Commercial Debt Collection in Alabama
Don’t settle for the lackluster results that many standard collection agencies in Alabama provide when you can take advantage of the commercial debt recovery firm that has set the industry standard for business debt collection. Instead of the 28% rate that most collection agencies can deliver, Stevens & Ricci offers a startling 72% recovery rate. Your company will also see fast results with our services; our process typically takes less than 45 days. If your business is located near Mobile or Birmingham, give us a call today to start the collection process.
Collection Attorneys in Montgomery, AL Succeed Where Others Fail
The business collection attorneys at Stevens & Ricci have developed a commercial debt collection strategy that is unmatched in the industry. Instead of making a few phone calls and giving up when we don’t get a positive response, we take every possible step to locate the debtor and create a repayment plan. While the traditional collection agency in Huntsville, Alabama will rely on the information that you have provided about your debtor to make a few phone calls and send a letter or two, our national support network of private investigators and collection attorneys will physically locate the person who is ultimately responsible to pay your Alabama receivable and convince them that repayment is in their best interest. Although Stevens & Ricci offers pre-litigation corporate debt collection services, contact from an actual attorney is usually enough to get the payment ball rolling. When you use our services, you receive the best of both worlds with a combination of collections and legal functions that takes advantage of every opportunity. For the best business debt recovery experience, allow Stevens & Ricci to represent your interests on your next commercial claim.
Alabama Laws Do Not Protect the Creditor
The creditor is at a distinct disadvantage in Alabama when a debtor simply does not want to pay their bills. The Alabama statute of limitations restricts your ability to collect a commercial debt. You only have three years on an open account and six years on a written contract before the debt expires. Without a judgment, business debt collection is impossible after that point. Because many judgments aren’t worth the paper they are written on, you still may never see a penny after all those years have passed. Instead of wasting valuable time with a normal collection agency, consider expediting the process by hiring an experienced business collection attorney.
What Can a Debt Collection Attorney do for me that a Collection Agency Can’t?
Experienced debt collection attorneys will not only save time, but they will also bring considerable value to the table. In addition to consistently outperforming a standard collection agency, they will also use collection strategies that aren’t available to a normal collector. The typical collection agency’s system involves phone calls and letters. If no one returns their calls, there’s not much more that they can do. Once a debtor retains their own attorney, the collection agency will usually hit a roadblock and cease all collection activities. Compare their process to the methods used by the business collection attorneys in the Stevens & Ricci network. We will gain direct access to the owners and agents of the business that owes your firm a commercial debt. In fact, we look forward to the day that your debtor retains an attorney, and we will contact the debtor’s legal counsel directly to negotiate repayment terms. If you’re located near Decatur or Guntersville, AL, the following sections will discuss just a few of the advantages that Stevens & Ricci bring to the commercial debt recovery table.
Alabama Consent Judgments
The attorneys at Stevens & Ricci can frequently strengthen a casual payment plan by convincing the debtor to sign a consent judgment. If even a single payment is missed, this legal document allows the commercial creditor to request an immediate judgment with no need for further litigation or court costs. At this point, we have the debtor’s bank account information, and we can quickly seize the total amount due. This simple process drastically increases the chances of payment and puts our clients in a better position than a secured creditor.
Forbearance Agreements and Business Debt Collection
By helping the debtor to stay in business through the creation of a forbearance agreement, a win-win situation is often created. This compassionate form of commercial debt recovery prevents other creditors from filing lawsuits while the debtor restructures their debt load. In this way, our client has improved their payment position while avoiding the courtroom and helping a valued business partner.
Miscellaneous Strategies for Corporate Debt Recovery
Stevens & Ricci’s corporate collection network includes private investigators that are often used to fully research a debtor’s operation including their bank, vendors, suppliers, and public records. Our business debt collection attorneys frequently meet with the district attorneys in Alabama to prepare for collecting a judgment. Many debtors attempt to avoid a pending lawsuit by hiding from our process server. In these cases, our servers will use creative methods to get the job done. By disguising themselves as a delivery person, they can often get the debtor to open the door and disclose their identity so that the paperwork can be served. If all else fails, our collection attorneys will work with the debtor’s legal representative and bill this time as a new reason for settlement.
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Uncollected Sales Tax Case Study
In 2004, a Mobile, Alabama materials supplier contracted with Stevens & Ricci to collect a $25,000 corporate debt against a soil stabilization company. Although the customer had paid the materials fee, they refused to pay the related sales tax due to a disagreement about the meaning of legal terms in the credit application and invoices.
Although we put every effort into collecting this debt, it went uncollected and into the cold case file after we reported it to the two major commercial credit bureaus. Because this was a disputed account with a fairly strong defense, we thought it best to move on.
In February 2010, the debtor contacted Stevens & Ricci to find out why the unpaid sales tax was on their credit report. After our collection lawyer discussed the matter with them, they asked for proof that our client had actually paid the sales tax. This was very different from the 2004 situation where they wanted our client to absorb the sales tax as a discount and for compensation for an unresolved problem.
To clear the item from their commercial credit report, the debtor company agreed to settle the account for $20,000. The final result of this six-year-old collection effort may have been very different if a professional collection attorney working with the firm of Stevens & Ricci was not handling the account.


