Who is Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC?

Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC (PRA) is a major national debt buyer and collector, wholly owned by PRA Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRAA). PRA purchases charged-off consumer debts — credit cards, auto deficiencies, student loans — from banks and other lenders, then collects using in-house staff and litigation attorneys.

Why is Portfolio Recovery Associates suing me?

PRA purchased your charged-off account from your original creditor and is now seeking to collect the full balance through the court system. Because PRA employs in-house collection attorneys, it files lawsuits at a high volume across the country.

Can PRA prove it owns my debt?

PRA must establish standing by producing a valid chain of assignment from the original creditor to itself. If PRA cannot produce a bill of sale or account-level documentation, you may have grounds to challenge its right to sue. Defects in chain-of-title have led courts to dismiss PRA cases.

What enforcement actions has the CFPB taken against PRA?

The CFPB has taken action against Portfolio Recovery Associates twice. In 2015, it ordered PRA to pay $19 million in consumer refunds and an $8 million civil penalty for collecting unverified debts and making false statements in court filings. In 2023, the CFPB took a second action resulting in a $24 million settlement for continued illegal practices.

Is the statute of limitations a defense against PRA?

Yes, if the applicable limitations period in your state has run since you last made a payment or the account was charged off, you can assert this as an affirmative defense in your Answer. PRA has been known to file on older accounts — check your state's limitations period carefully.

What happens if I do not respond to PRA's lawsuit?

If you do not file an Answer by your state's deadline, the court will enter a default judgment in PRA's favor. PRA can then use that judgment to garnish wages or bank accounts. Filing a response preserves your right to raise all available defenses, including statute of limitations and lack of standing.

Debt buyer profile

Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC

Also known as: PRA, Portfolio Recovery, PRA Group

Last reviewed 2026-07-02 · By John DiSalle, founder of Answered

Quick answer

If Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC is suing you, start with the deadline and proof path.

Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of PRA Group, Inc. It still has to connect the lawsuit to your account, the claimed amount, and the state deadline — the safest first step is to check the response window before reading deeper background.

Check first: state, court type, service date, plaintiff name, and any hearing or return date.
Then: review whether the papers show ownership, account records, amount, and timeliness.

Next step

If you just opened court papers, check the deadline before you keep reading.

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Next 10 minutes: find the service date, court name, case number, plaintiff, and any hearing date on your papers.

Use the next few minutes to check state, service date, plaintiff, and the court listed on your papers. If Answered supports the case, you can unlock a file-ready self-help packet later. Everything for one supported case in one unlock: the court-ready self-help Answer, your case's proof-issue report in full, filing checklist, service checklist, deadline reminders, document organizer, next-step and hearing-prep tools, email support, and case-scoped self-help information using your saved facts, citations, and approved Answered templates; chat does not tell you what to file or predict outcomes. Paid step stays simple: one unlock, the Full Defense Packet — start tonight for $33, $99 total. No interest. No credit check. No subscription.

Redacted sample

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The Answer and proof-report pages are real engine output — the same template and format a paying customer gets — with fictional parties, no real personal data, and a watermark. Checklist and workspace pages are illustrations. Your documents depend on your facts, the court listed on your papers, state rules Answered supports, and what you choose to review before filing.

Start free preview

Fictional caption + answer structure

Court-formatted response

Fictional caption, sample admissions/denials structure, affirmative-defense prompts, and signature area.

Filing checklist + service checklist

What to do after download

Review, sign, file with the court, serve the plaintiff, save proof, and calendar the next court notice.

Proof-review worksheet

Debt-buyer proof issues

Ownership chain, amount support, standing, account documents, timing, and service issues to organize for review.

Fictional facts, real documents. The Answer and proof-report pages come from the same engine that builds real packets, with made-up parties — the sample is not a usable filing template, legal advice, attorney review, or a prediction of any outcome. Your packet is generated from your confirmed case facts.

Norfolk, VAFounded 1996Debt buyer and collectorMajor national buyerCFPB enforcement history

Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of PRA Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRAA), one of the largest publicly traded debt buyers in the world. PRA purchases defaulted consumer receivables — primarily credit-card, auto-deficiency, and private-student-loan accounts — and collects them using in-house collectors and company attorneys. PRA Group operates in the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Case fit check

Check your Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC case fit

Choose your state, add court type if known, and carry the facts into a free case preview before payment.

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StatePlaintiffCourt typeService dateThe day you were handed or mailed the court papers — it’s on your summons. Not sure of the exact day? Use your best estimate and confirm it later.

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Add your state so Answered can check the court listed on your papers and whether this case can be supported before payment. Recognized plaintiff type: debt buyer.

Don’t have your service date handy? Start free and upload your papers — Answered reads the date off your summons.

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You pay only after your deadline and a preview. Self-help software, not a law firm.

32-state Full Defense Packet eligibility

Consumer debt lawsuit defense in 32 states. Start free — Answered checks whether it can build your defense before you pay anything.

Corporate structure

Who owns Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC?

Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC is owned by or affiliated with PRA Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRAA).

