Collections & Credit Risk articles from July 2009

Collections & Credit Risk archives from July 2009

Looking Up In A Down Year; Reports of economic life signs are raising hopes that a recovery may come later this year. If that happens, collection agencies can expect liquidation rates to show marked gains by early 2010.(Cover Story)
July 1, 2009... Byline: Darren Waggoner The nation remains mired in a deep recession at midyear but many consumers, entrepreneurs and collection industry insiders are daring to dream amid scattered reports that economic conditions, while still...

Risk Redefined; In good times, companies managing loans had only the basics to consider. Minimal credit checks offered a good or bad risk reading. Now what?(Risk Management)
July 1, 2009... Byline: Dan Meder In an economic downturn, the way companies approach collections needs to be smarter and more sophisticated to yield a positive return. For savvy collection managers, it starts with understanding customers and identifying...

STATS.(News)
July 1, 2009... Auto Loans The national 60-day auto delinquency rate dropped slightly between the fourth quarter of last year and the first quarter of 2009, 0.83% from 0.86%. "The drop in the first quarter 60-day auto delinquency rate reflects more...

Q. With the financial system reeling amid calls for more laws, consumer protection likely will be at the forefront of any new legislation dealing with credit and collections. Do you expect more legislation in the coming months?(Letters)
July 1, 2009... So Much attention is paid to unscrupulous activities several organizations have engaged in, which many say caused the financial crisis that we are now facing. Up against that, government is scorned because they are bailing out the same...

Advanta Plan Rattles Card Paper Market.(News & Analysis)
July 1, 2009... Advanta Corp.'s recent decision to stop lending to account holders and let its securitization-funding vehicle unwind may shake the market for credit card-backed securities just as it started to rebound. The move, announced in mid-May,...

North Carolina Targets Debt Buyers.(News & Analysis)
July 1, 2009... North Carolina's Senate last month tackled what it believes is a loophole in consumer protection laws that left out companies that buy distressed consumer debt. The Senate voted unanimously to approve the Protections from Abusive Debt...

Checks Survive Electronic Age.(News & Analysis)
July 1, 2009... Many large companies are replacing business-to-business checks with faster, more-secure electronic payments. But convincing small to midsize firms to embrace the electronic age is slow-going. While channels for electronic payments have...

Industry News.(News & Analysis)
July 1, 2009... H.I.G. Capital LLC, a private investment firm, and Timothy Bauer announce the creation of Reprise Management Group, an accounts receivable management firm. The parties have retained Greenberg Advisors, Gaithersburg, Md., to facilitate ongoing...

Credit Crisis: The World View; Will a new focus on receivables management help the markets rebound?(Global)
July 1, 2009... Byline: Hans-Werner Scherer The economic story is familiar worldwide. The financial markets in developed countries - China, Russia, the United States and Germany, for example - are in the grip of a crisis. Each day there are reports...

Providers Embrace Scoring Models; Health care debt is expected to rise dramatically in the next few years as employer benefit plans require consumers to pay a larger share of their medical costs. How are providers responding?(Special Report)
July 1, 2009... Byline: Peter Lucas With the recession in high gear, more out-of-work consumers are bypassing health insurance to stretch their budgets. With unemployment reaching 8.9% in April, and projected to continue upward before calming, it's clear...