Westlake Portfolio Management: What to Do If They Contact You

Westlake Portfolio Management, LLC (WPM) is the debt collection and portfolio servicing arm of the Westlake Financial family of companies, based in Los Angeles. The parent company, Westlake Financial Services, paid $44.1 million in consumer relief plus a $4.25 million civil penalty under a 2015 CFPB consent order for using phony caller IDs to impersonate repossession companies, flower shops, and family members to pressure auto loan borrowers.

This guide covers who WPM collects for, the 2015 CFPB enforcement action and its implications, documented complaint patterns, your rights, and how to handle an auto loan account from this entity.

Who Is Westlake Portfolio Management, LLC?

Westlake Portfolio Management, LLC is a Los Angeles-based debt collector and portfolio servicer founded in 2018. WPM acquires and services delinquent auto loan contracts, operating as a distinct but related entity within the Westlake Financial family of companies.

WPM primarily handles accounts originated by Westlake Financial Services, which specializes in subprime and near-prime vehicle installment contracts purchased from dealerships across the country.

Who Does WPM Collect For?

WPM collects on auto loan portfolios it has acquired or been assigned. Confirmed collection categories include:

• Westlake Financial Services accounts: WPM is the primary collection and portfolio servicing arm for delinquent Westlake Financial auto loan contracts.
• Private investors and lenders holding auto portfolios: WPM services delinquent vehicle loan portfolios acquired from other lenders and investors.
• Subprime and near-prime vehicle contracts: WPM’s focus centers on auto loan deficiency balances, repossession-related charges, and past-due vehicle installment contracts.

The 2015 CFPB Enforcement Action Against Westlake Financial Services

In September 2015, the CFPB entered into a consent order with Westlake Services, LLC (doing business as Westlake Financial Services) and its subsidiary Wilshire Consumer Credit, LLC, requiring $44.1 million in cash relief and balance reductions plus a $4.25 million civil penalty.

The CFPB found Westlake and Wilshire used a web-based service called Skip Tracy to alter outgoing caller ID information, making calls appear to come from repossession companies, pizza delivery services, flower shops, and even borrowers’ own family and friends.

Debt collectors would then impersonate those entities to pressure borrowers into disclosing vehicle locations or making payments under false urgency.

Additional CFPB findings included falsely threatening borrowers with criminal prosecution, misrepresenting the amount required to release a repossessed vehicle, disclosing loan information to employers and family members, and changing loan terms without borrower consent while telling borrowers the changes would be beneficial.

The consent order required Westlake to overhaul debt collection practices and comply with the FDCPA, the Truth in Lending Act, and the Dodd-Frank Act. WPM, founded in 2018, operates within the same corporate family under these consent requirements.

Additional Legal Action: Illegal Payment Fees

Westlake Financial Services also faced a $1.2 million class action settlement over fees charged to borrowers who made payments through ACI Payments, alleging the fees violated California debt collection laws. If you were charged a processing fee when paying Westlake or WPM through ACI Payments, that fee may have been unauthorized.

Common WPM Complaint Patterns

• Repossession without prior notice: Consumer reviews describe vehicles repossessed without prior written warning, with additional fees and lost personal property documented as consequences.
• Failing to update credit report after payoff: A documented complaint describes a consumer paying off a vehicle in full and finding WPM failed to update the credit report, causing ongoing credit damage weeks after payoff.
• Misleading communication about loan status: Consumer accounts describe receiving conflicting balance and account status information across multiple calls with different representatives.
• Repossession despite active payment arrangements: Consumer reviews describe vehicles taken after missed payments even when the borrower had attempted to make a current payment under an arrangement.

What WPM Cannot Do Under Federal Law

• Impersonate third parties to collect debts: The 2015 CFPB consent order established that altering caller IDs to pose as repossession companies or family members violates the FDCPA and Dodd-Frank Act. The same prohibition applies to WPM as a Westlake family entity.
• Falsely threaten criminal prosecution: Threatening borrowers with criminal prosecution for failing to pay a civil debt violates FDCPA Section 1692e.
• Disclose debt information to employers, friends, or family: FDCPA Section 1692c(b) prohibits disclosing borrowers’ loan information to unauthorized third parties.
• Add unauthorized payment processing fees: The ACI Payments class action established that undisclosed fees on payments may violate California debt collection law.
• Continue collection after a written validation request: All collection activity must pause until WPM produces documentation.

Verify Before Paying WPM

For auto loan deficiency balances, WPM must produce the original signed retail installment contract, the complete payment history, the vehicle auction sale price and all associated fees deducted from the proceeds, and the remaining deficiency calculation.

If WPM has charged any payment processing fees, demand the specific contractual clause authorizing those fees before submitting payment through any portal.

How to Check Your Credit Report

Pull all three reports at AnnualCreditReport.com and look for Westlake Portfolio Management or WPM as the furnisher. Confirm the original creditor, vehicle, balance, and date of first delinquency.

If you have paid the account in full and WPM has not updated the credit report, gather your payment confirmation and file disputes with all three bureaus simultaneously citing FCRA accuracy requirements.

How Long Can WPM Legally Pursue the Debt?

California allows four years on most written contracts including vehicle installment contracts. The state where you signed the original loan controls the statute. Any payment or written acknowledgment can restart the civil statute in California and many other states.

Your Options for Resolving the Account

• Demand complete deficiency documentation: WPM must produce the repossession sale price, all associated fees, and the remaining balance calculation before any payment is appropriate.
• Check ACI Payments fees: If you were charged a processing fee through ACI Payments, that class action addressed the same documented pattern.
• Dispute paid accounts not yet updated: File simultaneous disputes with all three bureaus and a CFPB complaint if WPM has not updated a paid or settled account.
• Document every call for false urgency or identity misrepresentation: Given the 2015 CFPB findings, document any call where WPM misrepresents its identity or implies imminent repossession as a pressure tactic.

How to Contact Westlake Portfolio Management

Handle all communication in writing. Send disputes by certified mail with return receipt requested:

• Address: Westlake Portfolio Management, LLC, 4751 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 100, Los Angeles, CA 90010
• Phone: (877) 854-5688

Bottom Line

Westlake Portfolio Management operates within the same corporate family as Westlake Financial Services, which paid $44.1 million in consumer relief under a 2015 CFPB consent order for impersonating repossession companies and threatening borrowers with criminal prosecution. The compliance requirements in that consent order apply to all Westlake family entities.

Demand complete documentation of any auto loan deficiency calculation before paying. The gap between the original loan balance and the deficiency after repossession sale must be fully itemized.

If a WPM account is on your credit file, the right move depends on whether the deficiency balance is fully documented, whether the account was updated after payoff, and whether any payment processing fees were charged without contractual authorization.