Buffalo Debt Collector Could Create 700 New Jobs

A collection agency with a large presence in Buffalo, N.Y., is looking to increase their headcount in the city after launching a new business to focus on credit card servicing.

Capital Management Services (CMS), one of the Buffalo-area’s largest collection agencies, recently launched an independent business, Center One Capital. Center One will focus on customer service for consumers with MasterCard and Visa accounts issued by Continental Finance.

“This is a new sector of financial services for us, but it’s an interesting endeavor for us and we anticipate it will be successful,” Jeff Hauser, co-owner of CMS, told The Buffalo News.

The servicing business currently has 125 employees, but Hauser said there is an opportunity for 700 jobs within a few years. The company received a $500,000 training grant from a state development agency to create an additional 355 jobs.

CMS currently employs more than 1,000 people in its Buffalo office and at offices in Las Vegas, Houston and Greenville, S.C. Hauser told the paper that they company explored other locations for the new business but that its success in Western New York prompted the decision to expand near its headquarters.