Founded in 1986 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Commercial Financial Services, Inc. (CFS) specialized in purchasing and servicing non-performing consumer debt, primarily charged-off credit card receivables. The company grew rapidly, becoming one of the largest in its industry by the mid-1990s. Its business model involved buying delinquent debt portfolios at a steep discount and then using its collection systems to recover the money. However, the company's success was built on a massive accounting fraud, where executives systematically overstated collection revenues and hid losses to deceive investors and auditors. The scheme unraveled in 1998, leading to a sudden bankruptcy, the loss of nearly 4,000 jobs, and one of the largest corporate fraud cases of its time.

Founded in

United States