When an unfamiliar company starts calling about a debt, the first thing most people do is search the name to find out who they are. If you landed here searching for Premiere Credit of North America, Premier Credit of North America, or Premiere Credit of North America LLC, you are in the right place.
Note that this page covers Premiere Credit of North America LLC, the Indianapolis-based debt collection agency. It is not affiliated with “Premier Credit Protection” (an insurance product), or Premiere Collectibles (a memorabilia company).
Here is the most important thing to know upfront: Premiere Credit of North America specializes in student loan collections. All three of the major federal lawsuits against them involve student loan debt. If they are calling you, your federal student loans are almost certainly the reason.
That matters enormously because student loan debt operates under different rules than credit card or medical debt. The federal government has collection tools for student loans that standard collectors do not have. Understanding those differences is what this guide is for.
If Premiere Credit is calling you right now, call +1-844-638-1122. The Wood Firm PLLC works on contingency, and the consultation is free.
Key Takeaways
- Premiere Credit of North America LLC specializes in federal student loan collections, not standard consumer debt
- Federal student loans can be subject to administrative wage garnishment without a court judgment, unlike ordinary consumer debts
- All three major federal lawsuits against them involve student loan collection: abusive calls, illegal garnishment threats, and unauthorized third-party contact
- Each unauthorized automated call to your cell phone may be a separate TCPA violation worth $500 to $1,500
- The FDCPA still applies to how they collect, even though the underlying debt is a student loan
- Whether you owe the student loan debt or not, The Wood Firm PLLC can help. Free consultation, contingency basis
Who Is Premiere Credit of North America?
Premiere Credit of North America LLC is a debt collection agency headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. They have been operating for over 19 years, carry BBB accreditation, and manage a portfolio described as over 450 million accounts and billions in consumer debt across the United States. Their primary focus is federal student loan collections, often working with or on behalf of student loan guaranty agencies and servicers such as the Educational Credit Management Corporation (ECMC).
Key facts about Premiere Credit of North America:
- Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
- Specialty: Federal student loan debt collection
- Status: Legitimate, BBB-accredited agency operating for 19+ years
- Common contacts: Works with ECMC and similar federal student loan guaranty agencies
- Also searched as: Premier Credit of North America, Premiere Credit of North America LLC, Premier Credit collection agency
If you are receiving calls from Premiere Credit, the debt almost certainly relates to a defaulted federal student loan. Request written debt validation before discussing anything over the phone. Their written correspondence will identify the original loan, the servicer, and the current balance.
Why Is Premiere Credit of North America Calling You?
Premiere Credit contacts consumers almost exclusively about defaulted federal student loans. When a federal student loan goes into default, the Department of Education or a guaranty agency like ECMC assigns the account to a collection contractor. Premiere Credit is one of those contractors. They have the authority to collect on that account using methods that standard debt collectors cannot use for ordinary consumer debt.
This is the critical distinction that most articles about Premiere Credit miss entirely. For federal student loans, the government has collection tools that bypass the normal court process:
- Administrative wage garnishment (AWG): The Department of Education can garnish up to 15% of your disposable income without filing a lawsuit or obtaining a court judgment. Premiere Credit can initiate this process on the government’s behalf. The original article’s claim that wage garnishment requires a court judgment is incorrect for federal student loans specifically
- Tax refund offset: Your federal and state tax refunds can be intercepted and applied to a defaulted federal student loan
- Social Security offset: A portion of Social Security benefits can be withheld for defaulted federal student loans
- Credit bureau reporting: Default remains on your credit report for seven years from the date of default
These are real consequences, not empty threats. However, Premiere Credit still must follow the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act in how they communicate with you. The underlying debt is a student loan. How they collect that debt is still subject to federal consumer protection law. When they cross those lines, every violation is actionable.
There is also an important remedy available to you: federal student loan rehabilitation. If your loan is in default, you may be able to make nine voluntary on-time payments over ten months to rehabilitate the loan, remove the default from your credit report, and stop collection activity. Check your options at studentaid.gov before agreeing to any repayment arrangement Premiere Credit proposes. Their arrangement may not be the most advantageous path available to you.
