Key Takeaways
- First Financial Asset Management is a real collection agency, not a scam. They are licensed in multiple states, they identify themselves as a debt collector on every page of their own website, and they have been in business in Georgia since 2002.
- Searching the federal complaint database for their name returns nothing, and that is not because the record is clean. Complaints about them are docketed under a different company name, Strategic Alliances, Inc., which is where 304 complaints filed since January 2021 are hiding.
- Not one of those complaints ended in relief for the consumer. Every closed complaint closed with an explanation only. Across all US debt collectors, 22.4% of complaints close with money or other relief.
- Their complaints skew toward how they make contact, not just what they collect. Communication tactics account for 9.4% of their debt collection complaints against 4.1% nationally, and electronic communications for 5.2% against 1.2%.
- They now trade as FFAM360, and they operate from two offices. Their Phoenix address changed, and several directories still publish an old one. Send anything in writing to their Georgia headquarters.
- You have a 30-day window that starts the moment they first write to you. Disputing in writing inside that window under 15 U.S.C. § 1692g forces them to stop collecting until they verify the debt.
If First Financial Asset Management is calling, texting or emailing you, they are a legitimate Georgia debt collection agency contacting you about an account a creditor placed with them, and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act gives you enforceable rights from the moment they make contact. Being a real company is not the same as being a compliant one, and their federal complaint record is worth reading before you speak to them or send them money.
This page explains who they really are, why their complaint history is almost impossible to find under their own name, what that record says, which of their phone numbers are verified, and the steps that make the calls and credit-report entries stop. Agruss Law Firm has helped thousands of consumers stop debt collection harassment, and consumers never pay us for that work.
Who is First Financial Asset Management?
First Financial Asset Management, Inc., commonly shortened to FFAM, is a third-party debt collection agency headquartered in Peachtree Corners, Georgia, just outside Atlanta. They describe themselves on their own website as “a collection agency headquartered near Atlanta, GA” and they carry the standard debt collector disclosure in the footer of every page: “This communication is from a debt collector.”
They are a third-party debt collector, the category the FDCPA was written to regulate. That distinction matters: an original creditor collecting their own account falls outside most of the statute, but an agency collecting someone else’s account is covered by all of it.
| Verified detail | What the primary sources show |
|---|---|
| Legal name | First Financial Asset Management, Inc. |
| Trading name | FFAM, and since the rebrand, FFAM360 |
| Headquarters | 3091 Governors Lake Drive, Suite 500, Peachtree Corners, GA 30071 |
| Second office | 3707 N 7th Street, Suite 100, Phoenix, AZ 85014 |
| Consumer toll-free line | (800) 542-8714 |
| Payments by phone | 877-290-2718 |
| Business started | 2 February 2002 (incorporated 3 December 2002) |
| Better Business Bureau | A rating, accredited since 13 April 2007 |
| Google rating | 1.1 out of 5 stars from 134 reviews |
Sources: First Financial Asset Management’s own contact page, payments page and about page; the FFAM360 contact page; their BBB business profile; Google’s business listing. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
They rebranded to FFAM360, and that is why the name keeps changing on you
If you have received a letter from “First Financial Asset Management” but a caller said “FFAM360,” you are dealing with the same operation. They now present themselves publicly as the FFAM360 Alliance of Companies, which their own site describes as “a group of independently owned and operated companies” covering business process outsourcing, accounts receivable management, healthcare revenue cycle management, and receivables purchasing.
That structure has a practical consequence. When several affiliated entities share a brand, the name on the envelope, the name on your caller ID and the name on your credit report can all differ. Write down every version you are given, because identifying the correct legal entity is the first step in any dispute.
The Phoenix address changed, and directories did not keep up
FFAM operates a second office in Phoenix, Arizona. Their own current contact page gives it as 3707 N 7th Street, Suite 100, Phoenix, AZ 85014. Their BBB profile still lists a different Phoenix address, and older write-ups of this company, including an earlier version of this page, published a third one that is no longer in use.
