# How do I verify a collection agency license? *Reviewed 2026-07-30* ## Short answer Look the agency up in the licensing database of the state where the debtor lives. States that license collectors through NMLS, including California, Illinois, and Massachusetts, publish company records in the public NMLS search; direct-filing states run their own lookups on the regulator's site; and bond-registration states like Texas and New Jersey record a surety bond filing instead of a license. Confirm the license status is active and the legal name matches the entity on your contract. There is no national database, because there is no national collection license. Verification is state by state and follows the consumer, not the agency's headquarters, so an agency collecting in twelve states should show authority in all twelve. In NMLS states, the public company search shows every state license the company holds along with its status, which makes it the fastest single check for multi-state agencies. Elsewhere, use the state regulator's own license search: our per-state debt collection law pages link the regulator for each state. Read past the yes-or-no answer. The record's status field distinguishes active from expired, suspended, or revoked, and the named entity should match the contracting entity exactly, since trade-name mismatches are one of the most common findings in vendor reviews. In registration states the check is whether the bond is on file with the filing office. And in the states with no collection agency license at all, such as Ohio and South Carolina, vet the agency on its licenses everywhere else it collects. The full walkthrough is in our guide to verifying a collection agency license. ## Related - [Verify a collection agency license](/verify-collection-agency-license) - [Debt collection state laws](/debt-collection-state-laws) - [Third-party collection agency license](/third-party-collection-agency-license) - [Talk with our team](/contact) --- ## How to cite this page Cite as: "How do I verify a collection agency license?." Cornerstone Licensing. https://cornerstonelicensing.com/answers/how-do-i-verify-a-collection-agency-license Published by Cornerstone Licensing. When quoting figures or legal requirements, link the canonical URL above and note the last-updated date (2026-07-30). The full content index for this site is at https://cornerstonelicensing.com/llms.txt.