High-risk · Debt Collection

Collection agency payment processing that stays compliant.

Collection agencies, debt buyers, and settlement companies need to take card and ACH payments from consumers who are, by definition, under financial pressure. HL Hunt supports compliant collection payments with the controls regulators and card networks expect.

  • Approved before your first charge
  • No monthly fee or contract
  • Same-day settlement
  • Real humans on the phone
Disclosed
Rates, reserve, and settlement agreed in writing
0
Automated terminations or surprise holds
Ethoca + Verifi
Chargeback alerts included on every account
Dedicated
Named risk manager who answers the phone

Why Debt Collection merchants choose HL Hunt

  • Agent-assisted and self-serve

    Virtual terminal for your floor and hosted pages for consumers, with recorded consent on every payment.

  • Card and ACH plans

    Set up weekly or monthly plans on either rail with automatic retries and notifications.

  • Underwriting before go-live, not after

    We review your products, marketing, refund policy, and processing history up front and propose terms before you sign. Nothing is imposed later.

  • Multiple acquiring relationships

    Transactions route across acquirers that accept your vertical, with automatic failover so a single bank decision never stops your revenue.

  • Chargeback alerts and the Dispute Agent

    Ethoca and Verifi alerts let you refund before a dispute posts. When one does, the Dispute Agent assembles and files compelling evidence automatically.

  • Compliant billing and disclosures

    Hosted checkout and billing flows built to card-network rules for your category: clear pricing, consent capture, easy cancellation, and descriptor control.

Get a Debt Collection merchant account that stays open.

Create your account, get approved up front, and take your first payment today. No monthly fee, no contract.

How it works

  1. 01

    Apply with your real business

    Share your website, products, marketing, refund policy, and any processing history. Our risk team reviews within a few business days.

  2. 02

    Agree terms in writing

    You receive a plain-language proposal: rate, any rolling reserve, settlement timing, and volume caps. Sign when it works for you.

  3. 03

    Go live and scale with a human on your side

    Integrate checkout, payment links, or the virtual terminal. Alerts and the Dispute Agent protect your ratios while your risk manager helps you grow caps.

Payment processing for debt collection agencies and debt buyers: what to expect

Collections carry elevated dispute and refund risk, strict FDCPA and state rules on what can be communicated and charged, and CFPB scrutiny on convenience fees and payment practices. Processors without industry understanding decline the category or impose large reserves.

We verify your collection licenses and bonding, review your payment scripts and written disclosures, confirm how you handle disputed debts and refunds, and look at the mix of card versus ACH. Licensed, compliant agencies with clean complaint histories are approved with reasonable terms.

Virtual terminal for agent-assisted phone payments, hosted payment pages consumers can use on their own, scheduled payment plans on cards or ACH, and compliant convenience-fee handling where permitted. Full audit trails on every transaction for regulatory requests.

What changes

HL Hunt vs a typical processor for Debt Collection

Open an account
 HL HuntTypical processor
Debt Collection acceptedYes, with the right acquirer and disclosuresProhibited or terminated after review
Rolling reserveOnly if agreed in writing, with a release schedule10 to 20 percent held indefinitely
UnderwritingDone up front, before your first chargeAfter you start processing, often mid-month
Account freezesNever without a named human and a reason in writingAutomated holds triggered by volume or category
SettlementSame day to your bank, instant payouts available2 to 7 business days, longer for new accounts
DisputesDispute Agent assembles evidence and responds for youYou upload PDFs into a portal and hope
SupportPhone, chat, and email answered by payments staffTicket queue with templated replies
PricingPublished rates or a written quote, no hidden markupsTiered pricing, PCI fees, statement and batch fees

Pricing

Pricing for Debt Collection is quoted in writing

High-risk categories price on your real history, not a published card rate. You get one proposal with the rate, any reserve, and settlement timing before you sign. Nothing is added later.

Quoted
Card rate

Based on your volume, ticket size, and chargeback history

Disclosed
Reserve terms

Only if required, with a written release schedule

$0
Monthly, PCI, or statement fees

You pay only when money moves

Named
Risk manager

Answers the phone, knows your file

Get started

Apply for a Debt Collection merchant account

Most applications get a written proposal within two business days. Have these ready and you can be live by the end of the week.

Prefer to talk first? info@hlhunt.org

  1. 01Legal business name, EIN, and a business bank account
  2. 02A website or product description showing what you sell and how you bill
  3. 03Government ID for the owner or an authorized signer
  4. 04Last 3 to 6 months of processing statements, if you have them
  5. 05Your refund, cancellation, and customer service policies
  6. 06Any licenses or lab results your category requires

Debt Collection FAQ

Can we charge convenience fees on payments?

Where permitted by law and the debt agreement, HL Hunt supports compliant convenience and service fees with required disclosures. Your risk manager will walk through the rules for your states.

Do you support debt settlement companies?

Yes. Debt settlement and relief firms are underwritten under the same program, with attention to TSR compliance and fee timing.

Will my account be frozen or terminated without warning?

No. HL Hunt does not use automated terminations. If your dispute ratio or volume pattern changes, your risk manager calls you to work through it. Any change to terms is agreed in writing.

Is a rolling reserve required?

Sometimes. Where a reserve is needed, the percentage and release schedule are disclosed in your proposal before you sign, and reserves are reviewed for reduction as your processing history matures.

What are the rates for high-risk processing?

Rates are quoted per business based on vertical, volume, ticket size, and history. Every fee is listed in your proposal. There are no monthly, PCI, gateway, or setup fees.

Still have questions?

Talk to a payments specialist, or create an account and see it for yourself.

Start accepting payments today.

Create your account in minutes. Underwriting is done up front, so you are approved before your first charge.

Apply for a debt collection merchant account