Oregon Shutters Debt Collection Agency

The state of Oregon has shut down a debt collection firm that a regulatory agency said was violating state law.

Oregon’s Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS) announced Friday that it had issued a cease-and-desist order to collection agency Hawkeye Financial Group, a company that had been operating out of Salem. DCBS also levied $13,400 in civil penalties against the firm.

The Division of Finance and Corporate Securities (DFCS), a department within DCBS, began investigating Hawkeye after a series of client complaints regarding the accounts receivable management firm. According to the complaints, Hawkeye was not properly remitting the money it collected on behalf of its clients.

DFCS also found that Hawkeye was not properly registered to collect debt in the state of Oregon.

“To protect consumers and businesses, Oregon law requires collection agencies to be registered,” said David Tatman, administrator of DFCS, in a statement. “Collection agencies must not engage in dishonest or fraudulent practices in their collections business, and they are required to account for all the funds collected from debtors. We will sanction those who violate these and other requirements.”

The investigation also revealed that the owners of the business, James Carl Johnson and Danny Michael Lewitzke, were operating the agency under assumed identities.