What Harris & Harris is

Harris & Harris, Ltd. is a third-party collection agency at 111 W. Jackson Blvd, Suite 650, Chicago, IL 60604. Its website calls it a "call center and revenue solutions provider" for government, toll authorities, healthcare, telecom, utilities, and banking clients. The website does not say whether it buys debt.

Why Harris & Harris may appear on your credit report

Harris & Harris works for clients in government, healthcare, tolls, telecom, utilities, and banking. An entry under its name may relate to a bill from one of those sectors. Check which creditor the notice names before you compare the details.

Public enforcement record

The record below is a court consent decree. It lists what the decree says, not a finding about your account.

Washington State consent decree

In State of Washington v. Providence Health & Services-Washington et al. and Harris & Harris, Ltd., King County Superior Court No. 22-2-01754-6 SEA, Harris & Harris agreed to a consent decree. It pays $1,000,000 to the State and admits no wrongdoing. The copy of the decree we read has no entry date.

For five years, the decree requires Harris & Harris to:

  • state in its first written notice for medical debt that the debtor may request the original account number, the last payment date, and an itemized statement (RCW 19.16.250(28)(b))
  • state in its first written notice for hospital debt that the debtor may be eligible for charity care, with the hospital's contact information (RCW 19.16.250(29)(a))

It also requires a corrective letter to Providence patients who received two letter templates, one used from March 30, 2020, to November 24, 2021, and one used from December 1, 2021, to August 16, 2022.

CFPB complaint database

As of October 14, 2026, the CFPB Consumer Complaint Database held 5,643 complaints filed under Harris & Harris, Ltd. Of those, 4,877 were about debt collection. The most common issues were "Attempts to collect debt not owed" (2,044), "Took or threatened to take negative or legal action" (741), and "Written notification about debt" (691). "Incorrect information on your report" accounted for 368. A complaint count is not a finding of wrongdoing.

How to check a Harris & Harris entry against your own records

  1. Find the validation notice. Under 15 U.S.C. 1692g(a), a debt collector must send a notice within five days after it first contacts you to collect the debt. The notice gives the amount, the creditor, and your right to dispute within 30 days. It does not have to send one if its first message already gave this information or if you have paid the debt. A court complaint in a lawsuit does not count as that first contact. Neither does a tax, privacy, or data-breach notice that the law requires.
  2. Identify the creditor. Write down the creditor the notice names, and match it to a bill you actually received from that hospital, agency, or company.
  3. Compare the details. Check the balance, the service or account dates, and any payments against your own bills, receipts, and insurance statements.
  4. If you are in Washington, read the first notice closely. For medical debt, check for the lines about requesting the original account number, last payment date, and an itemized statement. For hospital debt, check for the charity care line.
  5. Compare all three reports. Check whether the same account appears in the same way at each credit bureau, and note every difference.

The Harris & Harris website lists only its Chicago address and a Contact Us link. It does not describe a validation or dispute channel.

How to dispute an inaccurate Harris & Harris entry

  1. Dispute in writing within 30 days of the validation notice. A timely dispute stops collection of the disputed amount until the collector obtains verification and mails you a copy. You can also ask in writing for the original creditor's name and address. A timely request stops collection of the debt until the collector answers it (15 U.S.C. 1692g(b)).
  2. Dispute with each credit bureau that shows the error. The bureau must reinvestigate within 30 days (45 at most if you send relevant information during that time or dispute after a free annual report) and tell the furnisher within 5 business days. It must delete or modify an item it finds inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable (15 U.S.C. 1681i(a), 1681j(a)(3)).
  3. Expect a furnisher investigation. After the bureau notifies the furnisher, it must investigate, review the information the bureau sent, and modify, delete, or block an item it finds inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable (15 U.S.C. 1681s-2(b)).
  4. Check the disputed status. If you tell the furnisher directly that the information it reports is inaccurate or incomplete, it may not report that information again without a note that you dispute it (15 U.S.C. 1681s-2(a)(3)).
  5. Keep copies. Keep every letter you send and every response you receive, with the dates.

These rules require an investigation. They do not promise a particular result. For the same rights applied to other companies, see the collection account guides.