Common original creditors whose accounts Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC has purchased include: Capital One, Synchrony Bank, Bank of America, Chase, Citibank, Wells Fargo, Discover, USAA.

Is it legit?

Is Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC legit — and can it still lose in court?

Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC is a real debt buyer and collector operating since 1996, headquartered in Norfolk, VA, and part of PRA Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRAA) — not a fake company or a phishing scam. But "legitimate" is not the same as "proven." A debt buyer that sues still has to prove it owns your specific account and the exact amount it claims — and Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC or its parent has faced regulatory enforcement over exactly these documentation and affidavit problems. If you were served, treat the lawsuit seriously: check your deadline first, then make Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC document ownership, the amount, and timing before you admit anything or pay.

Proof checklist

What to check before you admit, pay, or ignore the lawsuit

A debt-buyer profile is useful only if it helps you act on the papers in front of you. Start with deadline and court track, then review these proof points before default pressure becomes the main issue.

Exact plaintiff identityCompare the caption against Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC, any servicer, parent company, and the collection law firm. The named plaintiff has to be the entity with authority to sue.

Account-level ownershipPortfolio Recovery Associates LLC should be able to connect your specific account to any purchase, assignment, or servicing authority instead of relying only on generic portfolio language.

Amount and timingCheck charge-off balance, payments, credits, interest, fees, last payment date, and the limitations period in the state where the lawsuit was filed.

Records and affidavit foundationReview whether the complaint relies on original-creditor records, account statements, a business-record affidavit, or a summary that leaves proof gaps.

Common issues to review may include whether the plaintiff can prove ownership chain, amount, standing or authority to sue, account documents, timing, service, and assignment paperwork. Answered helps you preserve and organize issues for review; it does not decide what arguments you should make. Consumer debt lawsuit defense in 32 states. Start free — Answered checks whether it can build your defense before you pay anything. Check your deadline free before any paid packet decision.

Court filing data

How often Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC sues — official court data

The Massachusetts Trial Court publishes filing counts for the state's top consumer-debt plaintiffs. Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC filed 17,754 consumer debt cases there in 2025 — 12.2% of every consumer debt case filed in the state that year.

Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC filings in Massachusetts

2019: 10,165 cases (10.7% of all consumer debt cases)

2023: 12,956 cases (14.1% of all consumer debt cases)

2025: 17,754 cases (12.2% of all consumer debt cases)

Scope: Massachusetts Trial Court "consumer debt" cases: civil consumer revolving credit, small claims (plaintiffs filing 2+ actions), civil foreign judgments, and other civil money actions where a company sued an individual. 2025 figures include Superior Court actions. Source: Massachusetts Trial Court, Department of Research and Planning (retrieved 2026-07-13). One state's official data — filing patterns differ by state; more states will be added as official datasets are published.

Regulatory history

CFPB and regulatory enforcement

Enforcement record

The CFPB has taken enforcement action against Portfolio Recovery Associates twice. In 2015, the CFPB ordered PRA to pay $19 million in consumer refunds and an $8 million civil penalty for collecting on unverified debts, misrepresenting debts in court filings, and failing to send required notices. In 2023, the CFPB filed a second action and PRA agreed to a $24 million settlement for continued illegal collection practices.

Primary sources: CFPB press release: action against the two largest debt buyers (2015) · CFPB enforcement action page: Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC (2023) · FTC, The Structure and Practices of the Debt Buying Industry (2013) · CFPB public enforcement-actions database

Your next steps

What to do if Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC is suing you

1
Find your deadline immediatelyYou have a limited number of days to file your Answer after being served — typically 20 to 35 days depending on your state. Missing this deadline results in a default judgment. Check your state’s guide for the exact deadline.
2
Review proof of ownershipPortfolio Recovery Associates LLC generally needs evidence connecting your account from the original creditor to the named plaintiff. Your Answer and follow-up documents can preserve standing and chain-of-title issues for review.
3
Check the statute of limitationsDebt buyers sometimes sue on old accounts. If the limitations period in your state has run since your last payment or the charge-off date, you may have a complete defense. Look up the state guide for your jurisdiction.
4
File your Answer — even if you plan to settleFiling a timely Answer preserves all your defenses and gives you leverage to negotiate a better settlement. Do not ignore the lawsuit expecting it to go away. See your state’s defense guide.

Next step

If you just opened court papers, check the deadline before you keep reading.

Check your deadline free

Not sure what to do next? Start with the free deadline check.

Next 10 minutes: find the service date, court name, case number, plaintiff, and any hearing date on your papers.

Redacted sample

See what the Full Defense Packet looks like before paying.

Start free preview

Fictional caption + answer structure

Court-formatted response

Fictional caption, sample admissions/denials structure, affirmative-defense prompts, and signature area.

Filing checklist + service checklist

What to do after download

Review, sign, file with the court, serve the plaintiff, save proof, and calendar the next court notice.

Proof-review worksheet

Debt-buyer proof issues

Ownership chain, amount support, standing, account documents, timing, and service issues to organize for review.

Product preview

One $99 unlock: the Full Defense Packet, with everything included.

