Rausch Sturm Reviews and Complaints: What the Record Shows and What to Do (2026)

Who Rausch Sturm is

Rausch Sturm LLP is a law firm that collects debts for creditors. Its website gives its main address as 300 North Executive Drive, Suite 200, Brookfield, WI 53005, and its phone number as 866-456-3744. The site also lists offices in Greenwood Village, Colorado; Birmingham, Alabama; and Dallas, Texas. The firm's tagline is "Attorneys in the Practice of Debt Collection," and its footer says the communication is from a debt collector.

In its own words, it is "a law firm that represents creditor issuers and creditors." The site says that for the past 40 years the firm has represented financial institutions and creditors. It tells consumers that a letter or call from the firm means "your bank or creditor has enlisted our services." It also says payments should be made payable to the firm's client, not to the firm.

The site lists debt collection licenses or permits in Connecticut, North Carolina, Maryland, California, New York City, Yonkers and Buffalo, and an NMLS ID of 1089110. The Better Business Bureau lists 13 locations, including offices in Michigan, Florida, Alabama and Nevada, and records the entity type as a limited liability limited partnership. It describes the firm as lawyers specializing in regional creditors' rights and account recovery management.

About the older name. Court records and the federal complaint database use several earlier forms of the name, including Rausch, Sturm, Israel, Enerson & Hornik, LLC or LLP, and, in a 2007 case caption, Rausch, Sturm, Israel & Hornik, S.C. The federal complaint database files complaints under the long name through June 2021 and under Rausch Sturm LLP from June 2021 on. A Super Lawyers directory listing shows William C. Sturm at Rausch, Sturm, Israel, Enerson & Hornik LLP in Brookfield, licensed in Wisconsin since 1966.

When it started. The firm says it has represented creditors for 40 years. The BBB lists a business start date of January 1, 1997. Those two figures do not match. We could not confirm a founding year, and we could not verify a state registry record.

The firm acts for the creditor. The creditor decides what it will accept, and the firm carries out those instructions.

The public record at a glance

• BBB rating and accreditation. B, accredited since September 21, 2009, as checked on November 10, 2026.
• BBB complaints. 320 in the last three years and 136 in the last 12 months, as of November 10, 2026. The BBB marks 271 as answered and 49 as resolved. The largest categories are billing issues (105) and service or repair issues (105). The rating summary on the same profile says 321, so the count may move by one.
• BBB customer reviews. An average of 1.06 out of 5 from 69 reviews, as of November 10, 2026.
• CFPB complaint database. As of November 10, 2026, 640 complaints list the company as Rausch Sturm LLP, from June 2021 to October 2026, and 253 list it as Rausch, Sturm, Israel, Enerson & Hornik, LLP, from October 2013 to June 2021. That is 893 in all. 450 were received in the three years before November 10, 2026. Under the current name, 578 are filed under debt collection, and 399 of those are tagged credit card debt.
• Federal lawsuits naming the firm. 172 federal dockets on CourtListener carry Rausch Sturm or Rausch, Sturm in the case name, as checked on November 10, 2026. Among the 20 most recently filed, the ones with a listed case type are mostly consumer credit. Details are below.
• Regulatory or disciplinary action. None located in the sources checked. We found no CFPB, FTC or state attorney general enforcement action naming the firm.

A complaint count is not a finding. The CFPB database publishes what consumers report, and the BBB displays what complainants and the business each say. Read the numbers as a map of what people dispute, not as a verdict.

What the complaints say

The CFPB data shows what consumers most often report. Under the current name, the top issue labels are "attempts to collect debt not owed" (156 complaints), "took or threatened to take negative or legal action" (139), "written notification about debt" (115) and "false statements or representation" (93). The company response is shown as closed with explanation for 634 of the 640, with 5 in progress and 1 untimely. The states with the most complaints are Texas (161), Florida (87), Oklahoma (43) and Wisconsin (29).

Two recent BBB complaints show the kind of problem people raise. In September 2026 a consumer said they set up a payment plan through the firm's web portal, had two payments taken, were then locked out of the portal, were served with a suit, and filed an answer, yet later received a notice of intent to seek a default judgment. The firm replied that it would reach out to the consumer and would not discuss account details in public. In another September 2026 complaint, a consumer said they had tried for months to reach the firm to set up a payment plan; the firm said it spoke with the consumer, and the consumer marked the answer satisfactory.

Lawsuits filed against the firm

A CourtListener search of federal dockets with Rausch Sturm or Rausch, Sturm in the case name returns 172 cases, in courts including Texas, Arizona, Minnesota and Nevada. A broader full text search returns 900 dockets, many of them bankruptcy cases where the firm appears as a creditor contact. Being named in a lawsuit is not proof of wrongdoing. Here is what three of the records actually show.