This matters for a mundane but decisive reason: a validation request only does its job if it arrives. Send anything in writing to the Georgia headquarters at 3091 Governors Lake Drive, Suite 500, certified with return receipt requested, so you can prove the date it landed.
Why you cannot find their complaint record
Here is the single most useful thing on this page. If you search the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s public complaint database for “First Financial Asset Management,” you get zero results, and most people conclude there is nothing on file.
There is a great deal on file. Every complaint in that database whose narrative names First Financial Asset Management is docketed under a different company name: Strategic Alliances, Inc. Under that name sit 304 complaints received between 1 January 2021 and 1 September 2026, of which 267 are debt collection complaints. Consumers describe FFAM by name while the case is filed and answered under the other name.
Check it yourself: search the CFPB Consumer Complaint Database for “Strategic Alliances, Inc.” and the record appears. We have not been able to confirm from a corporate registry how the two names relate, so we describe the link exactly as the federal data shows it: this is the name FFAM complaints are recorded and answered under.
What their complaint record actually shows
Complaint volume is not flat. After a dip in 2022 and 2023, complaints climbed to 73 in 2025, the highest full year on record, and 2026 is running at a similar pace with 32 complaints in the first eight months.
CFPB complaints per year docketed under Strategic Alliances, Inc., the name First Financial Asset Management complaints are filed under. Source: CFPB Consumer Complaint Database, retrieved 1 September 2026. The 2026 bar covers January through August only.
The mix of complaints is more revealing than the count. Comparing their debt collection complaints against every US debt collection complaint filed over the same period shows where this company differs from the industry.
Share of CFPB debt collection complaints by issue, January 2021 to September 2026. FFAM n = 267; all US debt collectors n = 852,779. Source: CFPB Consumer Complaint Database, retrieved 1 September 2026.
Two categories stand out. Communication tactics make up 9.4% of their debt collection complaints against 4.1% across the industry, and electronic communications 5.2% against 1.2%. That is a company generating complaints about how they reach people at roughly two to four times the national rate. If your experience of FFAM is a volume of calls, texts and emails that feels excessive, the federal data says you are not an outlier.
The largest category, at 46.4%, is attempts to collect a debt not owed, in line with the 45.7% industry figure. Nearly half of those who complain say the debt was not theirs, was already paid, or came from identity theft.
How their complaints get resolved
This is the figure that deserves the most attention.
| Outcome | First Financial Asset Management | All US debt collectors |
|---|---|---|
| Closed with monetary relief | 0 of 304 | 2,265 of 852,779 |
| Closed with non-monetary relief | 0 of 304 | 189,014 of 852,779 |
| Any relief at all | 0.0% | 22.4% |
| Closed with explanation only | 303 of 304 | 644,883 of 852,779 |
| Responded on time | 300 of 304 | Not reported |
Company responses to CFPB complaints, 1 January 2021 to 1 September 2026. One FFAM complaint remains in progress. Source: CFPB Consumer Complaint Database, retrieved 1 September 2026.
Across more than five years and 304 complaints, not one closed with money or any other relief, while roughly one in five complaints against debt collectors nationally does. Their public responses reinforce the pattern: in 143 cases they recorded that they “acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law.”
The lesson is not that complaining is pointless. A CFPB complaint creates a dated federal record and forces a written response, both useful later. It is that on this record, a complaint alone has never produced a remedy from this company, so treat it as a supporting step rather than the whole strategy.
Is First Financial Asset Management legit, or is this a scam?
They are legitimate. FFAM publishes their state collection agency licenses on their own contact page, and those licenses can be checked independently.
| License or registration | Number | Issuer |
|---|---|---|
| NMLS identifier | 934308 | Nationwide Multistate Licensing System |
| Collection license | 10875-99 | California DFPI |
| Collection agency license | CAD11535 | Nevada |
| Collection agency license | 3482 | Maryland |
| Debt collector license | 1295910-DCA | New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection |
| Collection agency permit | 119500433 | North Carolina |
Licenses as published on First Financial Asset Management’s own contact page. The New York City license is independently confirmed as active in the City’s Legally Operating Businesses dataset, which also records a second active New York City license, 1439171-DCA, for their Phoenix office. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
So why do so many people search for “first financial asset management scam”? Partly because an unfamiliar company calling about a debt you do not recognize feels exactly like one. Partly because Google’s own business panel describes them as a “financial planner” rather than a debt collector, which is simply wrong and helps nobody trying to work out who is calling. And partly because their public reputation is poor: 1.1 out of 5 stars across 134 Google reviews sits close to the floor of that scale.