Whether You Owe The Debt Or Not, We Can Help You!
Federal law protects you from abusive collection regardless of whether the student loan debt is valid. You may be entitled to:
- Up to $1,000 per FDCPA violation
- $500 to $1,500 per unauthorized automated call under the TCPA
- Attorney fees paid by Premiere Credit if we win. Not by you
Free consultation. No upfront costs. Premiere Credit pays our fees if we win.
FREE Case Review: +1-844-638-1122
What Premiere Credit Cannot Legally Do
Even though Premiere Credit collects on behalf of the federal government, the FDCPA governs every communication they make. Being a federal contractor does not exempt them from consumer protection law. Here is what they cannot do, regardless of the type of debt they are pursuing:
- Call before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. in your time zone
- Use abusive, threatening, or profane language
- Threaten legal consequences that are not actually available or that they do not genuinely intend to pursue
- Contact your employer about your debt after being told your workplace prohibits personal calls
- Discuss your student loan balance with family members, coworkers, or neighbors
- Make false statements about the amount owed, the status of the debt, or their legal authority
- Continue calling after receiving a proper written cease-and-desist request
- Use automated telephone dialing systems to call your cell phone without your prior express consent
That last point is particularly important given Premiere Credit’s TCPA lawsuit history. Every automated call or prerecorded message sent to your cell phone without consent may be a separate Telephone Consumer Protection Act violation worth $500 to $1,500. Review your full FDCPA rights at the FTC’s debt collection rights resource and the CFPB’s debt collection consumer tools.
How to Respond to Premiere Credit of North America
Because student loan debt involves federal collection tools that standard consumer debt does not, your response strategy needs to be more careful here than with a typical collector. These are the right moves, in order:
- Check studentaid.gov first. Before engaging Premiere Credit on any repayment arrangement, verify the status of your federal loans directly through the Department of Education. You may have rehabilitation, consolidation, or income-driven repayment options that are better than anything Premiere Credit proposes
- Request written debt validation. Within 30 days of first contact, send a certified mail request to their Indianapolis address asking them to confirm the loan details, the current balance, the original servicer, and their authority to collect. Under the FDCPA, collection must pause until they respond adequately
- Document every call. Log every call with the date, exact time, phone number, and what was said. If calls are automated or prerecorded, each one to your cell without consent may be a TCPA violation. Do not delete any voicemails
- Send a cease-and-desist if necessary. A written cease-and-desist via certified mail stops all contact except to confirm cessation or notify you of legal action. For student loan debt, understand that stopping calls does not stop the administrative collection process such as tax refund offsets or administrative wage garnishment
- Call an attorney. Once Premiere Credit knows you have legal representation, contact routes through your attorney. Call +1-844-638-1122
Lawsuits Against Premiere Credit of North America
All three major federal cases against Premiere Credit involve student loan collections. The pattern across these cases reveals specific, documented conduct: abusive calls to student loan holders, unauthorized automated calls to cell phones, improper garnishment threats, and illegal third-party contact. These are not generic allegations. They are specific to how Premiere Credit handles student loan accounts.