• VanHuss v. Rausch, Sturm, Israel, Enerson & Hornik (W.D. Wis. No. 16-cv-372). A consumer and her husband sued the firm and Absolute Resolutions Corporation, a debt buyer, under the FDCPA and the Wisconsin Consumer Act. According to the court's opinion, Citibank sold her card account to the debt buyer, which retained the firm to collect it. The firm wrote to her in September 2015. She mailed a certified letter that the firm's mailroom log shows it received on October 19, 2015. The log does not say what the envelope held, and the defendants said they never saw a validation request. The firm then filed a small claims suit on November 24, 2015. On April 14, 2017, Magistrate Judge Stephen L. Crocker granted the defendants summary judgment on most claims, including the Wisconsin Consumer Act claims and all of the husband's claims. He denied it on one: her claim under 15 U.S.C. 1692g(b) survived. The court found that the defendants had shown the failure was an unintentional, bona fide error, but that reasonable factfinders could disagree on whether the firm had procedures reasonably adapted to avoid it. That is a ruling that a claim could go to trial, not a finding of liability. We did not locate the later outcome.
• Meininger v. Rausch Sturm LLP (Bankr. M.D. Fla. Adv. No. 8:24-ap-00337, filed October 4, 2024). An adversary proceeding inside a bankruptcy case. The docket lists a clerk's entry of default in January 2025, then a motion to set it aside and an answer from the firm in February 2025. It shows entries cross-referencing a compromise in April and May 2025 and an order dismissing the proceeding on June 6, 2025. We did not read the filings, so this page does not describe the claims or the terms.
• Recent filings. Lambert v. Rausch Sturm LLP (D. Ariz. No. 2:26-cv-07762, filed October 21, 2026) and Martinez v. Rausch Sturm, LLP (D. Minn. No. 0:26-cv-04260, filed October 2, 2026) are both coded consumer credit and were open in the sources checked. We did not read their pleadings, so this page does not describe their claims.

What the record shows, put plainly: the firm files collection suits for creditors and debt buyers. A consumer sued it under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act in a Wisconsin case; the court let a validation claim go forward and granted the defendants summary judgment on the other claims. That is a reason to check its paperwork carefully. It is not a reason to ignore it.

Why the firm is contacting you or your business

Because a creditor has placed an account with it. In the sources checked, the firm describes its clients as financial institutions, card issuers and other creditors, and most federal complaints about it concern credit cards. The VanHuss case shows it also acting for a debt buyer that had bought a card account. The sources checked do not say whether it handles commercial accounts.

A business owner might be contacted if a personal credit card was used for business costs, or if a business account carries a personal guarantee. In those cases the creditor may be able to look to you personally, not only to the company.

A letter from a law firm can mean one of three stages. Before suit, the firm is asking for payment and may be checking whether a suit is worth filing. During suit, it represents the creditor in court. After judgment, it can work on collecting through garnishment of wages or bank accounts, within each state's limits. The paper you received tells you which stage you are in. If the letter comes from a California firm such as Hunt & Henriques, California's 30 day answer deadline and its Rosenthal Act are the rules to read first.

Your rights: which rules apply to which debt

The federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act applies to consumer debts and generally not to commercial debts. The statute defines a debt as an obligation arising from a transaction that is primarily for personal, family or household purposes. It applies to anyone who regularly collects debts owed to another, and in VanHuss the court analyzed the claim under it. For a consumer debt, you can dispute the debt in writing within the thirty day window stated in the first notice. Once you do, the collector must stop collecting the disputed amount until it mails you verification.

A business debt is generally outside the FDCPA. A business credit card, a business loan or an equipment loan is usually a commercial obligation, even when the owner signed a personal guarantee. The protections built for household debts generally do not apply to it. That does not mean anything goes. It means other rules may apply, and a lawyer can tell you which.

Wisconsin's Consumer Act follows a similar line. Its collection rules in chapter 427 apply to any person engaged in debt collection, but only for claims arising from consumer transactions, which Wisconsin defines around credit for personal, family or household purposes. Chapter 427 also reaches transactions that are primarily agricultural. A farm debt may be covered. A commercial account generally is not. Michigan's collection statute draws the same consumer line; our review of the Michigan firm Roosen Varchetti & Olivier quotes its definition.

The firm sues in many states, and local rules vary. If you are sued outside Wisconsin, that state's collection law, court rules and deadlines apply, not Wisconsin's. For a Golden Valley, Minnesota collection law firm with offices in several other states, see our Gurstel Law Firm review.