Note one more discrepancy. FFAM’s own consumer FAQ states that they hold “a rating of A+ by the Better Business Bureau.” The BBB profile for First Financial Asset Management, Inc. currently shows an A, not an A+, alongside 54 complaints filed against the business.
The useful question was never whether the company exists, but whether this debt is yours, whether the amount is right, and whether the collection follows the law. A real, licensed company can fail all three, and a collector calling you is not proof that you owe anything.
Who does First Financial Asset Management collect for?
They collect for creditor clients rather than buying debt for themselves in most of their work. FFAM360 organizes their business around five sectors, named on their own site: auto finance, commercial finance, banking and financial technology, insurance subrogation, and healthcare.
That list explains most of the calls people receive. If FFAM contacts you, the account behind it is most often one of these:
- A car loan deficiency balance left over after a vehicle was repossessed and sold for less than the loan.
- A medical or hospital balance, including a deductible, a co-pay or a balance left after insurance.
- A bank, credit card or fintech account that was charged off.
- An insurance subrogation claim, often after a car accident or a rental vehicle incident, where an insurer is recovering what they paid out.
- A rental car or fleet damage claim, which appears repeatedly in the complaint narratives.
Those last two categories deserve a flag. A subrogation or damage claim is not always a “debt” in the ordinary sense, and whether the FDCPA covers a given claim depends on how the obligation arose. If FFAM is pursuing you over an accident or vehicle damage rather than a loan or a bill, that is worth a conversation with a lawyer.
Complaints concentrate where their client base sits: Georgia leads with 53 since 2021, then Florida with 33, and South Carolina and Texas with 24 each.
Why is FFAM calling, texting and emailing me?
Because a creditor placed your account with them, or because they believe you are the person attached to one. The frequency and the channel mix are where their complaint record diverges most sharply from the industry, and both are regulated.
Under Regulation F, 12 C.F.R. § 1006.14, a collector is presumed to have violated the law if they call you more than seven times in seven consecutive days about a single debt, or if they call you within seven days of having spoken with you about it. Keep a log of every call with the date, the time and the number shown. That log is evidence.
Text messages and emails carry their own rules. FFAM runs an SMS opt-in program and states that consent is not a condition of service and that replying STOP unsubscribes you. If you replied STOP and the messages continued, that is a problem worth documenting. Automated or prerecorded calls to a mobile phone without your consent can also trigger the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which carries $500 per call or text, rising to $1,500 where the violation is wilful. Our TCPA lawyers handle exactly these claims, and we can help you stop robocalls and stop spam text messages.
How to check that a call really is FFAM
Caller ID proves nothing, because scammers routinely spoof the genuine numbers of genuine agencies. FFAM publishes two consumer-facing numbers, and those are the only ones we can verify from their own site.
| Verified number | What it is for |
|---|---|
| (800) 542-8714 | General toll-free consumer line, published on their contact page and their FAQ |
| 877-290-2718 | Payments by phone, published on their payments page |
Sources: First Financial Asset Management’s contact page and payments page. Retrieved 1 September 2026. A separate number, (404) 523-0411, appears on Google’s business panel and the BBB profile but is not published for consumers on the company’s own site.
FFAM dials from outbound numbers they do not publish, so an unfamiliar number is not by itself proof of a scam. The safe procedure is the same either way: never confirm your date of birth, Social Security number or account number to someone who called you. Take the caller’s name, hang up, and call back on (800) 542-8714, a number you found yourself rather than one you were given.
Your rights when FFAM contacts you
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act applies to FFAM in full. The rights below are the ones that do real work.
