How Debitura assigns a collection partner to a case

What it is

Case routing is the process by which Debitura assigns a collection partner to a newly created case. The platform evaluates routing rules in a fixed priority order. The first matching rule determines the partner assignment. If no rule matches, the case enters the legal network for competitive bidding.

Why it matters

Partner assignment determines who handles the debt collection, under which pricing model, and how quickly work begins. For clients, routing affects which partner receives the case and whether standard or custom pricing applies. For collection partners, routing determines which cases arrive in their queue. For referral partners, carveout agreements can direct cases from their referred clients to a specific partner.

How it works

The routing pipeline evaluates five mechanisms in strict priority order. The first match wins.

Priority 1: API override

If a case is created via the API with an explicit partner identifier, that partner is assigned directly. This bypasses all other routing logic and is used by programmatic integrations that require per-case partner control.

Developer Docs: Developers integrating via the API can specify a partner directly during case creation. See Developer Docs: Create a case.

Priority 2: Client partner override

The platform checks whether the client has configured a geographic override for the case's country or jurisdiction. If an override exists, the specified partner is assigned regardless of standard matching rules. The most specific geographic match wins: the system checks jurisdiction first, then country, then global (no geography specified).

A Power of Attorney (PoA) between the client and the override partner is still required. If the override partner is inactive or missing, case creation fails immediately so the misconfiguration can be corrected.

Priority 3: Referral partner carveout

If no client override matches, the system checks whether the client belongs to a referral partner that holds an active jurisdiction pricing carveout for the debtor's country. If so, the case routes directly to the carveout partner, bypassing standard matching entirely.

Priority 4: Lead agent matching

If neither override nor carveout applies, the system evaluates lead agent rules to find eligible exclusive partners. Each exclusive partner’s lead agent defines conditions that a case must satisfy, based on four core matching parameters. Lead agent rules can also include claim type and dispute status conditions.

Parameter	Purpose
Jurisdiction	Geographic location of the debtor
Claim amount	Total amount to be collected (converted to USD for comparison)
Currency	Currency of the claim
Debtor type	Company (B2B) or private individual (B2C)

Conditions within a single rule are combined with AND logic (all must match). Multiple rules per lead agent are combined with OR logic (any rule can match).

If exactly one partner matches, the case is assigned to that partner. If two or more partners match, the platform uses a stickiness and distribution mechanism: it first checks whether the client is already pinned to a specific partner for this market. If the pinned partner is still eligible, the case goes to them. If not (or if no pin exists), the system checks whether an active distribution panel is configured for the market. If a panel exists, the deficit engine assigns the client to the partner furthest below its 30-day rolling target share and creates a new stickiness record for future cases. If no panel exists, the first eligible partner is used.

For details on how jurisdictions and geographic coverage work, see Countries, jurisdictions, and coverage.

Priority 5: Network lead (no match)

If no lead agent matches, the case becomes a lead distributed to Debitura's legal network. Multiple partners can submit competitive quotes, and the client selects the winning offer. For more on what clients experience in this scenario, see What happens when no local partner is available.

What the client sees during case creation

When a client creates a case through the platform, the routing pipeline runs in real time. Before the client submits the case, a preview displays which collection partner will handle it. This preview uses the same routing logic as actual case creation, ensuring the displayed partner matches the one ultimately assigned.

If a matching partner is found, the case proceeds under standard pricing terms defined in the Standard Debt Collection Agreement (SDCA).

If no matching partner is available, the platform shows a message explaining that no local partner offers standard No Cure, No Pay rates for that jurisdiction. The client can still submit the case, which then enters the legal network for competitive quotes from vetted partners.

Impact by actor

Client

The routing pipeline determines which collection partner handles the client's case and under which pricing model (standard or custom).
Clients with a configured partner override can direct cases in specific geographies to a preferred partner.
If no partner is available, the client receives competitive quotes from the legal network instead of an automatic assignment.

Collection Partner

Exclusive partners receive automatic case assignments through lead agent matching. They must accept all valid cases unless a conflict of interest exists.
Legal network partners receive lead notifications and submit competitive quotes when no exclusive partner matches or when an exclusive partner declines.
Partners cannot influence the routing decision directly. Assignment is determined by the platform based on configured rules.

Referral Partner

If a referral partner holds an active jurisdiction pricing carveout, cases from their referred clients in that country route to the carveout partner.
Referral partner carveouts override standard lead agent matching.

Debitura

Debitura maintains the routing pipeline, lead agent configurations, and distribution panels.
The platform records every routing decision in an audit trail, capturing which mechanism assigned each case and why.