# Chain of title — definition

> Chain of title is the documented, unbroken sequence of ownership transfers of a debt from the creditor at charge-off through each successive owner to the party now attempting to collect or sue.

- Source: https://ottoforfirms.com/glossary/chain-of-title/
- Publisher: Otto — https://ottoforfirms.com
- Updated: 2026-09-01

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**Chain of title** — Chain of title is the documented, unbroken sequence of ownership transfers of a debt from the creditor at charge-off through each successive owner to the party now attempting to collect or sue.

"Chain of title" is industry and courtroom shorthand rather than a defined regulatory term — it does not appear in the FDCPA, Regulation F, or the CFPB's 2015 debt-buyer consent orders. Its operative content, however, is specified: the September 9, 2015 Portfolio Recovery Associates consent order barred filing suit without "a chronological listing of the names of all prior owners of the Debt and the date of each transfer of ownership of the Debt, beginning with the name of the Creditor at the time of Charge-off." OCC Bulletin 2014-37, issued August 4, 2014, tells national banks not to sell "accounts lacking clear evidence of ownership," which is the sell-side mirror of the same requirement.

## Primary sources

1. [In re Portfolio Recovery Assocs., LLC, 2015-CFPB-0023, ¶ 119(b) (Sept. 9, 2015); OCC Bulletin 2014-37 (Aug. 4, 2014)](https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/201509_cfpb_consent-order-portfolio-recovery-associates-llc.pdf)

## See also

- [Bill of sale](https://ottoforfirms.com/glossary/bill-of-sale/)
- [Account media](https://ottoforfirms.com/glossary/account-media/)
- [Suit-readiness](https://ottoforfirms.com/glossary/suit-readiness/)

## Where this appears

- [What documents you need to file suit on a credit-card debt](https://ottoforfirms.com/guides/documents-to-file-suit/)
- [Operational guides for collections law firms](https://ottoforfirms.com/guides/)
- [The rules engine — blocking, not logging](https://ottoforfirms.com/platform/enforcement/)
- [Suit-readiness scoring](https://ottoforfirms.com/platform/suit-readiness/)

Last reviewed 2026-07-29

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This is an informational reference, not legal advice, and using it creates no attorney-client relationship. Limitations periods turn on facts this page cannot know — which state's law governs, the contract type, when the claim accrued, and whether anything tolled or revived it. Confirm against the primary source and your own counsel before acting.