Collections & Credit Risk articles from March 2004

Collections & Credit Risk archives from March 2004

Big Easy Confab: 8th Annual NCCR Conference Draws Near.
March 1, 2004... This year's National Collections & Credit Risk Conference returns to New Orleans, where we look forward to welcoming the many hundreds of credit grantors, collections firms, and solutions providers who will be gathering to discuss the leading...

Letters to the Editor.(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... Supply & Demand To the Editor: I voted no [regarding whether distressed debt prices will continue to rise], but not for the reason given. It is simple supply and demand. I believe, rightly or wrongly, that there will be a large amount...

Clarification.(Correction Notice)
March 1, 2004... Fairbanks Capital is not a wholly owned division of The PMI Group Inc., as reported in "Trouble on the Home Front" (CCR February), but The PMI Group is a majority shareholder of Fairbanks. Letters to the Editor Letters, which may be...

Survey Results.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Here's how visitors to Credit & Collections World, Collections & Credit Risk's website, voted on this month's Instant Survey: In the debt sales industry, pricing is always a hot topic. Most buyers, brokers, and sellers of distressed debt...

Credit Crunch Looming?
March 1, 2004... With consumer debt in the United States hovering at all-time highs and new reports from the American Bankers Association that 4.09% of all credit card accounts were delinquent in the third quarter 2003 - which is the highest rate on record -...

What's New?
March 1, 2004... Senex Partners With Hospital Group SENEX Services Corp. signs a three-year agreement with University HealthSystem Consortium, Oak Brook, Ill., to provide bad-debt purchasing services to UHC member hospitals and health centers. SENEX is a...

Chase, Bank One Merge.(Symtec Solutions LTD; J. P. Morgan Chase & Co.)
March 1, 2004... J. P. Morgan Chase & Co., New York, and Bank One Corp. are merging into a combined company with assets of $1.1 trillion. The company will have 2,300 branches in 17 states. The deal, approved by both boards of directors, includes a...

What's Next for Electronic Payments?: Cell phones, biometrics, prepaid cards - these and other new options are the wave of the payments future. But will all of them gain critical mass?
March 1, 2004... Looking back, it all makes sense. Thirty years ago, Americans began to use a little piece of plastic to make in-store purchases. Twenty years ago, personal computers started to make their way into homes. Ten years ago, mobile telephones began...

8th Annual National Collections & Credit Risk Conference.
March 1, 2004... We are delighted to welcome you - attendees, exhibitors, sponsors, and speakers - to the 8th Annual National Collections & Credit Risk Conference, "The Changing Credit Landscape: Advances in Risk Management and Collection Strategies," sponsored...

Keynote Speakers.(sun Trust Bank Inc.)(Calendar)
March 1, 2004... David Moffett, Vice Chairman & Chief Financial Officer, U.S.BANCORP David Moffett is Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer of the new U.S. Bancorp, formed by the 2001 merger of Firstar Corporation and U.S. Bancorp. He is responsible...

Exhibitors.(Illustration)
March 1, 2004... AACA 106 Aargon Collection Agency 108 Academy Collection Service 325 Accelerated Data Systems 318 ACCESS! Corp. 220 ...

How 2004 Is Shaping Up: Industry leaders see more competition, as well as increased demand for efficiency, ahead. Clients' desire for instant access and their security concerns are creating more pressure on margins. Is there a positive side to these challenges?
March 1, 2004... As the economy improves but new job creation remains sluggish, the credit and collections industry faces a host of challenges in 2004. Concerns are widespread about whether the year will bring improved placement and collectibility rates, or...

Debt-Buying Price Tricks: The key to success in the debt-sales industry is knowing how to price bad loans. Make a mistake and become the industry's next great vanishing act. How are buyers performing?(debt management)
March 1, 2004... Gung-ho debt buyers, often blinded by dreams of giant profit margins, have a bad habit of overpaying for debt and - sooner or later - vanishing. The trouble is, lofty margins disappeared a decade ago and financiers tend to seek fast results,...

FACTA Aftershock: Passage of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act late last year extended the federal preemptions for credit reporting. But it also produced some unanticipated consequences. The full effects are yet to be felt.
March 1, 2004... Last year, the financial services industry's top legislative priority was preservation of the national credit reporting system. Members lobbied hard for extension of federal preemptions in the Fair Credit Reporting Act that were about to...

Automated Dispute Resolution.(E-OSCAR)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The prospect of tens of millions of consumers simultaneously disputing information contained in their credit reports is a daunting one. Fortunately, however, the consumer data industry already has an automated system up and running, called...

Line Items Crucial to Call Center Success: When budgets need tightening, training and conferences are often the first to go. Yet they can spell the difference between an ordinary and a world-class operation.
March 1, 2004... Today's call center manager is faced with more challenges than ever before: stretching application systems to their limits, managing the vast array of communications technology, and dealing with agent turnover. Attempting to keep up with...

Better Connections: Affected by the consumer revolt against telemarketing, many collections operations are exploring new ways to reach and work with consumers. How is call center technology helping with their initiatives?
March 1, 2004... The unpopularity of telemarketers, as shown by last year's passing of the Federal Trade Commission's Do-Not-Call list, cast a pall over the entire call center industry. While collections agencies are not part of the FTC's regulations governing...

Call Centers and Predictive Dialers (Partial List).(Directory)
March 1, 2004... Company Advanced Call Center Technologies Access! Corp. AllianceOne Amcat APAC Customer Services Avaya Inc. Blue Pumpkin Call One Inc. Calltrol Corp. Castel Corp. CenterForce Technologies ...

The Long Winter of Low Rates: Despite statistically impressive economic growth indicators for nearly nine months, overall demand for capital and credit lags behind. As a result, interest rates remain low, and home equity lines of credit are enjoying phenomenal growth.
March 1, 2004... On January 23, 2004, Reuters reported that "Italy is also gripped by a cold snap, with the central city of L'Aquila recording minus 15 degrees Celsius overnight...and it even started snowing in Rome - a rare sight." Rare yes, but I've seen...

Classifieds.
March 1, 2004... Experienced Collectors, Collection Supervisors and Collection Managers wanted for amazing opportunity. Live, learn, teach and experience the hottest new collections market. Immerse yourself in the Asian Pacific culture in this exciting...