Collector

State Collection Service Earns Honor From Wisconsin Bbb

We are humbled and honored to receive this prestigious award," said Tom Haag, IFCCE, State Collection Service president and ACA past president. "It is a culmination of our staff's commitment to our goals of service, integrity and results. It also speaks well of our Professional Practices Management System certification.

Conserve Named to Rochester's Top 100 List

"We are truly honored to receive the Top 100 ranking from the Rochester Business Alliance and the accounting firm of KPMG," said Mark E. Davitt, IFCCE, MCE, president of ConServe. "This recognition demonstrates our employees' ongoing commitment to not only meeting, but exceeding our clients' service and performance expectations."

Weathering the Storm

"For instance, one consumer may respond best to a text and then a voicemail message, while another would do better with a phone call followed by an e-mail," [Matt Edmunds] said. "I don't think agencies are getting this sophisticated yet, but it's coming. A lot of the first-party companies are already using that, so it's only a matter of time before it shows up in the third-party market." "The current financial crisis has put us in a position where a debt buyer who might want to buy something,...

The Speed of Automation

"Traditionally, collection agencies have limited consumer payment options to cash, cashier's checks and money orders," said Bonnie Finley, vice president of specialized sales for the collection industry at EFT Network in Hawthorne, N.Y. "The emergence of electronic payment technologies has helped payment processing companies assist agencies in providing a variety of electronic payment options to consumers-simplifying their payment process while dramatically increasing recovery rates and proce...

Campus Aca

Individuals who achieve certificates have demonstrated their knowledge of productive and compliant procedures. Certificates are earned by those individuals who have completed prescribed coursework and have passed the final exam. All specialists receive a certificate and publication of their names in Collector magazine.

President's Page

How's Business?

To that end, one of ACAs initiatives is the Collector's Pledge. Based on the Birmingham Pledge, which was originally designed to promote racial understanding in Birmingham, Aa., and spearheaded by native son and Executive Committee member Martin Sher, we are encouraging all member agencies and their employees to sign and commit to the Collector's Pledge. We will be talking more about it in the future, but it is our intention to share this with everyone, particularly those who affect our indus...

Member News

Csi Group Receives Best of Oklahoma City Award

USLBA is a Washington, D.C.-based organization funded by local businesses operating in towns across America. The purpose of USLBA is to promote local business through public relations, marketing and advertising. The 2008 USLBA Award Program focused on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered by the USLBA and third parties.

News Briefs

Consumers Feel Growing Debt Strain

The survey showed U.S. credit card users are struggling under a burden of high credit card balances. One in five individuals surveyed indicate they are "sometimes" (14 percent) or "always" (6 percent) unable to pay their credit card and/or loan(s) balances each month. An additional 8 percent can only make the minimum payment required and another 8 percent either always or sometimes pay less than the minimum.

Economy Puts Healthcare Pinch On Young Adults

While young adults indicate that they are in fact looking for ways to cut their medication costs, they are not as savvy when it comes to healthcare savings as their senior counterparts. According to the survey, 60 percent of adults age 25-34 say the economic downturn has made them more likely to consider ways to reduce medication costs. However, when asked what has prevented them from considering ways to save, one in five young adults said they don't know where to start, compared to only 3 pe...

Campus Aca

Technology and Security Crossroads

The increase of new communication technology used by both consumers and the credit and collection industry poses unquestionable and serious data security concerns. While collection agencies are developing ways to communicate with consumers, whether through e-mail or Web-based payment portals, the risks of identity theft similarly transform and adapt to those uses. Congress, federal agencies and state legislatures and regulators across the country have recognized that identity theft is a serio...

Training Products to Support Your Business

Taking advantage of Campus ACA's on-demand, self-paced training can save your organization time and money. GeoLearning's Web courses are available 24/7 through ACA and include a wide range of training, including business skills and professional development.

Time Capsule

Teen Beat

"Whether teenage credit will continue to boom or go bust in the next 10 years is hard to say," the article opined. "It depends on the economy and the decision on the part of the parents, teenage and creditor to the question: 'Is it worth it?'" "By offering credit accounts to the teen market, which by and large has worked satisfactorily, the retailer also has his eye on the teenager as a potential housewife or homeowner in just a few short years," the article noted. "But in spite of the profit...

Credit World

Understanding the Red Flag Rules

During a Campus ACA teleseminar, "Identity Theft Prevention: Evaluate Red Flag Rules," held Oct. 13, 2008, Valerie Hayes, Esq., ACAs vice president of legal and government affairs, discussed the elements of identity theft and how to implement an identity theft prevention program. Hayes was joined by Tornio Narita, Esq., founding partner of Simmonds & Narita LLP in San Francisco, and David Cherner, Esq., ACAs legislative director of state government affairs. When implementing an identity t...

Making Time

"Although I didn't intend to go into this industry, once I started and was doing well I set my sights on higher positions and continually advancing in my work," [Dawn Annis] said. "Although the economy has impacted consumer spending, many businesses and several other time-shares, we have been OK so far," Annis said. "In our collection efforts, we capitalize on the fact that people really need a vacation now more than ever and most owners are trying hard to keep up on payments. This is not to ...

Government Affairs

Political Gain

ACA and ACPAC would like to thank the ACA members who assisted with this tremendous, record-setting effort. If you would like to help, either by making a contribution to ACPAC or by meeting with your member of Congress, please contact ACA's Government Affairs Department at +1(952) 926-6547 or gov affairs@acainternational.org. Often this is done through ACPAC, ACA's political action committee. ACPAC was established in the 1970s to pool contributions from ACA members interested in supporting ca...

Up Front

Record Acpac Participation

During the 2007/08 election cycle, ACA members contributed $482,200, making this ACPACs most successful cycle. The record-setting participation included $398,300 in ACA member contributions made to ACPAC and $83,900 in contributions made directly to targeted candidates. More than 600 members contributed to ACPAC - another record number, representing a nearly 30 percent increase from the 2005/06 election cycle. This outpouring of support and commitment will positively impact ACAs government af...

Risk Management

The Role of a Registered Agent

Choosing a registered agent service is more than a statutory requirement-it's an essential business relationship. A reliable and experienced registered agent serves as a compliance partner and the first line of defense against risk. Beyond receiving and forwarding state notices and legal filings, a registered agent also performs other vital roles in assisting with regulatory compliance. * Business Continuity-In states where you are duly qualified to do business, maintaining "good standing" is...