Lockhart, Morris & Montgomery: find out whose bill it is

LMM describes itself as a third-party collection agency operating nationwide and headquartered in Richardson, Texas, founded in 2004. The industries it names include education, healthcare, freight and logistics, banking, finance, utilities, government, alarm and security, auto finance, credit cards and real estate. It also offers to buy portfolios of unpaid accounts outright, so in some cases LMM, not the original company, owns the debt.

Either way, the notice must name the current creditor and itemize the balance. You can also ask in writing, inside the validation period, for the original creditor's name and address.

LMM's number is (877) 214-3355, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central. Its pay-online link goes to a CSS Impact payment portal at lmm1.cssimpact.com. Its text messaging policy says you can text STOP to opt out and that the number of messages varies by account. Pay only through its own website or phone line, and type the address yourself rather than tapping a link in a message.

Its FAQ says to send a written dispute to its Richardson address, and that it accepts written requests to stop contact. A written dispute inside the validation period makes LMM stop collecting until it mails verification.

You also have rights over how LMM contacts you: our guide to stopping debt collector calls explains the seven-calls-in-seven-days rule and how to limit contact.

If LMM has reported the account, our guide on how collections affect your credit covers the special rules for medical debt, and disputing a collection entry covers the rest.

Its FAQ says it is a data furnisher that reports to the credit bureaus. If you dispute a debt and LMM reports it, it must mark it as disputed. A collection can stay on your report for about seven years from the original delinquency, not from when LMM got the account.

It says litigation is "an unequivocal last resort" but that it can escalate accounts to lawsuits through a network of attorneys. A collector must not sue on a debt that is past your state's time limit. A real lawsuit starts with court papers you can check with the court. If you get a summons, its deadline comes first.

• 2022 Connecticut consent order. Connecticut found LMM had collected in the state without a consumer collection agency license since 2019; under a June 2022 consent order it paid a $10,000 civil penalty and $800 in back licensing fees

In 2024 a federal court in Oklahoma dismissed a claim that the way LMM contacted a consumer was inconvenient under the FDCPA. Its website also lists licenses in other places, including California debt collector license 10281-99.

Suppose LMM mails a notice on Wednesday, July 14, 2027 about a $1,125.00 alarm monitoring contract you do not recognize.

1. Counting five working days, the assumed receipt date is Wednesday, July 21, 2027.
2. The validation period runs until at least Friday, August 20, 2027.
3. Send a written dispute to the Richardson address before then, saying you do not recognize the account, and ask for the original creditor and a copy of the contract.

The time limits and garnishment rules for this example are in our Texas debt collection guide.