What is Cavalry Portfolio Services?

Cavalry Portfolio Services (sometimes appearing as Cavalry SPV I, LLC) is a Valhalla, New York-based debt buyer that purchases charged-off consumer credit card, retail, and auto loan accounts. They're a third-party debt collector subject to both the FDCPA and the FCRA. Cavalry is known for being more willing to litigate than many of their peers — they've filed large volumes of collection lawsuits and have been the subject of multiple CFPB complaints and state enforcement actions related to collection practices and documentation integrity.

Why Cavalry Shows Up on Your Report

Cavalry purchases charged-off debt from major credit card issuers and bank portfolios. When the original creditor writes off the account, Cavalry buys it and begins collection reporting. You'll typically see the original creditor's charge-off tradeline alongside a new Cavalry collection tradeline. Both can report simultaneously — that's permitted — but each must accurately report the same underlying DOFD. The account must fall off both tradelines at the same time: 7 years from the original date of first delinquency.

Your Legal Rights

  • FDCPA §1692g — 30-day debt validation window from first written contact. Request it in writing; this triggers their obligation to cease collection activity until they provide adequate validation.
  • FCRA §611 — Right to dispute inaccuracies with the credit bureaus. Cavalry must adequately verify or the bureaus must delete.
  • FCRA §623(a)(8) — Direct dispute to Cavalry as furnisher. Separate from bureau disputes and often more effective when you have specific documentation.
  • State UDAP laws — Many states have consumer protection statutes that provide additional remedies beyond the FDCPA, including damages for unfair collection practices.

Step-by-Step Removal Guide

  1. Check your state's statute of limitations for credit card debt. Cavalry litigates. If the debt is within the SOL window in your state, be careful about making payments that could reset the clock or sending written correspondence that implicitly acknowledges the debt before validation is complete.
  2. Validate the debt immediately if you've just received written contact. Request: original creditor name and account number, amount at charge-off, date of first delinquency, proof of assignment or purchase from the original creditor, and the original credit agreement. Chain-of-title documentation is particularly important with Cavalry — they sometimes purchase accounts that have been sold multiple times.
  3. Pull all three credit reports and compare DOFD. If Cavalry's DOFD differs from the original creditor's charge-off date by more than a few days, that's a reportable error. Also check whether the account status codes are accurate: a collection account should show as "Collection Account" (Metro 2 account status 93 or 97), not "Open" or "Derogatory" without the collection designation.
  4. Dispute Metro 2 status code errors with the bureaus. Incorrect status codes are often overlooked because they don't change the overall negative impact — but they can be used to challenge the technical accuracy of the tradeline and may lead to deletion when Cavalry can't verify the correct codes from their own data.
  5. Send a direct dispute to Cavalry under FCRA §623. Include your documentation. Reference specific inaccuracies — balance, DOFD, status code — not just a general "this is wrong" complaint.
  6. Request method of verification. After a "verified" response from the bureaus, ask for the specific documents used. Often it's just a data exchange confirmation, which may not rise to the level of adequate verification under court interpretations of FCRA §611.
  7. Escalate via CFPB and your state attorney general if violations persist, particularly if Cavalry has re-aged the debt or continues to report after a validated validation failure.

Common Errors to Look For

  • Wrong account status codes — collection accounts must use correct Metro 2 payment status codes
  • DOFD inconsistency between Cavalry's tradeline and the original creditor's tradeline
  • Balance reported higher than the original charge-off amount
  • Duplicate reporting if the account was resold to another collector
  • Missing or incorrect "Creditor Classification" field in Metro 2 data

What to Watch Out For

Cavalry is more aggressive about lawsuits than LVNV or some other buyers. If the debt is within your state's statute of limitations, they may escalate to litigation if you dispute without first validating. This doesn't mean you shouldn't dispute — you absolutely should, and the FCRA fully protects your right to do so — but understand what you're dealing with. Also, Cavalry sometimes attempts to collect on accounts where the original creditor has also sold to a different buyer, creating chain-of-title confusion. If you see two different collectors claiming the same debt, that's a significant FDCPA issue worth documenting.

A well-documented DOFD error or Metro 2 status code violation, sent directly to Cavalry with supporting documentation, often produces faster results than a generic bureau dispute because it forces their compliance team to engage rather than their automated verification system.

CreditForge analyzes your Cavalry tradeline for every Metro 2 field, cross-references the DOFD, and flags chain-of-title issues automatically. If there's a technical angle here, we'll build the dispute around it.