FORM 4 Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

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(Print or Type Responses)

1. Name and Address of Reporting Person * Masih Ashish   2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP INC [ECPG] 5. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable) _____ Director _____ 10% Owner __X__ Officer (give title below) _____ Other (specify below) EVP, President MCM (Last) (First) (Middle) 3111 CAMINO DEL RIO NORTH, SUITE 103 3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year) 03/09/2017 (Street) SAN DIEGO, CA 92108 4. If Amendment, Date Original Filed(Month/Day/Year) 6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing(Check Applicable Line) _X_ Form filed by One Reporting Person ___ Form filed by More than One Reporting Person (City) (State) (Zip) Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned

1.Title of Security (Instr. 3) 2. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year) 2A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year) 3. Transaction Code (Instr. 8) 4. Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5) 5. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 3 and 4) 6. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4) 7. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4) Code V Amount (A) or (D) Price Common Stock 03/09/2017   A   9,693 (1) A $ 0 88,590 D   Common Stock 03/09/2017   F(2)   2,958 D $ 30.95 85,632 D

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Table II - Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
(e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)

1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 3)

2. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security

3. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)

3A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)

4. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)

5. Number of Derivative Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4, and 5)

6. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year)

7. Title and Amount of Underlying Securities (Instr. 3 and 4)

8. Price of Derivative Security (Instr. 5)

9. Number of Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 4)

10. Ownership Form of Derivative Security: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)

11. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)

Code

V

(A)

(D)

Date Exercisable

Expiration Date

Title

Amount or Number of Shares

Employee Stock Option (right to buy)

$ 30.95

03/09/2017

A

26,285

(3)

03/09/2024

Common Stock

26,285

$ 0

26,285

D

Reporting Owners

Reporting Owner Name / Address	Relationships
	Director	10% Owner	Officer	Other
Masih Ashish 3111 CAMINO DEL RIO NORTH, SUITE 103 SAN DIEGO, CA 92108			EVP, President MCM

Signatures

/s/ Greg Call, Attorney-in-Fact for Ashish Masih		03/13/2017
**Signature of Reporting Person		Date

Explanation of Responses:

*	If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4(b)(v).
**	Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations. See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
(1)	Grant to the reporting person on March 9, 2017 of restricted stock awards ("RSAs") under the Encore Capital Group, Inc. 2013 Incentive Compensation Plan. The RSAs are subject to vesting and vest in annual installments over a three-year period, with one-third vesting on March 9, 2018, one-third vesting on March 9, 2019, and the remaining one-third vesting on March 9, 2020.
(2)	Disposal relates to the withholding of securities for the payment of the tax liability incident to the vesting of stock awards.
(3)	The option vests and becomes exercisable, if at all, in installments over a three-year period, with one-third vesting on March 9, 2018, one-third vesting on March 9, 2019 and the remaining one-third vesting on March 9, 2020, but only if and when the 20 trading day average of the NASDAQ-reported closing price per share of the Company's common stock (subject to certain adjustments) exceeds $38.6875 per share.

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