Renton Collections on Your Credit Report: Your Options Explained

If Renton Collections has appeared on your credit report, there is a significant recent legal development you should know about. In March 2025, the Washington Attorney General sued Renton Collections for failing to disclose consumer rights in over 400,000 medical debt collection notices sent since 2019. The company settled in April 2025, providing $1.5 million in debt relief to Washington consumers and agreeing to stop collecting fees, costs, and interest on the accounts at issue.

If you received a collection notice from Renton Collections between 2019 and late 2024, you may be entitled to relief under that settlement. This guide covers who Renton Collections is, what the settlement means for consumers, and how to respond.

Who Is Renton Collections?

Renton Collections, Inc. (RCI), also operating as RCI Billing Services, is a third-party medical debt collection agency founded in 1981 and based in Renton, Washington. The company focuses exclusively on healthcare collections for hospitals, physician groups, and clinics in the Pacific Northwest. Confirmed clients include Seattle Emergency Physicians, Puget Sound Physicians PLLC, and Summit Pacific Medical Center.

RCI has accumulated 28 CFPB complaints and 26 BBB complaints in recent years, with 5 federal civil cases on record. They are not widely known for filing lawsuits against individual consumers, though they do pursue legal action in some cases.

The 2025 Washington AG Settlement

On March 5, 2025, the Washington Attorney General filed suit against Renton Collections in King County Superior Court. The lawsuit alleged that from July 2019 through at least December 2024, RCI sent over 400,000 collection notices to Washington consumers without the disclosures required by the Washington Collection Agency Act. During that period, RCI collected more than $35 million and earned over $7 million in commissions while ignoring the law.

Washington’s Collection Agency Act requires that collection notices for medical debt include a statement informing consumers of their right to request the original account number, the date of last payment, and an itemized statement including dates of service, services provided, any interest or fees, and whether the patient was found eligible for charity care.

The settlement, filed in April 2025, requires RCI to provide $1.5 million in debt relief to affected consumers, bars RCI from collecting any fees, costs, or interest on the accounts at issue, and mandates proper disclosures in all future notices. If you received a Renton Collections notice between 2019 and late 2024, contact the Washington Attorney General’s office to determine whether you qualify for relief.

The Insurance Billing Gap

A documented BBB complaint describes a consumer whose insurance should have covered the underlying medical bill. The consumer specifically asked Renton Collections to direct the original provider to bill the insurance first, but RCI continued collection efforts instead. The consumer’s position was that the bill would be covered if the provider simply submitted the claim properly.

Before paying any RCI account, pull your explanation of benefits from your insurance company for the relevant service dates. Confirm the provider submitted the claim and how it was processed. If insurance should have covered the bill, contact the original provider directly to correct the billing before engaging with RCI.

Washington Medical Debt Protections

Washington state has specific protections for medical debt consumers worth knowing. Under Washington law, consumers with family incomes up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level can receive assistance with paying hospital bills through charity care programs. Washington’s ESSB 5480 also restricts how medical debt can be reported to credit bureaus.

Additionally, Washington’s Collection Agency Act requires that RCI’s notices specifically inform consumers of their right to request an itemized statement. If you received a notice from RCI that did not include this information, that notice itself may have violated Washington law, and you may have grounds for a complaint.

What RCI Cannot Do Under Federal and Washington Law

The FDCPA and the Washington Collection Agency Act apply to Renton Collections. Under these laws, they cannot:

• Send collection notices without required medical debt disclosures: Confirmed in the 2025 AG lawsuit and settlement.
• Collect fees, costs, or interest on the settlement accounts: Barred by the April 2025 consent decree.
• Threaten arrest or jail: Consumer debt is not a criminal matter.
• Call at odd hours: Contact is only allowed between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in your time zone.
• Contact you at work after you say stop: Written cease-contact requests must be honored.
• Collect without proper disclosures: Any notice lacking the required itemized statement language may violate state law.

File federal complaints at consumerfinance.gov and state complaints with the Washington Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at atg.wa.gov.

Medical Debt Reporting Rules Apply

Because RCI focuses exclusively on medical debt, specific credit reporting protections apply. All three major credit bureaus voluntarily agreed to these changes in 2022 and 2023:

• Medical debts under $500 are not reported on credit reports at all.
• Paid medical collections are removed from credit reports entirely.
• Unpaid medical debt has a one-year waiting period before it can be reported.

Washington’s ESSB 5480 provides additional state restrictions on medical debt reporting. If your RCI account falls under any of these protections, dispute it immediately with each credit bureau.

Verify the Debt Before Paying Anything

Do not pay or admit the debt is yours until you have verified it. Send a written debt validation request by certified mail within 30 days of first contact.

Under Washington law, RCI is required to provide an itemized statement including dates of service, services provided, any interest or fees, and charity care eligibility on request. If they fail to provide this information, that refusal is itself a potential Washington Collection Agency Act violation.

How to Check Your Credit Report for RCI Errors

Pull your credit reports from all three bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com. Is the balance correct? Does it include fees or interest that may be barred under the 2025 consent decree? Is the account under $500 and therefore should not be reported? Any inaccuracy is grounds for a dispute with each credit bureau.

How Long Can RCI Legally Pursue the Debt?

Washington has a 6-year statute of limitations on written contracts and open accounts. Making a payment or acknowledging the debt in writing can reset the clock.

Your Options for Resolving an RCI Account

Once you have verified the debt, consider your options:

• Check the settlement: If you received a RCI notice between 2019 and late 2024, contact the Washington AG’s office to determine whether you qualify for the $1.5 million relief pool.
• Apply for charity care: Contact the original hospital or clinic directly. Washington hospitals are required to offer charity care to qualifying patients, and RCI’s own notices are now required to disclose this right.
• Verify insurance billing: Confirm the original provider submitted your claim before paying RCI.
• Dispute if inaccurate: Use Washington law to request an itemized statement and dispute any account that lacks required disclosures or falls under medical debt reporting rules.

How to Contact Renton Collections

Handle all communication in writing whenever possible:

• Address: Renton Collections, Inc., 211 Morris Ave S, Renton, WA 98057
• Mailing address: PO Box 272, Renton, WA 98057
• Phone: (800) 655-8231

Bottom Line

Renton Collections settled a 2025 Washington AG lawsuit over failing to inform 400,000 consumers of their rights on medical debt. If you received an RCI notice between 2019 and late 2024, you may be entitled to debt relief under that settlement.

Verify the debt, request the itemized statement Washington law requires, and contact the Washington AG’s office to find out if your account qualifies for relief before paying anything.