Cavalry Portfolio Services Review: Who They Are and What to Do If They're Contacting You
Cavalry Portfolio Services calls or writes, and the account they're talking about doesn't quite line up with anyone you remember borrowing from. That's normal, and there's a reason for it. Cavalry is a debt buyer, which means they bought your old account from someone else. If you searched the name to make sense of that, here's the plain-English version.
This page covers who Cavalry is, why they're contacting you, and your realistic options, whether the balance is personal or connected to your business.
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Who is Cavalry Portfolio Services?
Cavalry Portfolio Services, LLC is a debt buyer, one of the largest in the country. Founded in 2002, they operate from several U.S. locations and make their money by purchasing charged-off consumer accounts in bulk, then collecting on them.
You'll often see a related name on the paperwork: Cavalry SPV I, LLC. That's the entity that actually holds the purchased accounts. The distinction matters mostly in a lawsuit, where the plaintiff needs to be the entity that legally owns your debt.
Because Cavalry is a debt buyer and not a third-party agency working for the original lender, they own the accounts they pursue. The bank or lender you first dealt with is out of the picture. Cavalry bought the debt, usually at a fraction of face value, and now they're trying to collect the full amount.
Why is Cavalry Portfolio Services contacting you?
Because they bought an old account with your name on it. The types of debt they pick up include credit cards, personal loans, auto finance, payday loans, and utility or telecom balances. If one of your accounts went unpaid and got charged off, the original creditor may have sold it, and Cavalry may have been the buyer.
Charged off doesn't mean forgiven. It means the original creditor took the loss on their books and, in many cases, sold the balance cheap. That discount is the whole reason there's usually room to settle for less than the number on the letter.
Can Cavalry Portfolio Services sue you?
Yes. Cavalry, through Cavalry SPV I, is an active filer of collection lawsuits, though the volume shifts year to year and by state. If you've been served with a summons and complaint, that's a real lawsuit with a deadline to answer, usually 20 to 30 days depending on where you live.
Do not ignore a summons. Skip the deadline and Cavalry can win a default judgment, which is a court order that you owe the money. A judgment can lead to wage garnishment, a bank levy, or a lien, depending on your state. Answering on time keeps your defenses and your settlement options alive.
If the debt is a business account, or a business loan you personally guaranteed, the rules aren't identical to a consumer case. Commercial debts sit outside many consumer protections, so figure out which category your account falls in before you respond.
Your rights when a debt buyer contacts you
For a personal debt, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act gives you real tools against a debt buyer like Cavalry:
- Debt validation. Within 30 days of their first written contact, you can demand in writing that they verify the debt. Debt buyers don't always have complete records, especially on older accounts that were sold more than once, so validation genuinely matters here.
- The statute of limitations. Every state caps how long a debt can be sued over, and an old Cavalry account may be past that window. But the rules vary, and a single payment can sometimes restart the clock, so don't pay to "show good faith" without understanding the effect.
- Written-only communication. You can require that they contact you in writing, which builds a paper trail.
Business debts generally don't get FDCPA coverage, so on a commercial account your leverage comes from the negotiation and the numbers rather than consumer statutes.
Settlement as an option
Because Cavalry bought the account for a fraction of its face value, there's almost always a number below the full balance that they'll take. Debt buyers settle as a matter of routine, it's baked into the business model. A lump sum, or a structured payoff, often closes an account for meaningfully less than what's printed on the demand.
Business Debt Adjusters does this work for business owners. We're a debt settlement company, not a law firm, with 11 years of negotiating business balances down and more than $500M resolved. When a business account or personally guaranteed balance ends up with a debt buyer like Cavalry, we assess the leverage and negotiate the realistic settlement so you're not guessing at the number.
Learn how business debt settlement works →
When you need an actual attorney
If you've been served and the answer deadline is near, that's a lawyer's call, not a negotiator's. A consumer-defense or commercial-litigation attorney can file the answer, raise defenses, and challenge whether Cavalry SPV can actually prove it owns your specific account, which is a common weak point in debt-buyer cases. Those are arguments a settlement negotiator can't make in court.
Often the two work together: an attorney defends the suit and challenges the chain of ownership, then a settlement gets negotiated from a stronger position. Settling and fighting aren't mutually exclusive. What's right depends on your facts and how far the case has moved.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cavalry Portfolio Services legit?
Yes. Cavalry Portfolio Services is a real, established debt-buying company and one of the largest in the U.S. Legitimate doesn't mean the balance is automatically accurate, or that they can always prove they own your specific account, which is exactly what validation and a proper legal defense test.
Why is Cavalry Portfolio Services calling me when I never borrowed from them?
Because they bought your old, charged-off account from the original creditor. You never dealt with Cavalry directly, but they now legally own the debt and are trying to collect it.
Can Cavalry Portfolio Services sue my business?
If your business owes the underlying debt, or you personally guaranteed it, yes. Business debt cases follow different rules than consumer ones, so don't assume the response is identical to a personal account.
Should I just pay Cavalry the full amount?
Not without thinking it through. Since they bought the debt at a discount, there's usually room to settle for less. And if the account is past your state's statute of limitations or the ownership paperwork is weak, paying in full may not be your best move.
What happens if I ignore Cavalry Portfolio Services?
If it's letters and calls, ignoring it won't make the debt disappear and could invite a lawsuit. If you've been served with a summons, ignoring it is the worst option, since a default judgment can lead to garnishment or a levy.
Talk it through before you respond
If Cavalry Portfolio Services is contacting you about a business debt or a personally guaranteed balance, a short conversation can save you a costly misstep. We'll look at what you owe, whether it can be settled, and whether you need an attorney involved. Free to find out where you stand.
Dealing with more than one collector? See our guides to Gurstel Law Firm and Crown Asset Management.
Browse other lender and collector reviews →
This page is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Business Debt Adjusters is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorized to represent Cavalry Portfolio Services, LLC or Cavalry SPV I, LLC. Company names are used for identification only. If you're facing an active lawsuit, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
Where to go from here
If MCA payments are squeezing your business, start with how MCA debt relief works, run your numbers through the MCA true-cost calculator, or get a free consultation on your specific file.
