Portfolio Recovery Associates, Inc., a financial and business service company, engages in the purchase, collection, and management of portfolios of defaulted consumer receivables in the United States and the United Kingdom. It detects, collects, and processes unpaid and normal-course accounts receivables owed primarily to credit grantors, governments, retailers, and others. The company also acquires receivables of Visa and MasterCard credit cards, private label and other credit cards, installment loans, lines of credit, bankrupt accounts, deficiency balances of various types, legal judgments, and trade payables from various debt owners, including banks, credit unions, consumer finance companies, telecommunication providers, retailers, utilities, insurance companies, medical groups, hospitals, auto finance companies, and other debt buyers. In addition, it provides fee-based services comprising vehicle location, skip tracing, and collateral recovery services for auto lenders, governments, and law enforcement; revenue administration, audit, and debt discovery/recovery services for local government entities; and class action claims settlement recovery and related payment processing services. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia.