Our history

Ultimoo is the successor to more than a century of Dutch debt collection history. The company you know today is the result of several mergers and acquisitions, through which five respected credit management organisations — including Plaggemars Incasso (founded in the early 20th century), CBMK, Graydon Incasso and Vesting Finance — came together in a single nationwide player.

This page sets out that history chronologically: the companies that preceded Ultimoo, the people who built them and the mergers that led to the company as it continues from 1 July 2026 onwards.

A brief overview of our milestones

• Oldest predecessor: Plaggemars Incasso, based in Almelo since the early 20th century.
• Founding of Ultimoo: 1997 (then trading as Alec Burlington).
• Name change to Ultimoo: 2008.
• Most recent mergers: CBMK and Plaggemars Incasso (2026).
• Offices: Woerden and Eindhoven.

The oldest debt collection agency in the Netherlands

The oldest branch of what is Ultimoo today emerged more than a hundred years ago in the east of the Netherlands. In Almelo, in the early 20th century, the foundations were laid for what would later become Plaggemars Incasso. In the decades that followed, the family business first established itself in Amsterdam and then moved to Baarn, centrally located in the Netherlands, in 1977. Since 2004, Plaggemars Incasso has operated from a modern office environment in Baarn, with its own legal department and a client base that includes major names such as Mediahuis, Wolters Kluwer, Springer and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

What characterised Plaggemars was a deliberate focus on the amicable stage of debt collection: resolving claims wherever possible without court proceedings. That philosophy (“striking the right tone”) carries through directly into the way Ultimoo works today.

Plaggemars held the NVI Incasso Keurmerk, the Dutch industry quality mark for debt collection, is listed in the Justis Debt Collection Register (Justis reference 00061) and will be fully integrated into Ultimoo on 1 July 2026.

The origins of Ultimoo 

The branch that would ultimately provide the brand name and the legal entity of today’s Ultimoo began in 1997 under the name Alec Burlington. That name was no coincidence: in the era of printed telephone directories, a name beginning with “A” appeared at the top of the list. A classic example of the commercial creativity that would characterise the company from day one.

In 2006 the company obtained the NVI Incassokeurmerk, which set apart those agencies working to industry standards from the rest of the market. Two years later, in 2008, the name was changed to Ultimoo Incasso — a name that refers to “ultimo”, the payment term falling at the end of the month.

From that point on, Ultimoo Incasso grew into one of the larger Dutch players, partly through organic growth and partly through a series of strategic acquisitions.

Acquisitions build a strong brand

Between 2010 and 2026, Ultimoo acquired or integrated a range of debt collection and credit management organisations. Each of these parties brought its own expertise, client portfolio or geographical presence, all of which helped shape Ultimoo’s current range of services.

Graydon Incasso
Graydon is best known as a leading supplier of credit information in the Benelux. Graydon’s debt collection arm was integrated into Ultimoo, making data-driven risk assessment — a Graydon hallmark — a structural part of the Ultimoo approach.

Vesting Finance
For decades, Vesting Finance was a prominent name in the Dutch credit management landscape, with strong positions in the business market. Vesting Finance’s debt collection activities were transferred to Ultimoo, strengthening the B2B portfolio in particular.

Salvors
Salvors brought specific expertise in complex and long-running collection cases, with a strong legal component.

CBMK (CollactiveBMK)
CBMK, in full CollactiveBMK Incasso B.V., was itself the product of a merger between BMK Credit Management, a family business, and Collactive Credit Management, which in turn was an independent continuation of De Lage Landen Incasso and Rabobank. CBMK established itself in Eindhoven and grew into an organisation with 55 professionals and more than 1,600 clients across sectors ranging from SMEs and large corporates to automotive, housing associations and healthcare.

What CBMK adds to Ultimoo is broad expertise across the entire order-to-cash process: from creditworthiness assessment and prevention (through CollactiveBMK Preventie B.V.) to amicable and judicial collection. CBMK held the NVI quality mark and an AFM licence, and contributed the Eindhoven office to Ultimoo’s nationwide coverage.

RIB Incasso
RIB Incasso, the Regionaal Incasso Bureau, had a strong regional client base and was integrated into Ultimoo, with existing relationships continuing under the new brand name.

Van Hoek & Partners
Van Hoek & Partners is a specialist credit management firm combining both legal and commercial collection expertise. Its integration into Ultimoo brought that combination under one roof.

