St. Louis Collection Agency

We Understand Business in St. Louis

St. Louis has a rich history in manufacturing and transportation, and it’s also gaining recognition as a growing hub for healthcare, biotech, and financial services. With major companies like Centene, Emerson, and Anheuser-Busch as key players, St. Louis has a supportive environment for both established firms and new startups. However, all businesses face the inevitable challenge of maintaining cash flow, especially when payments are delayed.

Since 1979, Empire Credit and Collections has helped St. Louis-based businesses & individuals collect bad debt. With such an array of national and international businesses thriving in Missouri, Empire knows how important communication and experience with policies overseas are. We also have multilingual collectors specializing in international collections and local offices in Europe and Asia. Our worldwide expertise will speed up the process of getting you your money faster.

Our Debt Collection Services are Available Nationwide

Our recovery rate relative to other U.S. debtors is considerably higher than the industry standard established by the Commercial Law League of America. Through our proven process, we’ve accomplished to boost recovery rates on domestic and international overdue accounts. Unlike your local agencies, Empire utilizes an extensive network of more than 400 affiliate attorneys and agencies to acquire what’s owed to you faster, with a higher collection rate. We’d be happy to work with you on multiple accounts across a range of services:

• Commercial Collections
• Small Business Collections
• Medical Collections
• Judgment Debt Collections
• International Debt Collections
• Utility & Services Collections
• Membership Account Collections
• Defaulted Loans & Promissory Notes
• Immediate Litigation

Tackling these debts alone may be daunting, but our steadfast methods will remove many of the complications from this process.

No Recovery, No Fee

With our straightforward three-phase approach, we’ll guarantee you get paid or you owe us nothing.

Phase I

• The first of four demand letters is sent to the debtor via U.S. mail.
• The debtor will be contacted by one of our staff collectors to come to a resolution. In attempts to reach the debtor, our staff will call the debtor daily for the first 14 to 21 days.
• If no settlement is made during this time, we move to Phase II, where the case is immediately escalated to our network of attorneys within the debtor’s locality.

Phase II

• The first of several letters are drafted to the debtor demanding payment of the debt owed to you.
• In addition to the letters, our attorneys on your case will call the debtor in order to get in touch with him / her.
• If we move along with no success, you’ll receive a letter covering all the issues surrounding the case and our recommendations for the last phase.

Phase III

• We’ll present one of two recommendations:
  • If recovery of your debt is highly unlikely, we’ll propose you close your case. You will owe nothing to our firm or affiliated attorneys for an outcome like this.
  • You may decide whether or not you’d like to move forward with litigation. If you do not want to take legal action, your case will be closed and you will not have to pay us anything. If you agree to litigation, legal costs (filing fees, court costs, etc.), ranging from $700.00 to $1,200.00 are required to be paid upfront. Our attorneys will file a lawsuit on your behalf for all monies owed, including but not limited to, the cost to file this suit. You will pay nothing to our firm or our affiliated attorneys if we fail to collect through litigation.

There are no hidden costs or additional fees of any kind. We can ensure you’ll be taken care of!

Tips for Collecting from St. Louis Businesses That Owe You

We completely empathize with your frustrations when it comes to dealing with past-due accounts. Debt collection is a specialized trade -- we’re here to support you with a determined and qualified team who is knowledgeable and compliant with local, state, and federal collection laws.

When you’re searching for your ideal collection agency, an important takeaway is to focus on the likelihood of recovery instead of the contingency rate. Nevertheless, we have competitive contingency rates, but rely and turn to our superior partnerships and professional staff to generate maximum results. Going with a collection agency that’s less than competent, who uses unethical practices, not only damages your reputation, but costs you your existing and future customers. Working with Empire Credit and Collections will allow you to save money and time.

How, do you ask? Time-sensitivity is a key factor in collecting. As more time passes, the chances of you receiving your money is less and less. Based on our observations, it’s vital to be in touch with a collection agency between 90 & 120 days from a customer not making any payments. After 120 days, the odds of recovering such debt are high. In other words, you may not be able to collect at all. While you can find ways to collect debt yourself, keep in mind that the world does not stop - you still have your business to run and personal obligations to fulfill. Working with a collection agency means you can shift your energy and resources towards other pressing matters. Let us worry about delinquencies so you can breathe easier.

If you’re hesitant about whether or not you’re ready to meet with a collection agency, go down this list first:

• You have a customer with a history of being financially irresponsible
• You have a new customer who doesn’t respond to your first attempt of collecting money
• You’ve established a payment plan, but the customer still isn’t paying
• Your customer is in denial about the charge and refuses responsibility
• Your customer makes baseless claims about your business, services, or products to get out of paying

Do any of these ring a bell? If anything above applies to you, it’s best to seek relief with a professional agency, especially when you feel like you’re out of options.

If delinquencies are coming from a larger, reputable company, that should raise some red flags. If you’re unable to sort through matters yourself, it is imperative to partner with an agency that has your best interest in mind. The longer the delays, the harder it becomes to collect. You may find that your connections from that company may leave, documents are increasingly difficult to locate, accounts about commitments are not reassigned, and a handful of other issues that are extremely challenging to navigate alone.

If you’re seeking to collect from a small or mid-size organization, it may be about practicing a little patience and judicious monitoring if they’re working with capital during rapid growth. However, if the reason for not paying is anything but, you could land yourself in a moneyless predicament. Per a publication from the Commercial Law League of America, the likelihood of receiving payment goes down more than 1% per week. As a rule of thumb, the sooner you can take action and gain control of the situation, the better your opportunity is to recover as much money as possible.

St. Louis Collection Agency Resources

• St. Louis Chamber of Commerce: https://www.uschamber.com/co/chambers/missouri/saint-louis
• St. Louis Bar Association: https://www.bamsl.org/
• St. Louis Business Journal: https://www.ksdk.com/businessjournal
• Start a Business in St. Louis: https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/license/business-license-info/index.cfm  
• Missouri Secretary of State: https://www.sos.mo.gov/
• Missouri Department of Labor & Industrial Relations: https://labor.mo.gov/

Ready to Collect Your Money? Here’s How to Start…

For a higher probability of recouping the money owed to you without any additional delays, it’s pertinent to provide us with as many details about the debtor as possible.

1. Contact Information
   1. Names (including nicknames, maiden names, etc.)
   2. Addresses
   3. Telephone Numbers (home, cell, work)
   4. Email Addresses
2. Names of his / her spouses, friends, relatives, and neighbors
3. The debtor’s response from any efforts you made to collect
4. Specifics of the original agreement with the debtor
5. Paperwork relevant to original agreement (permits, applications, contracts, etc.)

Businesses Trust Us

Valerie K.

★★★★★

Bill Owen at Empire Credit Collections was very understanding and cooperative dealing with me, as the debtor owed another company approximately $14,000, which we could not pay. Our machine shop was in the process of closing down, yet we strived to get all of our vendors and suppliers paid in full - which finally happened. Dealing with collection agencies can be tough, but Mr. Owen at Empire was very respectable, understanding but firm in his approach to maintaining our part of the bargain. Good man, good company.

Morgan P.

College HUNKS Hauling Junk and Moving

★★★★★

Melissa Leibowitz and her entire team at Empire Credit and Collection have helped my company out on multiple occasions. I have nothing but praise for their performance and attention to our needs. Fast and effective service is what they provide. Thank you so much!