How to Remove Northland Group Collections From Your Credit Report
Have you found yourself in a challenging situation and unable to pay all your bills on time?
All it takes is a sudden change in your financial circumstances, and you can quickly find yourself receiving calls from the Northland Group collections agency.
A negative collection from the Northland Group can severely impact your credit score, as with all collection accounts.
It is essential to protect your credit score, as the long-term effects can be pretty damaging.
Following our guide below, you can take the necessary steps towards ending those incessant calls and remove the Northland collections account from your credit report.
This post contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission, at no additional cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. Please review our disclosure for more information.
Who is Northland Group?
The Northland Group Inc is a debt collection agency operating since 2006, with its headquarters located in Edina, Minnesota.
While they do perform collections on behalf of LVNV Funding LLC (a debt buyer), the Northland Group collection agency is focused on debts in specific industries such as:
- Credit card companies
- Automotive
- Mortgages
- Utilities
- Government agencies
- Telecommunications
- Student loans
Like their competitor Medicredit, Northland Group also collects on Healthcare debts.
Is Northland Group a Scam?
No, they are not a scam; the Northland Group collection agency is a legit business.
While they are not the biggest agency out there, they have since merged with Radius Global Solutions LLC and provided hundreds of jobs across the United States.
Note: Given the merger, you may see Global Solutions, LLC appear on your credit report as well.
How to Remove Northland Group (4 Ways)
There are a few different approaches to removing negative collections; here, we review how to remove one from Northland Group Collections.
1. Hire a Credit Repair Company
If you do not feel like dealing with the Northland Group on your own, you can seek guidance from a credible credit repair company like Credit Saint or Lexington Law.
A credit repair company can help identify any negative accounts and work towards removing them from your credit report.
Bonus, using a credit repair service can take most if not all of the stress out of an often unpleasant situation. They will manage all the details but most importantly;
- Disputing your debt
- Negotiating a settlement or pay-for-delete
While not all cases are identical and may not have the same outcome, their main goal is to repair your credit as much as possible.
2. Ask Northland Group for Evidence of the Debt
If you decide the tackle the collections on your own, there are some important steps to follow.
Step one when dealing with a collection account is to confirm the debt by requesting debt validation from the agency.
Once you receive your formal notification of debt by the Northland Group (to be received within five days after they first contact you), you will then have 30 days to send them a debt validation letter.
Remember to send your debt validation letter by certified mail and you want to have tracking and proof of delivery.
If you exceed the 30 days, the debt will be considered valid by the agency, and you can expect them to start “collecting” on the debt.
While confirming the debt for your records is important, you may also find yourself lucky enough if the collection agency is not able to validate the debt.
As debts are purchased from the original creditor, the documentation can sometimes get misplaced or simply lost, and this can end up in your favor.
If Northland Group cannot verify your debt within the given time frame, the negative collections will need to be removed from your credit report.
3. Northland Group Pay for Delete
If you missed the 30 days period to send in your debt validation letter or the collectors managed to validate the debt, you still have some recourse.
Your next step would be to negotiate for a pay-for-delete with the collections agency.
You want to negotiate a payment in exchange for the negative collection being removed from your credit report.
All negotiations should be in writing, again sent via certified mail. Before making any payments to Northland, make sure you receive a signed agreement detailing the terms.
Once you have signed the agreement, you can issue your payment; however, make sure to follow up by reviewing your credit reports to ensure the debt is removed.
If need be, you can pursue them in court should they fail to meet the terms and conditions of the written agreement.
4. Request a Goodwill Deletion
If your negotiations for a pay-for-delete are unsuccessful, you can still send Northland Group collections a goodwill letter kindly requesting them to remove the negative item from your credit report.
As the name entails, this is solely based on Northland Group’s goodwill. Your request has the best chances if you generally have good credit, and this is a one-time issue.
While it is okay to indicate if particular circumstances led to the collections on your file (i.e., loss of employment, medical emergency), the key to this letter is to demonstrate your general creditworthiness.
Be sure to include any information or documentation regarding your positive relationship with the creditor;
- Length of your relationship with the creditor
- All payments made by the due date (besides the item in collections)
READ: How To Remove Hunter Warfield From Your Credit Report
How Does Northland Group Work?
Northland Group collections work like most debt collection agencies. They purchase your debt from large corporations looking to clear their books.
Once they own the debt, it becomes their responsibility to collect payments to turn a profit. The Northland Group collections process will include phone calls and letters being sent to you.
And depending on which state you live in, you may even receive certain treats such as them threatening to garnish your wages.
If you at any time feel like the collections process has crossed a line, be sure to review all of your FDCPA rights here.
Dealing with the Northland Group
If you decide to search for the Northland Group on the Better Business Bureau website, the Northland Group link will redirect you to the Radius Global Solutions LLC, BBB page.
If you need to file a complaint, you can submit it there however, be sure to include your Northland Group collections account number.
Although Radium Global holds is accredited and holds an A+ score with the BBB, they still have over 245 complaints in the last three years, with over 123 complaints closed in the last 12 months.
And Northland Group has itself acquired hundreds of consumer complaints lodged with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
The complaints against Northland Group collections are varied, however; some alleged issues are;
- Incorrect information on the credit report
- Inability to validate the debt
- Attempting collection on paid debts
- Contacting the wrong person
Don’t forget; the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act protects you against unscrupulous tactics.
The Act covers many simple yet important details, from the times of day you be contacted to your right not to have your debt disclosed to family members or your employer.
Take advantage of your right to communicate with the Northland Group in writing.
Nothing beats the written word when dealing with a collections agency, and a nice clean paper trail is always the best route.
Northland Group Inc Contact Information
Address: 7831 Glenroy Rd #350, Edina, MN 55430
Phone number: (952) 820-9558
FAQ
Conclusion
While it is never pleasant to find collections on your credit report, knowing how to approach the situation helps reduce unnecessary stress.
By following our guide, you can make the first decision, whether you want to hire a credit repair agency to help tackle this collection for you or start the process on your own.
Either way, addressing the situation as soon as possible is key to improving your odds of success.
Similar Northland Group Collections Articles
About the author
Clara is the founder of Credit Rise Up, an entrepreneur, personal finance expert, and credit repair enthusiast. She’s committed to helping her readers get on the right track and take actionable steps towards improving their credit by using the experience that allowed her to join The 800 Club. Find out more.