VMP Partners
VMP is a leading credit management company in the field of international debt collection. As a preferred supplier to international player EOS, this division forms Ultimoo’s experienced cross-border centre. With the addition of VMP, collection abroad holds no more secrets for the organisation either.

Plaggemars Incasso
The most recent and, at the same time, historically most significant merger is the one with Plaggemars Incasso. On 1 July 2026, the century-old family business from Baarn will be fully absorbed into Ultimoo. This brings the longest continuously operating Dutch collection specialist under one roof with the most technologically driven player of today.

The new Ultimoo

In 2026, the company formally shortened its name from Ultimoo Incasso to Ultimoo. The reason lies in the broadening of its service offering: where the company was until recently identified primarily with classic debt collection, Ultimoo today offers a wide range of credit management services — from prevention and accounts receivable management to judicial collection and international claims.

Alongside the merger on 1 July 2026, all former brand names (Plaggemars, CBMK and others) were absorbed into Ultimoo’s new brand architecture, with incasso.nl serving as the commercial SME channel and ultimoo.nl as the corporate site and debtor portal.

Involved in the legislation

Beyond its commercial and organisational history, Ultimoo has also played a part in the development of the Dutch debt collection market as a whole. The company was closely involved in the drafting of the Wet kwaliteit incassodienstverlening (Wki), the Dutch Debt Collection Services (Quality) Act, which came into force on 1 April 2024 and gave the quality, transparency and accountability of debt collection service providers a statutory basis.

That involvement — contributing substantive thinking to the legislator on industry quality — is one of the reasons why the then Minister for Legal Protection, Franc Weerwind, paid a working visit to Ultimoo’s head office.

What 100 years of Dutch debt collection history means today

The question that is often asked: why should history matter in credit management? The answer lies in three points that Ultimoo’s history bears out in practice:

1. Experience across economic cycles
An organisation that has weathered crises, legislative change, digitalisation and shifts in behaviour has developed methods that other approaches lack. Ultimoo’s collection rates reflect that accumulated expertise.

2. Reliability as a custodian of third-party funds
Debt collection agencies manage third-party funds: money belonging to the client, not to the agency itself. Historical continuity and legal diligence are decisive here. All of Ultimoo’s predecessors worked with their own dedicated foundations for third-party fund management, in line with statutory requirements.

3. Client relationships spanning generations
A number of clients have been working with Ultimoo (or its predecessors) for more than 25 years. These long-running relationships offer a unique view of changing debtor behaviour, of how sensitive each sector is to the economic cycle, and of what does and does not work in retaining customers during collection.

Frequently asked questions about the history of Ultimoo

Below you will find answers to a number of frequently asked questions about Ultimoo.

When was Ultimoo founded?

Ultimoo itself was founded in 1997 under the name Alec Burlington and adopted its current name in 2008. The organisation is, however, the continuation of several debt collection agencies, the oldest of which is Plaggemars Incasso, with roots in Almelo in the early 20th century.

Does Plaggemars Incasso still exist?

No. On 29 July 2026, Plaggemars Incasso was fully absorbed into Ultimoo. All existing relationships and case files were transferred to Ultimoo with continuity of service. For current Plaggemars debtors: from 1 July 2026, the plaggemars.nl website redirects to the relevant pages on ultimoo.nl.

What happened to CBMK?

CBMK (CollactiveBMK Incasso B.V.) was integrated into Ultimoo on 1 July 2026. The Eindhoven office remains open under the Ultimoo brand name. Existing CBMK clients have been informed about the continuity of service.

Which companies have been absorbed into Ultimoo?

The main integrated companies are: Alec Burlington (the original name), Graydon Incasso, Vesting Finance, CBMK (which itself grew out of BMK Credit Management, Collactive Credit Management, De Lage Landen Incasso and Rabobank), Salvors, RIB Incasso, Van Hoek & Partners, VMP Partners and Plaggemars Incasso.

Is Ultimoo a family business?

The organisation carries strong family-business DNA from several of the parties it acquired. Plaggemars Incasso was run as a family business for more than a hundred years, and BMK Credit Management (part of CBMK) likewise had a family character. Ultimoo itself is currently a private limited company (besloten vennootschap).

Why has the company been called simply “Ultimoo” since 2026, rather than “Ultimoo Incasso”?

The shortened name reflects the broadening of the service offering. Alongside classic debt collection, Ultimoo now also provides prevention, accounts receivable management, credit management, judicial collection and international claims. The name “Incasso” no longer covered that full breadth.