Credit Bureau Services Canada

What Credit Bureau Services Canada does

Credit Bureau Services Canada (dba CBS Canada or CBSC; in Quebec, Agence de Recouvrement CBSC) is a Canadian, privately held, family-owned debt collection agency founded in 1932 and headquartered at 26 Queen Street, St. Catharines, Ontario, with a Quebec office at 1117 rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest in Montreal. The firm operates on a contingency commission basis, charging clients only on amounts successfully recovered, and remits collected funds monthly via trust cheque. Its service stack is organized into three integrated tiers: Pre-Collection Strategies (early intervention with co-branded letters acting as an extension of the client's receivables department), Agency Collection Services (assigned Account Managers, in-house skip tracing, and credit-bureau reporting to TransUnion and Equifax), and Legal Collections (in-house Law Society of Ontario licensed paralegals handling small-claims and Superior Court matters).

The technology stack combines a self-serve client listing portal (currently undergoing platform upgrades), a secure online payment portal at pay.cbscanada.com, and integrations with TransUnion, Equifax, paytickets.ca, and Bell Relay for accessibility. Bilingual EN/FR toll-free service with guaranteed 24-hour response underpins national coverage from the Ontario and Quebec offices. Customer verticals span municipal and regional governments, financial institutions, healthcare, education, public utilities, national retail chains, manufacturing, construction, insurance, dental and medical practices, car dealerships, entrepreneurs, and SMBs. Average employee tenure is 18 years, the workforce ranges from 11 to 50, and no external funding rounds or institutional investors are recorded. Leadership is represented by President Steve Cook. Industry memberships include CSCA (since 1993, with Board representation 2013-2015), founding membership in RMA Canada (since 2012), Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce (over 30 years), BBB A+ accreditation, provincial collection-agency licenses in every province, and CBA Seniors Code commitment.

Name

Credit Bureau Services Canada

Legal name

Credit Bureau Services Canada

Website

https://cbscanada.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1932

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Credit Bureau Services Canada is a family-owned Canadian debt collection agency founded in 1932 that provides contingency-based receivables management, skip tracing, TransUnion/Equifax credit-bureau reporting, and in-house legal collections to financial institutions, governments, healthcare, education, utilities, retail, and SMBs from offices in Ontario and Quebec.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Debt Collection Services

NAICS

Collection Agencies (56144), Collection Agencies (561440)

SIC

Services-Consumer Credit Reporting, Collection Agencies (7320)

akta.pro primary industry

Third-Party Collection Agencies (Consumer) (FSAKAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Third-Party Debt Collection Agencies (Consumer & Commercial) (BPAAAEAB), Legal Collections Support (Pre-Lit, Litigation Admin, Judgment Recovery) (BPAAAEAH), Utilities/Telecom & Other Non-Financial Receivables Collections (FSAKAJAN)

Keywords

• Debt collection services
• Receivables management
• Commercial debt recovery
• Credit bureau reporting
• Legal collections agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Commission-Based Collection Services: CBS Canada operates on a commission basis, charging clients only when collections are successfully recovered. The company remits collected funds to clients monthly via trust cheque, less their commission fees. This 'no collection, no charge' model eliminates risk for clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Credit Bureau Services Canada is a Canadian commercial debt collection agency that recovers outstanding receivables for businesses, institutions, and government entities on a contingency commission basis. The agency delivers three integrated service tiers — pre-collection strategies, agency collection services, and legal collections (small claims and Superior Court) — supported by in-house skip tracing, credit bureau reporting to TransUnion and Equifax, and a secure debtor payment portal. Services are offered nationally in both English and French from offices in St. Catharines, Ontario and Montreal, Quebec.