One product, one decision: check your deadline and proof issues free, then unlock the $99 Full Defense Packet when you are ready to respond — the court-ready Answer, your full proof-issue report, filing and service checklists, workspace tools, and email support. Pay once — no subscription. The Full Defense Packet - $99 includes proof-review tools and next-step planning for Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC cases.

LVNV: assignment chain, Resurgent servicing role, and account-level sale proof.

Midland: account-level purchase records, balance support, and arbitration clues.

Portfolio Recovery: ownership records, account schedule, and itemized balance support.

Other debt buyers: standing, amount, account documents, timing, and service issues.

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What happens after payment

After payment, your saved case unlocks the packet download and a filing/service checklist. Your next job is clear: review the packet, download it, sign where required, file it with the court, serve the plaintiff, save proof, and calendar the next court date or deadline.

Deadline note: Your response deadline may already be running. If you do nothing, the plaintiff may ask the court for a default judgment. Preparing and filing a response helps you avoid silence, but it does not guarantee a win, dismissal, or that every court or collection consequence stops.

Filing confidence: The checklist also includes a clerk call script, what-to-bring list, service checklist, proof-saving steps, reminder timeline, and what to do if the clerk rejects the filing. Payment unlocks more than a PDF: a filing checklist, clerk call script, what-to-bring list, service checklist, proof-saving steps, reminder timeline, and rejection troubleshooting for the supported court path.

Refund promise: 60-day guarantee: if Answered cannot generate or deliver the supported self-help product you bought, or a court rejects your Answer because of a defect in the document Answered generated, we fix it free and refund you 100%. Refunds do not depend on the court result. The refund is about whether Answered delivered a working, court-acceptable document workflow, not whether you win, settle, avoid default, get a dismissal, reduce the debt, or like the court outcome. Refund requests do not pause, extend, reopen, or change court deadlines, filing duties, service duties, hearing dates, or court fees.

Download help: If payment succeeds but a download does not appear, keep the page open and contact support from the account email so Answered can trace the payment and case safely.

Data handling at checkout: Stripe handles card details; Answered never sees your full card number. Answered receives payment status and keeps your case details, uploads, and generated documents in private app storage for your workspace. Answered does not sell lawsuit papers or case data.

Self-help boundary: Answered is self-help software, not a law firm, and it does not represent you. You review, sign, file, and serve the documents yourself unless a separate eligible filing service clearly says otherwise. Attorney review, legal representation, settlement negotiation, and filing service are not included unless a separate eligible service clearly says so. Answered gives you plain-English filing and service checklists, clerk-call prompts, reminders, and proof-saving steps so the next move is organized instead of improvised.

Not for you if

Answered may not be right for you if:

You already have a default judgment.
Your estimated filing deadline is immediate, unclear, or already passed.
You need legal advice or representation.
Your case is not a consumer debt case.
Your case does not pass the readiness, court, or case-type checks.

Deadline found

Your answer deadline

Plaintiff

Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC

Documents

Answer + next filings

Case preview

PRA ownership
Account schedule
Balance itemization

State-specific defense guides

Read the Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC defense guide for your state

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC

Who is Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC?
Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC (PRA) is a major national debt buyer and collector, wholly owned by PRA Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRAA). PRA purchases charged-off consumer debts — credit cards, auto deficiencies, student loans — from banks and other lenders, then collects using in-house staff and litigation attorneys.
Why is Portfolio Recovery Associates suing me?
PRA purchased your charged-off account from your original creditor and is now seeking to collect the full balance through the court system. Because PRA employs in-house collection attorneys, it files lawsuits at a high volume across the country.
Can PRA prove it owns my debt?
PRA must establish standing by producing a valid chain of assignment from the original creditor to itself. If PRA cannot produce a bill of sale or account-level documentation, you may have grounds to challenge its right to sue. Defects in chain-of-title have led courts to dismiss PRA cases.
What enforcement actions has the CFPB taken against PRA?
The CFPB has taken action against Portfolio Recovery Associates twice. In 2015, it ordered PRA to pay $19 million in consumer refunds and an $8 million civil penalty for collecting unverified debts and making false statements in court filings. In 2023, the CFPB took a second action resulting in a $24 million settlement for continued illegal practices.
Is the statute of limitations a defense against PRA?
Yes, if the applicable limitations period in your state has run since you last made a payment or the account was charged off, you can assert this as an affirmative defense in your Answer. PRA has been known to file on older accounts — check your state's limitations period carefully.
What happens if I do not respond to PRA's lawsuit?
If you do not file an Answer by your state's deadline, the court will enter a default judgment in PRA's favor. PRA can then use that judgment to garnish wages or bank accounts. Filing a response preserves your right to raise all available defenses, including statute of limitations and lack of standing.

State defense guides

Sued by Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC? Find your state

Know your deadline and next filing step.

Answered helps you find your deadline, identify possible issues in the plaintiff’s papers, and draft a filing-formatted Answer. One unlock if your case fits: Full Defense Packet - $99 (or $33 x 3 weeks) — everything included.

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What happens after payment

Download help: If payment succeeds but a download does not appear, keep the page open and contact support from the account email so Answered can trace the payment and case safely.