The 30-day validation window
Within five days of first contacting you, a collector must send a written validation notice describing the debt and your right to dispute it. Under 15 U.S.C. § 1692g, if you dispute the debt in writing within 30 days of receiving that notice, they must stop collection activity until they mail you verification.
The clock starts from their notice, not from when you read it. Given that 46.4% of complaints about this company assert the debt was not owed at all, a written dispute is a reasonable first move for anyone unsure. Send it certified with return receipt requested and keep a copy.
Limits on when and how they contact you
Under 15 U.S.C. § 1692c, a collector may not contact you before 8:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m. in your time zone, may not contact you at work once they know your employer prohibits it, and must stop entirely if you say so in writing, apart from limited notices. They also may not discuss your debt with family, friends or your employer. One complaint narrative against this company describes exactly that: a collector emailing a consumer’s son about the parent’s balance.
What a violation is worth
Under 15 U.S.C. § 1692k, you may recover statutory damages of up to $1,000 per action, plus actual damages. The FDCPA shifts fees, so a collector who breaks the law pays your attorney’s fees and costs. That is why we take these cases without charging you.
What if First Financial Asset Management is on my credit report?
A collection account on your credit report costs real money through higher interest rates, a declined application or a lost rental. If you see FFAM or FFAM360 listed, check three things: that the debt is yours, that the balance is right, and that the date of first delinquency is accurate.
That third item is the one people miss. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, most negative accounts may be reported for seven years from the original delinquency with the original creditor, and selling or transferring the debt does not restart that clock. A collector who re-ages an account by reporting a fresh delinquency date extends the damage beyond what the law allows.
Pull your reports free at AnnualCreditReport.com, explained in our guide to your free credit report. If something is wrong, dispute the credit report entry in writing with the bureau and with FFAM. Our FCRA lawyers handle these disputes, and reading the common credit report errors first helps, because naming the defect precisely makes a real investigation far more likely.
Be cautious about “pay for delete” offers. A verbal promise to remove an entry is worth nothing once the money has moved. Get any deletion agreement in writing before you pay.
Can FFAM sue me or garnish my wages?
Anyone can file a lawsuit, but the sequence matters and people frequently misunderstand it. No collector can garnish your wages without first suing you, winning, and obtaining a judgment. Limited exceptions exist for certain government-related debts such as federal student loans and taxes, which follow separate administrative procedures. Absent a judgment or one of those exceptions, a threat to garnish your wages is not something they can act on, and threatening an action they cannot legally take may violate 15 U.S.C. § 1692e.
If you are served with a lawsuit, do not ignore it. A default judgment is far worse than a defended case, and your state’s statute of limitations may be a complete defense. Check also whether your original agreement contains an arbitration clause, which can change where and how the dispute is resolved.
Should I settle with First Financial Asset Management?
Sometimes, but not before you answer these:
- Do I actually owe this debt, and is the amount correct?
- Is it inside my state’s statute of limitations?
- Is it on my credit report, and with what date of first delinquency?
- Will any deletion or update be confirmed in writing before I pay?
- Will I get written confirmation of the settlement terms and a paid-in-full or settled-in-full letter?
Be careful with old accounts. In many states, making a payment or acknowledging the debt in writing restarts the statute of limitations on a debt that was already too old to sue on. If the balance is the real problem rather than the collector’s conduct, our guide to debt help sets out the alternatives.
How we stop the harassment
We send a cease-and-desist letter that stops the calls, and we review the file for violations of the FDCPA, the TCPA and the FCRA. Where we find them, we pursue statutory and actual damages. Because all three statutes shift fees, the collector pays our fees and costs, which is why our consultations are free and consumers pay us nothing. Many clients also come away with the account corrected or removed from their credit reports.
If FFAM or FFAM360 is calling, texting, emailing or reporting on you, call America’s Consumer Lawyer at 888-572-0176 for a free consultation, and we will tell you honestly whether you have a case.
Past results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future case.
Frequently asked questions about First Financial Asset Management
Is First Financial Asset Management legit or not?