Using the firm's own channels. The firm's site says disputes can be sent in writing by mail to its Brookfield address or by email to disputes@rauschsturm.com. Its contact form also offers a request for the name and address of the original creditor. Keep a copy of anything you send, with proof of delivery.

What to check in your own paperwork

• Who the creditor is. The letter should name the current creditor. Ask in writing whether it is the original lender or a buyer of the account, and for the date the account was opened and the date of default.
• Which entity owes it. Is the account in the company's name, your name, or both? Find the application or agreement and look for a personal guarantee. That one signature decides whether your personal assets are in play.
• The balance and how it was built. Ask for an itemized statement: principal, interest, fees and any payments credited. Compare it with your own bank records.
• Whether a suit or judgment already exists. Search the online records of the court in the county where the business operates or where you live. If a judgment exists, get its date, amount and case number.
• Your payment history. Pull proof of every payment you made to the creditor or the firm, including any made through an online portal.
• Time limits. Note the date of your last payment. Limits on how long a creditor can sue vary by state and by type of contract, and only a lawyer licensed there can tell you whether one applies.

If a lawsuit has been filed

The plaintiff will be the creditor or the debt buyer, with Rausch Sturm as its lawyers. Smaller collection cases often go to a small claims court and larger ones to the regular civil court, depending on the state and the amount. In Wisconsin, the court system's small claims guide says some counties require a written answer and others require you to appear in person, and the summons tells you which. It also says that if you do not appear or file a written answer, a default judgment will likely be granted. Other states set their own rules, so read your summons closely.

If you do not respond, the court can enter a default judgment against you, usually without a contested hearing. A default judgment lets the creditor ask the court for garnishment of wages or bank accounts, each subject to that state's limits and exemptions. Ask a lawyer whether your business can appear without one. Ask the same question about a personal guarantee.

Filing an answer does not end the chance to settle. It keeps it open. Some collection suits settle after an answer is filed, with the terms written into an agreement or stipulation the court can enforce. This page is general information, not legal advice. If you have been sued, talk to a lawyer licensed in the state where the case is filed.

Can a balance Rausch Sturm is collecting be settled?

Sometimes. Whether a creditor accepts less is the creditor's decision, and each case differs.

Whatever you agree, get it in writing before you pay: the amount, the schedule, that it settles the account in full, and, if there is a suit or judgment, a dismissal or a satisfaction of judgment filed with the court. Keep proof of every payment. Then check that any garnishment has been released and that the court case shows as closed.

Business Debt Adjusters negotiates business debt, including business credit cards, business loans and merchant cash advances. We review the agreement, the guarantee, the balance and any court filings, and we tell you what is realistic before you commit to anything. If several debts are pressing at once, see how business debt settlement works and business credit card debt relief. If a merchant cash advance is part of the picture, see how MCA debt relief works, whether a merchant cash advance is a loan, and settlement versus bankruptcy. For another creditor law firm's record, see our Stenger & Stenger review.

Sources

• Rausch Sturm LLP, official website (Brookfield address, offices, licenses, dispute address, debt collector notice)
• Better Business Bureau, Rausch Sturm LLP profile (B rating, accredited since 9/21/2009, business started 1/1/1997)
• Better Business Bureau, Rausch Sturm LLP complaints (320 in 3 years, 136 in 12 months)
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Consumer Complaint Database, companies: Rausch Sturm LLP and Rausch, Sturm, Israel, Enerson & Hornik, LLP (893 complaints, 2013 to 2026)
• CourtListener federal docket search, case name Rausch Sturm (172 dockets)
• VanHuss v. Rausch, Sturm, Israel, Enerson & Hornik, W.D. Wis. No. 16-cv-372, Opinion and Order of April 14, 2017
• Better Business Bureau, Rausch Sturm LLP customer reviews (1.06 out of 5 from 69 reviews)
• Super Lawyers, William C. Sturm (Rausch, Sturm, Israel, Enerson & Hornik LLP, Brookfield, licensed in Wisconsin since 1966)
• 15 U.S.C. 1692a, FDCPA definitions of consumer, debt and debt collector
• 15 U.S.C. 1692g, FDCPA validation of debts
• Wisconsin Statutes 427.103, Wisconsin Consumer Act debt collection definitions
• Wisconsin Statutes 421.301, Wisconsin Consumer Act definitions (customer, consumer transaction)
• Wisconsin Court System, Basic Guide to Small Claims Actions (SC-6000V)

Facts on this page were checked against the linked sources on November 10, 2026. Business Debt Adjusters is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorized to represent the company described.