Got a letter from PRA Group? Here's how to respond.

No. PRA Group (UK) Limited is authorised and regulated by the FCA (FRN 718645) and registered at Companies House under company number 04267803. The parent group, PRA Group, Inc., is listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the ticker PRAA. They are a member of the Credit Services Association and have been operating in the UK debt purchase market since 1999. None of that means every PRA letter is correct: balance disputes, statute-barred claims, and missing documentation are all reasons to demand proof of the debt before paying.

Because PRA Group is a debt buyer. They buy debt portfolios in bulk from original creditors (banks, credit card companies, telecoms providers, utilities, retailers) at a fraction of the original balance, then collect from you directly. PRA Group is now the legal owner of the debt, not the original creditor. You should have been notified of this sale by a Notice of Assignment under section 136 of the Law of Property Act 1925. If you were not, that is a defence point. PRA tends to specialise in older debt portfolios, sometimes paying as little as 2 to 5 pence per pound for very aged accounts.

Under section 5 of the Limitation Act 1980, most consumer debts become statute-barred six years after the date of last payment or last written acknowledgement, whichever is later. PRA Group is well known for buying portfolios that contain debts approaching or already past the limitation period. Once statute-barred, PRA can still write to you but cannot enforce the debt through the courts. Do not phone PRA to discuss dates and do not write anything that could be construed as acknowledgement, because either restarts the six-year clock. Send a statute-barred letter putting the burden of proof on them.

It is PRA Group's in-house legal escalation department, also called the Investigation and Litigation Department or ILD. Unlike Lowell (which uses Overdales Solicitors), Cabot (which uses Mortimer Clarke Solicitors), or Intrum (which uses external panel solicitors), PRA Group runs its own internal litigation team inside PRA Group (UK) Limited. A letter saying your account has been moved to the Investigations & Litigation Team means PRA is preparing court action. The next step is usually a Letter Before Claim under the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims, giving you 30 days to respond.

Yes, through their in-house Investigations & Litigation Team. PRA actively pursues court action across all UK jurisdictions: England and Wales (county court claim form N1 leading to a CCJ), Northern Ireland (Civil bill), and Scotland (Sheriff Court Decree). The typical sequence is: PRA demand letters, then a notification that the account has moved to the Investigations & Litigation Team, then a Letter Before Claim giving 30 days to respond, then court action if no response. Defending a PRA claim is realistic where the documentation is incomplete or the debt is statute-barred.

Only if the debt is valid, enforceable, and not statute-barred. PRA must be able to evidence: the original credit agreement signed by you (under section 78 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 for regulated agreements), a Default Notice from the original creditor under sections 87 and 88 of the same Act, and a Notice of Assignment under section 136 of the Law of Property Act 1925 confirming the debt was lawfully sold to PRA. Under section 78, PRA has 12 working days to provide a copy of the original credit agreement after a written request. If they cannot produce it, the debt is unenforceable until they do.

PRA Group publicly commits not to add interest or fees to the debts they purchase. This is a stated PRA policy mentioned in their own customer-facing communications. The balance shown on a PRA letter should match the balance at the point of sale, less any payments you have made since. Demand a full statement of account if the balance has changed in any way you do not understand. PRA also commits not to resell purchased accounts, which means once you settle a PRA debt, you should not get further collection letters about the same debt from anyone else.

Not directly. PRA Group's field agents are not bailiffs and have no enforcement powers. Bailiffs (now called Enforcement Agents) only act after a County Court Judgment, and even then they are appointed by the court, not by the debt collection agency. If PRA pursues court action and obtains a CCJ against you that you do not pay, they can then apply for bailiff enforcement or other legal remedies. But at the pre-court collection stage, PRA can only ask for payment. They cannot enter your home or seize property.