• Intrum UK: Intrum is a major European credit management and debt collection group with UK operations, competing with CPA across B2B collections, debt purchasing, and credit management services at larger scale.
• Equifax UK: Equifax operates UK commercial and consumer credit reporting at scale, providing a broad incumbent alternative to CPA's credit reports, monitoring, and risk insights across the SME segment.
• Hoist Finance UK: Hoist Finance operates in UK debt purchasing and credit management, providing overlap with CPA's recourse debt purchase and collections activities at a larger institutional scale.

Emerging players

• Bibby Financial Services: Bibby provides invoice finance, factoring, and credit management services to UK SMEs, addressing overlapping cash flow and credit risk pain points but with a different financing-led model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries2 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 The Credit Protection Association