A Utah debt collection company that previously reached a settlement with Connecticut regulators was hit with a $100,000 civil penalty and ordered to refund consumers after violating the terms of that agreement within months of signing it, state records show.
A Utah debt collection company that previously reached a settlement with Connecticut regulators was hit with a $100,000 civil penalty and ordered to refund consumers after violating the terms of that agreement within months of signing it, state records show.
Banking Commissioner Jorge Perez issued cease-and-desist orders and civil penalties against Zions Debt Holdings LLC of Orem, Utah, and its two principals — Christopher Thayne Carter and Brian Scott Fuller — on Feb. 10, according to the Connecticut Department of Banking.
Zions had entered into a consent order with the department on Dec. 31, 2024, but regulators alleged the company quickly resumed unlicensed debt collection activity in Connecticut in violation of that agreement. The department also alleged Zions contacted a Connecticut consumer via email in a harassing or abusive manner and used false or deceptive representations while collecting debts — including presenting itself as a licensed consumer collection agency when it was not.
Regulators further alleged that Carter and Fuller failed to establish and maintain policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure compliance with state consumer collection laws — a finding that exposed them to personal liability.
In addition to the $100,000 penalty against the company, Perez imposed a $20,000 civil penalty on Carter and a $20,000 penalty on Fuller, bringing the total to $140,000. Zions was also ordered to refund all payments collected from Connecticut consumers since Dec. 31, 2024, plus interest.
The department issued its initial temporary cease-and-desist order against the respondents on Sept. 25, 2025. None of the three requested a hearing within the required timeframe, causing the allegations to be deemed admitted under state law.
