Collections & Credit Risk articles from December 2004

Collections & Credit Risk archives from December 2004

Mostly Optimistic Outlook for 2005.
December 1, 2004... The presidential and Congressional elections are over, but speculation about the economy and its impact on the credit and collections industry continues. But then December is the time of year when we traditionally look ahead and wonder what the...

Letters To The Editor.(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2004... Scams Unlimited To the Editor: I had to laugh when I read this article ["Help Needed to Stop Debtor Scams" [Oct. 22, 2004 news item on our website].When NCO Systems was nailed for $1.5 million by the FTC it corrected just the tip of...

Survey Results: Credit & Collections World.(consolidation loans for graduates)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Here's how visitors to Credit & Collections World, Collections & Credit Risk's website, voted on this month's Instant Survey: In reauthorizing the Higher Education Act, should Congress require that consolidation loans for graduates carry a...

Collectors Bid for IRS Work Moves Ahead.(Internal Revenue Service)
December 1, 2004... The credit and collections business scored a major victory in late October when President Bush signed a tax bill containing the Internal Revenue Service's collections outsourcing provision. Collections agencies now can contract with the...

What's New.(product introduction)
December 1, 2004... LiveCapital's Launch LiveCapital, a San Mateo, Calif.-based provider of credit management software, launches DecisionExpress - a product for managing business credit. DecisionExpress re-defines credit management software by combining...

Marlin Makes Record Debt Purchase.(Marlin Integrated Capital Holding Corp)(mergers and acquistions)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Marlin Integrated Capital Holding Corp.'s InoVision-Medclr Portfolio Group, Glen Falls, N.Y., made one of the largest purchases of distressed credit card debt in U.S. consumer debt history. The debt has a balance of more than $8.9 billion,...

Outsourcing: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly: IT outsourcing is a common practice for lenders and collections agencies hoping to gain a competitive edge. But without proper due diligence, the decision can be fraught with pitfalls.
December 1, 2004... In today's cost-conscious business climate, outsourcing of information technology infrastructure, applications, and support personnel is a hot and controversial topic. Lenders and collections agencies spend billions annually on...

Economic Outlook: Brighter Days Ahead: Collections continue to improve, but the economy still looks somewhat uncertain. Peering ahead, what's the forecast for 2005?
December 1, 2004... Credit executives are generally hopeful about the industry's prospects in the new year, despite some uneasiness about the overall economy. The most optimistic predictions now call for solid, but measured growth. At the same time, there is...

Bankruptcy's 20 Questions.(Interview )(Interview)
December 1, 2004... Credit managers everywhere groan when they think about bankruptcy. It's a long and expensive process, and fraught with unexpected twists and turns. For larger creditors, it makes sense to be on the creditors' committee and have direct input...

Training Programs: Key to Collections: Companies in the collections business face significant challenges. Putting solid employee training programs in place can help.
December 1, 2004... Current trends and economic conditions in the collections business are posing new challenges for agencies, debt buyers, legal firms, and credit grantors. Factors such as reduced fees, higher costs, lower recovery rates, greater...

Building Better Relationships: Good customer service is key in the B2B world. It helps retain customers and makes collecting accounts easier. How are new features in commercial collections software bridging the gap between CRM and collections?(customer relationship management, business-to-business)
December 1, 2004... Times have changed in the business-to-business collections world. No longer can a company operate its collections department in isolation from the rest of its operations. In today's world, it's all about integration. Due to the weak...

Commercial Collections Software Vendors.
December 1, 2004... Company Abacus Aceva Technologies ARCH Development Corp. CGI-AMS Chargeback Support Group C/LECT Consulting Inc. Columbia Ultimate Inc. Commercial Legal Software Comtech Systems CR Software ...

My Kingdom For a Policy: The lack of an energy policy, which leaves the country dependent on imported resources, has a direct impact on the U.S. position in the global credit market. Will the next administration address the problem?
December 1, 2004... Last month, I talked about the problems the next presidential administration faces. Since that article appeared I've seen numerous other articles pointing to the same dilemma facing President Bush in his next term. His next administration may...

Commercial Indices Up in Q3.(third quarter)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... For commercial credit grantors responding to the Credit Research Foundation's latest National Summary of Domestic Trade Receivables, key indicators in the third quarter of 2004 consistently improved compared to the same time a year earlier. ...