Jefferson Capital Systems
Jefferson Capital is a debt buyer. It buys charged-off and insolvency consumer accounts, such as credit card, telecom, utility and auto balances, and collects them. If it contacts you, it likely says it now owns an old account of yours. Check the validation notice before you pay anything.
Most people who get a Jefferson Capital letter have never heard of the company. That is normal for a debt buyer: it did not lend you money, it bought an account after the original company wrote it off. The first question is whether the account is yours, whether the balance is right, and whether the debt is still recent enough to sue on.
Who Jefferson Capital is
- What it does. The company describes itself as "an analytically driven purchaser and manager of charged-off and insolvency consumer accounts" (Jefferson Capital). Its site lists auto finance, credit card, telecom, utility, healthcare and installment loan accounts among those it buys (jcap.com).
- Where it is. Its 2025 annual report names Minneapolis, Minnesota as headquarters, with U.S. offices in Sartell, Minnesota, Denver and San Antonio (SEC Form 10-K). Its website lists 200 14th Ave E, Sartell, MN 56377.
- Ownership. Jefferson Capital, Inc. has traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol JCAP since June 26, 2025. Its SEC filings name CL Holdings, LLC and Jefferson Capital Systems, LLC together as borrowers under its credit agreement, and the CFPB complaint database lists complaints under "CL Holdings LLC".
- Phone. The number listed on jcap.com is 1-833-851-5552 (checked September 29, 2026).
How to check that it is really Jefferson Capital
- Get the validation notice. A debt collector must give you written validation information in its first communication or within five days after it: the amount, the creditor, and your right to dispute (15 U.S.C. § 1692g(a); 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34). If none came, read no validation notice.
- Ask who the original creditor is. The notice should name the creditor and itemize the balance. If you dispute in writing within the validation period, the collector must stop collecting until it mails you verification (15 U.S.C. § 1692g(b)).
- Call back on a number you looked up yourself. Do not pay a caller on the strength of a number the caller gave you. Look the company up on its own website. The number we found there is listed above.
- Look it up in the CFPB database. The link is in the public record section below.
- In New York City, look up the license. The city's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) issues debt collection agency licenses, and its issued-licenses list is public on NYC Open Data.
What Jefferson Capital cannot do
These limits apply to every debt collector covered by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. They are the law, not a statement about what this company has done.
- Call you more than 7 times in 7 days about one debt. More than seven telephone calls in seven consecutive days, or a call within seven days after a phone conversation about the debt, is presumed harassment (12 C.F.R. § 1006.14(b)(2)). Texts and emails do not count toward that number. See too many calls.
- Keep collecting after your written dispute without sending verification. Collection must pause until verification is mailed (15 U.S.C. § 1692g(b)). See ignored dispute.
- Sue or threaten to sue on a time-barred debt. Regulation F bans both (12 C.F.R. § 1006.26(b)). See zombie debt.
- Report a disputed debt without saying it is disputed. Failing to communicate that a debt is disputed is a false credit statement (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(8)). See debt you do not owe.
- Add amounts the agreement or the law does not allow. Collecting any amount not expressly authorized is an unfair practice (15 U.S.C. § 1692f(1)). See wrong amount and fees.
- Tell your family, friends or boss about the debt. A collector may contact other people only to find you, and may not say you owe a debt (15 U.S.C. §§ 1692b, 1692c(b)). See calls to family and employer.
Log calls in the call log and save voicemails, letters and screenshots.
If Jefferson Capital sues you
A debt buyer that owns an account can sue on it in its own name, usually through a collection law firm. If you have been sued, do not ignore the papers. The deadline to answer is short, and a missed deadline can lead to a default judgment. Read sued by a debt collector first.
- New York. Most consumer credit suits must be filed within three years, and a later payment does not restart the clock (CPLR 214-i). The complaint must name the original creditor and attach the contract or charge-off statement (CPLR 3016(j)).
- New Jersey. Contract actions generally carry a six-year limit (N.J.S.A. 2A:14-1).
- Florida. Five years on a written contract, four on an oral one or an open account (Fla. Stat. § 95.11).
- The right court. A collector's suit must be filed where you live or where you signed the contract (15 U.S.C. § 1692i(a)(2)). See sued in the wrong county.
Public record
Only public, sourced facts appear here. Where we quote an agency or a court, the words describe what that agency or court found, alleged or decided.
CFPB complaints, as of September 29, 2026. From September 1, 2025 through September 1, 2026, consumers filed 27,526 complaints naming "CL Holdings LLC" in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's complaint database, 22,782 of them about debt collection; 4,334 of the 27,526 came from New York, New Jersey and Florida. See the complaints in the CFPB database. Complaints are unverified consumer reports, not findings of wrongdoing.
New York City license. DCWP's issued-licenses list shows an active debt collection agency license for Jefferson Capital Systems, LLC (license 1368090-DCA, expiring January 31, 2027) when we checked on September 29, 2026 (NYC Open Data).
Government orders. We found no federal or New York enforcement order against Jefferson Capital to report here. The company's 2025 annual report says it does not expect current proceedings to have a material adverse effect. Your own facts decide whether you have a claim.
In New York, New Jersey and Florida
New York consumers can also sue under General Business Law § 349 for deceptive practices (N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law § 349(h)), and since September 1, 2026 New York City's DCWP rules limit a collector to three communications or attempts per account in seven days, across calls, texts and emails. Florida's consumer collection law reaches anyone collecting a consumer debt, including original creditors, with statutory damages up to $1,000 (Fla. Stat. §§ 559.72, 559.77(2)). New Jersey's Consumer Fraud Act allows treble damages for an ascertainable loss (N.J.S.A. 56:8-19). See New York, New Jersey and Florida.
The FDCPA requires a company found liable to pay the consumer's reasonable attorney's fees and costs. The deadline to sue is one year from the violation (15 U.S.C. § 1692k(d)).
Common questions
Is Jefferson Capital a real company?
Jefferson Capital is a real, publicly traded debt buyer based in Minnesota. Impostors do borrow real company names, so verify through the validation notice and a phone number you look up yourself before paying.
Why is Jefferson Capital on my credit report?
A debt buyer that owns an account may report it to the credit bureaus. If the account is not yours, the balance is wrong, or it is too old to report, dispute it with the bureau and with the company in writing.
Can Jefferson Capital sue me?
A debt buyer can sue on an account it owns if the debt is within the statute of limitations. In New York that is generally three years for consumer credit. If you are served, answer before the deadline.
Tell us what they did.
One conversation with an attorney, in your language. We tell you which laws the collector or the credit bureau broke, which deadline runs first, and what to save this week. If it is not a case we can take, we say so and tell you where to go.
(718) 484-7510The FDCPA and the FCRA require a company found liable to pay the consumer’s reasonable attorney’s fees and costs. Our fee arrangement is confirmed in a written retainer before we begin. English, Russian and Spanish in-house; an interpreter for any other language.