Yes, they are a legitimate debt collection agency. First Financial Asset Management, Inc. has operated from Peachtree Corners, Georgia since 2002, they identify themselves as a debt collector on their own website, and they publish state licenses including NMLS 934308, California DFPI license 10875-99 and New York City license 1295910, which the City’s own open data confirms is active. Being legitimate is not the same as being compliant. Consumers filed 304 complaints against them with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau between January 2021 and September 2026, none of which closed with any relief, and they hold a 1.1 out of 5 star rating across 134 Google reviews.
Who does First Financial Asset Management collect for?
They collect for creditor clients across five sectors named on their own site: auto finance, commercial finance, banking and financial technology, insurance subrogation, and healthcare. In practice that means the account is usually a car loan deficiency balance after a repossession, a medical or hospital bill, a charged-off bank or credit card account, an insurance subrogation claim after an accident, or a rental vehicle damage claim. Because they generally collect on behalf of the original creditor rather than owning the debt, the creditor may still be able to settle or recall the account directly.
Why am I getting calls from First Financial Asset Management?
Because a creditor placed your account with them, or because they believe you are the person attached to an account. It is worth knowing that 46.4% of the debt collection complaints filed against them say the debt was not owed at all, so a call is not proof that you owe anything. Their complaints also skew heavily toward contact methods: communication tactics account for 9.4% of their complaints against 4.1% across the industry. Under Regulation F, 12 C.F.R. § 1006.14, more than seven calls in seven consecutive days about one debt is presumed unlawful, so keep a log of every call with the date, time and number.
Why does searching the CFPB database for First Financial Asset Management return nothing?
Because their complaints are docketed under a different company name. Every complaint in the CFPB database whose narrative names First Financial Asset Management is filed under “Strategic Alliances, Inc.” Searching that name instead returns 304 complaints received between January 2021 and September 2026, of which 267 are debt collection complaints. Consumers name FFAM in the text of their complaints while the case itself is recorded and answered under the other name, which is why a search for the collector you were actually dealing with looks like a clean record.
Is FFAM360 the same company as First Financial Asset Management?
Yes, FFAM360 is the brand First Financial Asset Management now trades under. Their own site describes the FFAM360 Alliance of Companies as “a group of independently owned and operated companies” working in business process outsourcing, accounts receivable management, healthcare revenue cycle management and receivables purchasing. Because several affiliated entities share one brand, the name on your letter, your caller ID and your credit report may not match. Write down every version you are given, since identifying the correct legal entity is the first step in any dispute.
What is First Financial Asset Management’s phone number and address?
Their published consumer toll-free number is (800) 542-8714, and payments by phone go to 877-290-2718. Their headquarters is 3091 Governors Lake Drive, Suite 500, Peachtree Corners, GA 30071, and they run a second office at 3707 N 7th Street, Suite 100, Phoenix, AZ 85014. Several directories still list an outdated Phoenix address, so send anything in writing to the Georgia headquarters, certified with return receipt requested. A further number, (404) 523-0411, appears on Google and the BBB profile but is not published for consumers on the company’s own site.
How do I stop First Financial Asset Management from calling me?
Tell them in writing to stop contacting you. Under 15 U.S.C. § 1692c, once a collector receives written notice that you refuse to pay or want contact to cease, they must stop except for limited notices. Send it certified with return receipt requested so you can prove it arrived. If you want the debt itself challenged rather than just the calls, dispute it in writing within 30 days of their first written notice under 15 U.S.C. § 1692g, which forces them to stop collecting until they verify it. If the calls continue after either letter, that is a documented violation and you should speak to a lawyer.
Can First Financial Asset Management sue me or garnish my wages?
They cannot garnish your wages without first suing you, winning and obtaining a judgment. Narrow exceptions exist for certain government-related debts such as federal student loans and unpaid taxes, which use separate administrative procedures. Without a judgment or one of those exceptions, a threat to garnish is not something they can act on, and threatening an action they cannot legally take may violate 15 U.S.C. § 1692e. If you are ever served with a lawsuit, do not ignore it: a default judgment is far worse than a defended case, and the statute of limitations in your state may be a complete defense.
This page is general legal information, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Company details, complaint figures and ratings were verified against primary sources on 1 September 2026 and can change.
