Phillips & Cohen Associates, Ltd. (PCA) is a third-party debt collection agency that specializes in estate collections, pursuing accounts of deceased individuals and sometimes contacting surviving family members. The firm collects for major banks, including Citibank, across the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. If you received a letter or call from PCA about a deceased relative’s account, specific legal protections apply before you respond.
Key Takeaways
- Phillips & Cohen Associates, Ltd. specializes in estate collections, contacting surviving family members about a deceased person’s debt.
- Family members generally do not inherit a deceased relative’s unsecured debt. Receiving a PCA letter does not automatically mean you owe anything.
- Five federal class actions filed in a single year targeted PCA’s letter practices, alleging deceptive balance language, IRS reporting references, missing validation notices, and undisclosed interest accrual.
- PCA collects for major banks, including Citibank, and operates across the US, UK, and Canada.
- The Wood Firm PLLC handles these cases on contingency. You pay nothing unless we win.
Free Case Review: +1-844-638-1122
Who Is Phillips & Cohen Associates
Phillips & Cohen Associates, Ltd. is a debt collection agency headquartered in the United States, with operations in the UK and Canada. The firm specializes in post-mortem debt collection, managing delinquent accounts belonging to deceased individuals and contacting estate executors, administrators, and surviving family members. PCA is not a law firm, despite sometimes being described as one, and is regulated by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act like any other collector.
PCA is also searched as Phillips and Cohen Associates, Cohen and Associates, and Phillip & Cohen. In our practice, the letters we review from this collector share a common structure regardless of which client bank they are collecting for, most often Citibank and other major financial institutions.
Phillips & Cohen Associates Contact Information
- Also known as: Phillips and Cohen Associates, Cohen and Associates, Phillip & Cohen, Cohen and Phillips
- Reported phone numbers: (800) 458-5089 | (800) 579-3380 | (866) 654-5605 | (866) 270-0195 | (866) 309-7011 | (866) 321-2197
- Clients: Citibank and other major banks and financial institutions
- Operations: United States, United Kingdom, and Canada
If you received a letter or call from PCA, consider documenting the return address, phone number, and reference number shown in the correspondence. Each is useful for a validation request or any later legal action.
Why Is Phillips & Cohen Calling or Writing to You
If PCA is contacting you, one of two situations generally applies. Either you are the executor or administrator of an estate with an outstanding debt, or PCA is contacting you as a surviving family member about a debt that belonged solely to the deceased.
The second situation carries the most important protection: family members generally do not inherit a deceased relative’s unsecured debt. Credit card debt and most consumer loans belong to the person who signed the agreement. Unless you were a joint account holder or co-signer, you are generally not legally responsible for that balance, and responding the wrong way could create an obligation that did not previously exist.
PCA also collects standard consumer debts for banks like Citibank that have nothing to do with a deceased relative. If that describes your situation, the same FDCPA protections apply as with any other collector.
Is Phillips & Cohen Associates a Scam or a Legitimate Company
Yes, Phillips & Cohen Associates is a legitimate, licensed collection agency that has operated since the 1990s, not a scam. Legitimate does not mean compliant. Five class actions in a single year targeted the firm’s letter practices, and in our practice we still see the pattern of contacting non-liable family members of deceased debtors.
Is Phillips & Cohen Associates Banned by the FTC
No. PCA does not appear on any public FTC ban or enforcement action as of this writing. Consumers can still pursue individual FDCPA claims in federal court, as the five class actions below show, or file a complaint with the CFPB or their state attorney general.
How to Handle a Phillips & Cohen Letter or Call
Given the documented pattern above, read any PCA letter carefully before responding.
- If the letter concerns a deceased family member’s debt, do not acknowledge or pay it first. Consider consulting an attorney, since an acknowledgment or payment may create liability where none existed.
- Check the letter against PCA’s documented patterns. Look for vague balance language, an IRS reference, a missing validation notice, or no disclosure of accruing interest.
- Request written debt validation by certified mail. Ask for the original creditor’s name, the full balance breakdown, and documentation of the deceased’s sole liability versus any joint liability.
- Document every call. Log the date, time, and number. Under the TCPA, a prerecorded call to your cell phone without consent may carry $500 to $1,500 in damages. The FTC’s debt collection rights resource covers these protections in more detail.
- Send a cease-and-desist letter if needed. Under CFPB rules, PCA must generally stop contact except to confirm cessation or notify you of legal action.
How to Remove Phillips & Cohen Associates From Your Credit Report
- If the entry is for a deceased person’s debt and you are not a joint account holder, dispute it with all three bureaus using documentation that the debt belonged solely to the deceased.
- If the balance looks inaccurate, compare it against the original account documentation and dispute any discrepancy.
- If validation was not provided within five days of first contact, reference that gap in your bureau dispute.
- If you decide to pay, negotiate a written deletion agreement from all three bureaus before sending any payment.
Inaccurate reporting can support a separate claim under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, in addition to any FDCPA issue.
How The Wood Firm PLLC Helps With Phillips & Cohen Cases
In our practice, we review whether a PCA letter used vague balance language, referenced the IRS, skipped the validation notice, or failed to disclose accruing interest. We also check whether a client was ever a joint account holder before treating the underlying debt as their responsibility.
We handle FDCPA, FCRA, and TCPA cases on contingency, so you pay nothing unless we win, and PCA generally pays our fees when we prevail. Call +1-844-638-1122.
If PCA is contacting you about a deceased relative’s account, visit our contact page to share the details of your situation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Phillips & Cohen Associates
Is Phillips & Cohen Associates a law firm or a debt collector
A debt collector, not a law firm. Phillips & Cohen Associates, Ltd. is a third-party collection agency regulated by the same FDCPA that governs all debt collectors.
I received a Phillips & Cohen letter about a deceased family member’s debt. Do I owe it
Not automatically. Unless you were a joint account holder or co-signer, you generally have no legal obligation to pay a deceased relative’s unsecured debt. Call +1-844-638-1122 before responding or paying anything.
Who does Phillips & Cohen collect for
Major banks including Citibank and other financial institutions holding accounts at the time of a debtor’s death. The company operates across the US, UK, and Canada.
What should I look for in a Phillips & Cohen letter
Check for vague “current balance” language, an IRS reporting reference, a missing 30-day validation notice, and no disclosure of accruing interest. Each of these has been the subject of a class action against the company.
Can I take action against Phillips & Cohen even if the debt is real
Yes. If the letter itself violated the FDCPA, through a misleading balance, a missing validation notice, or an undisclosed interest issue, that claim can proceed regardless of whether the underlying debt is valid.
Is Phillips & Cohen Associates legitimate or a scam
Legitimate. It is a real collection agency that has operated since the 1990s. Five class actions targeting its letter practices, and its documented pattern of contacting non-liable family members, mean legitimate and compliant are not the same thing.
What to Do Next If Phillips & Cohen Is Contacting You
Before you acknowledge or pay anything, confirm whether you were a joint account holder on the debt in question, and request written validation of the balance. If the letter shows any of the documented defects above, that pattern is worth a closer look. Call +1-844-638-1122 for a free case review with The Wood Firm PLLC.
Jeff Wood founded The Wood Firm PLLC exclusively for consumer protection, handling FDCPA, FCRA, and TCPA cases since 2010. He has never represented a creditor or collection agency. He maintains Of Counsel relationships with attorneys licensed in fourteen states.