Product overview

Credit Bureau Services Canada operates as a debt collection agency offering three integrated service tiers: Pre-Collection Strategies (early intervention), Agency Collection Services (core debt recovery with account management and skip tracing), and Legal Collections (in-house paralegal and court action services). The agency supports its collection operations with a self-serve listing portal for clients, an online payment portal for debtors, and specialized accessibility services for seniors. All services are delivered on a risk-free contingency basis with no collection, no charge.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pre-Collection Strategies Early intervention collection program that operates as an extension of clients' receivables departments, using co-branded letters to engage debtors before accounts become delinquent. Designed for businesses and institutions that want to retain a goodwill-preserving first-touch before escalating to agency collections.
• Agency Collection Services Traditional third-party debt collection service for commercial clients, providing an assigned Account Manager per portfolio, in-house skip tracing, credit bureau reporting to TransUnion and Equifax, and monthly remittance of collected funds via trust cheque less commission fees. Served on a contingency basis.
• Legal Collections Legal action debt recovery service covering small claims and Superior Court matters, executed by in-house licensed paralegals and legal professionals under Law Society of Ontario accreditation. Includes strategic collection planning based on best practices and tailored client/debtor situations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Guaranteed response within 24 hours for inquiries
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Receivables Management Association of Canada (RMA Canada)coreOthers · 1 January 2012Member since the association's inception in 2012. RMA Canada is the national trade association for the receivables management industry in Canada. CBS Canada's membership demonstrates commitment to industry standards and best practices.
• Law Society of OntariocoreOthers · 1 January 2011CBS Canada employs Licensed Paralegals in-house since 2011, accredited through the Law Society of Ontario. This enables the agency to handle legal collection matters including small claims and Superior court actions without external legal referrals.
• Canadian Society of Collection Agencies (CSCA)coreOthers · 1 January 1993Long-standing member since 1993. Served on the Board of Directors from 2013 to 2015. CSCA is a leading industry association representing collection agencies across Canada with rigorous compliance and ethical standards.
• Greater Niagara Chamber of CommerceminorOthersMember for over 30 years. The Chamber provides networking opportunities and community engagement in the Niagara Region where CBS Canada has its headquarters.
• Better Business BureauminorOthersBBB Accredited Business status indicates CBS Canada meets BBB standards for ethical business practices and is committed to resolving customer complaints.
• TransUnioncoreTechnology or IntegrationCredit reporting integration partner. CBS Canada reports debtor information to TransUnion as part of their collection services, providing clients with credit bureau reporting capabilities.
• EquifaxcoreTechnology or IntegrationCredit reporting integration partner. CBS Canada reports debtor information to Equifax as part of their collection services, providing clients with comprehensive credit bureau reporting capabilities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Equifax Canada: Equifax Canada is the second of two credit bureaus to which CBS Canada reports. Functions as an ecosystem / data partner rather than a direct competitor, but its credit reporting and consumer data products are tightly integrated into CBS Canada's collection process.
• TransUnion Canada: TransUnion Canada is one of the two major credit bureaus to which CBS Canada reports debtor information. Not a direct competitor, but a critical infrastructure / data partner whose credit reporting products underpin CBS Canada's collection workflow.
• Receivables Management Association of Canada (RMA Canada): RMA Canada is the national trade association for the receivables management industry in Canada, of which CBS Canada is a founding member (since 2012). Serves as an industry context / peer ecosystem rather than a direct competitor; useful reference point for understanding CBS Canada's industry standing.

Direct peers

• CBV Collection Services: CBV Collection Services is a Canadian third-party debt collection agency offering commercial and consumer recovery services with a contingency-fee model. Directly comparable to CBS Canada in services offered (pre-collection, agency, legal), Canadian-only footprint, and SMB/mid-market client base.
• Gatestone & Co. Gatestone & Co. is a long-established Canadian consumer and commercial collection agency headquartered in Ontario. Highly comparable to CBS Canada in vertical breadth (financial institutions, government, healthcare), Canadian focus, and contingency pricing model.
• National Credit Adjusters (NCA): NCA is a North American collection agency offering commercial and consumer recovery services, with cross-border US-Canada capability. Similar contingency-fee third-party collection focus as CBS Canada but with broader geographic reach and higher placement volumes.
• Allied International Credit Corp: Allied International Credit is a Canadian third-party collection agency serving financial, retail, and government clients across Canada. Closely comparable to CBS Canada in offering mix (agency collections, skip tracing, legal support) and SMB-to-mid-market creditor segment.
• Commercial Recovery Bureau: Commercial Recovery Bureau is a Canadian debt collection agency focused on commercial and consumer receivables with bilingual service. Comparable to CBS Canada in contingency pricing, Canadian-only operations, and support for SMB creditors.

Broad incumbents

• PRA Group (Canada): PRA Group is a Nasdaq-listed global acquirer of nonperforming loans and provider of debt collection services, with a Canadian operation. Comparable to CBS Canada in consumer receivables recovery but distinct as a major debt purchaser rather than purely contingency-based third-party agency.
• EOS Canada (EOS Group): EOS is a global, publicly listed debt collection firm with significant Canadian operations through EOS Canada. Overlaps with CBS Canada in B2C receivables management but operates at much larger scale across multiple geographies and via diversified debt purchase plus agency services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CreditBureauServicesCanada
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/credit-bureau-services-canada

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Credit Bureau Services Canada