- Lewis Brannen v. Premiere Credit of North America LLC (2013, N.D. Ala.): An Alabama student loan holder alleged abusive and harassing phone calls, illegal threats of wage garnishment, and the provision of inaccurate information about the effect of bankruptcy on the student loan debt
- Vanessa Smith v. Premier Credit of North America LLC (2013, N.D. Tex.): Filed in the Northern District of Texas, this TCPA class action alleged Premiere Credit placed calls to a consumer’s cell phone using an automated telephone dialing system without prior express consent
- Bennett v. ECMC and Premiere Credit (2013): Alleged improper wage garnishment withholding orders and illegal communications with third parties in violation of the FDCPA. The co-defendant ECMC is the Educational Credit Management Corporation, a major federal student loan guaranty agency, confirming Premiere Credit’s role in the government-contracted student loan collection system
How to Remove Premiere Credit from Your Credit Report
A Premiere Credit collection entry on your credit report relates to a student loan default. The removal process has specific options that standard consumer debt disputes do not:
- Student loan rehabilitation is the most powerful tool. Successfully completing a rehabilitation program removes the default notation from your credit report entirely, which is different from just paying off the balance
- Dispute inaccurate entries in writing with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. If the balance, dates, or creditor information are incorrect, the bureaus must investigate within 30 days
- Pay-for-delete for non-federal accounts: if the debt was assigned rather than federally held, negotiate written deletion from all three bureaus before any payment
- FCRA grounds: inaccurate reporting gives you a separate Fair Credit Reporting Act claim in addition to any FDCPA violation
Why The Wood Firm PLLC for Premiere Credit Cases
Student loan collection is one of the most legally complex areas of debt collection. The interplay between FDCPA protections, federal student loan law, and TCPA automated calling rules creates specific vulnerabilities in how collectors like Premiere Credit operate. The Wood Firm PLLC has handled FDCPA, FCRA, and TCPA cases exclusively since 2010. We understand both what federal law requires of collectors and what rights you retain regardless of the type of debt being collected.
Contact stops within 48 hours of legal notice. You pay nothing unless we win, and when we win, Premiere Credit pays our fees.
Call +1-844-638-1122.
About Attorney Jeff Wood
Jeff Wood founded The Wood Firm PLLC exclusively for consumer protection: FDCPA, FCRA, and TCPA cases. With over 15 years of experience and Of Counsel relationships in Arizona, California, Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and West Virginia, he has never represented a creditor or collection agency.
We Have Helped People Like You
“Premiere Credit was calling me multiple times a day, sometimes after 10 p.m., about a defaulted student loan. I logged every call with the exact time. The Wood Firm PLLC filed the FDCPA claim on the time-of-day violations and the call frequency. The calls stopped within a week and I received $1,000 in statutory damages.”
Client, Alabama
“Premiere Credit contacted my employer repeatedly and disclosed details of my student loan default. The Wood Firm PLLC proved the third-party disclosure violation, secured a settlement including removal of the debt from my credit report, and the contact stopped permanently.”
Client, Texas
“I was not sure the student loan Premiere Credit was collecting even belonged to me. The Wood Firm PLLC sent a validation request and they could not produce the documentation. The collection was removed from my credit report and all contact stopped.”
Client, Indiana
Whether You Owe The Debt Or Not, We Can Help You!
Free Consultation. No Upfront Costs. Premiere Credit Pays Our Fees If We Win.
Common Questions About Premiere Credit of North America
Is Premiere Credit of North America legitimate or a scam?
Legitimate. Premiere Credit of North America LLC is a BBB-accredited Indianapolis agency that has operated for over 19 years. They are not affiliated with Premier Credit Protection (an insurance product) or Premiere Collectibles (a memorabilia company).
Why is Premiere Credit calling me about a student loan?
Premiere Credit specializes in federal student loan collections and acts as a contractor for guaranty agencies including ECMC. If they are calling, your federal student loan is likely in default. Check your options at studentaid.gov before agreeing to any repayment arrangement they propose.
Can Premiere Credit garnish my wages without a court order?
Yes, for federal student loans specifically. Unlike standard consumer debt, federal student loans can be subject to administrative wage garnishment without a court judgment. This is a federal government collection tool, not a standard creditor right.
Do the FDCPA and TCPA still protect me from Premiere Credit even though it is a student loan?
Yes. The underlying debt being a student loan does not exempt Premiere Credit from the FDCPA’s rules on how they collect. Every call outside permitted hours, every abusive statement, and every unauthorized automated call to your cell is still actionable.
What is the difference between “Premiere Credit” and “Premier Credit of North America”?
The official legal name is Premiere Credit of North America LLC. “Premier Credit of North America” without the final “e” is a common misspelling that appears in consumer searches. Both refer to the same Indianapolis-based student loan collection agency.
Should I pay Premiere Credit before speaking to an attorney?
No. Check studentaid.gov first to understand all available options including rehabilitation. Then call +1-844-638-1122 before making any payment or agreeing to any repayment arrangement.
