Definition
A debtor record stores the contact details and location of the party that owes money. The platform uses this information to determine the jurisdiction of the case and to match it with a collection partner.
How debtor records are created
Every time a client creates a new case, the platform also creates a new debtor record. Even if several cases involve the same person or company, each case has its own debtor entry. Debtor records are not shared between clients or between cases of the same client.
Debtor fields
Contact information
Email - primary contact email
Phone - contact phone number
Identity information
Type - whether the debtor is a Company or a Private individual
First name / Last name - for private debtors
Company name - for company debtors
Company registration number - VAT or business registration number
Location information
Address, Zip code, City - street address details
State - free-text region (for example, a UK county), for non-US debtors; US debtors do not have this set directly because the jurisdiction already represents the state
Jurisdiction - the legal jurisdiction, which determines partner assignment and applicable rules
Restricted fields
Currency - can only be changed under specific conditions (see Currency changes below)
Country - can be changed only in Pending Contract Signing or Debitura's internal review, before the collection partner starts reviewing the case; it sets the jurisdiction
Client (Creditor) - read-only; cannot be changed after creation
When debtor information can be edited
Whether a debtor record can be edited depends on the case lifecycle stage. The platform controls editing at two levels: the portal controls whether the edit form opens and which fields it allows for the client and for the collection partner, and the backend controls whether jurisdiction and debtor type changes are accepted. Clients see Debitura's internal review and the collection partner's review as a single Pending Verification status.
Lifecycle stage | Client | Collection partner |
Pending Contract Signing; Pending Verification (Debitura's internal review, before the collection partner starts reviewing the case) | All fields: name, contact details, address, debtor type and country (and state for a US debtor). A type or country change can move the case to another collection partner and can change the success fee. | No access - the case is not with the partner yet. |
Pending Verification (a partner is assigned and reviewing the case); Leads | Name, contact details and address only. Debtor type, country and jurisdiction are locked. | Not editable. |
Active / Paused / Needs Additional Details | Not editable. | Name, contact details, address and debtor type. Country and jurisdiction are read-only. A type change is accepted only while the partner still matches the corrected type; the case stays with that partner and is not re-priced or re-matched. |
Leads Quote Given; closed cases | Not editable. | Not editable. |
The client and the collection partner use the same edit form; each sees the fields its stage allows, and a locked field shows why it is locked. Debitura edits debtor records in Backend Admin, which is not bound by these stage rules, although the backend checks on jurisdiction and debtor type changes still apply.
Once a case reaches Leads Quote Given, no debtor fields can be edited through the portals. For corrections at that stage the client closes the case and recreates it.
For cases that are Active, Paused, or in Needs Additional Details, the client cannot edit the debtor. The client uses the case chat to ask the collection partner, who can correct the debtor's name, contact details, address and debtor type from the partner portal as long as the partner remains eligible for the corrected type. Country and jurisdiction stay read-only.
High-impact field changes
Three types of changes have significant side effects, because they touch the parameters used to match a case with a collection partner.
Jurisdiction changes
Changing the debtor's jurisdiction triggers automatic partner re-matching for all cases still in validation. This change is blocked if any case is already assigned to a partner (Active, Paused, Leads, or similar). The platform also verifies that collection partners are available in the new jurisdiction and that a signed Power of Attorney (PoA) exists with the new partner.
If a PoA with the new partner has not yet been signed, the change is not a dead end: the refusal links the client to the PoA signing flow. See How to edit debtor information and claim details for the client-facing flow.
Debtor type changes (Company to Private or vice versa)
Debtor type changes follow different rules from jurisdiction changes. Once a case has been assigned to a collection partner (beyond the earliest validation stage), a type correction no longer reroutes the case to a different partner. The platform instead checks whether the currently assigned partner still qualifies for the corrected type given the case's unchanged jurisdiction, amount and currency. If the partner qualifies, the debtor type is updated and the same partner keeps the case. If the partner does not qualify, the change is rejected with an explanatory error and the case stays with its current partner and its current type - it is never moved to someone else automatically. These rules describe the platform. On an assigned open case (Active, Paused or Needs Additional Details), the correction is made by the collection partner from the partner portal or by Debitura in Backend Admin; the client portal does not offer it. Only cases still in the earliest validation stage (Pending Contract Signing or Debitura's internal review), before the collection partner starts reviewing the case, can be rerouted to a different eligible partner; those reroutes follow the same signed PoA requirement as jurisdiction changes, unless the case is managed by a partner.
Currency changes
Currency can only be changed if the debtor has at most one active case. It is blocked when the debtor has two or more cases, because currency is tied to case grouping. Currency changes do not currently trigger partner re-matching.
Relationship between debtors and cases
Each case has exactly one debtor record. Multiple cases against the same real-world party each have their own separate debtor entry. The debtor's jurisdiction, type, and currency are among the four core parameters the platform uses to match the case with a collection partner (alongside the claim amount).
Audit trail
All changes to debtor fields are recorded. Each update captures the previous value, the new value, who made the change (Client, Collection Partner, or Debitura), and which field was changed.
Impact by actor
Client:
Creates debtor records as part of case submission.
Can edit basic debtor fields while a case is in early lifecycle stages (up to Leads).
Can change the debtor type and country only while the case is in Pending Contract Signing or Debitura's internal review. Cannot edit the debtor or the amounts once a partner is working the case (Active, Paused, Needs Additional Details), and requests changes via case chat instead. At Leads Quote Given, no debtor fields are editable and the client closes the case and recreates it for corrections.
Collection Partner:
Receives case assignments based in part on the debtor's jurisdiction and type.
May be re-assigned if the client changes the country (jurisdiction) or the debtor type while the case is still in Pending Contract Signing or Debitura's internal review. A type correction on a case already assigned to the partner never moves it to another partner.
Can be contacted via case chat if the client needs debtor information updated on a case that is already active, and can correct the debtor's name, contact details, address and debtor type on Active, Paused and Needs Additional Details cases.
Debitura:
Validates debtor data during the internal verification stage.
Enforces editing restrictions based on case lifecycle state.
Re-matches a case to a new partner when the jurisdiction changes, or when a debtor type correction is made while the case is still in Pending Contract Signing or internal review. Type corrections on assigned cases are validated against the current partner instead.
Where to find debtor information in the platform
Clients can view and edit debtor details by opening a case from the Cases list. Debtor information is displayed on the case detail page.