Collections & Credit Risk articles from May 2008

Collections & Credit Risk archives from May 2008

Save Us, Uncle Sam.(financial regulation of housing market)
May 1, 2008... Two critical barometers of the U.S. housing market worsened in recent months. First came the news that American homes entering foreclosure rose to the highest level on record. Then, a report that homeowners' share of equity in their homes sunk...

FTC: FDCPA Complaints Rose 2.4% Last Year.(Federal Trade Commission)(Fair Debt Collection Practices Act)(Statistical data)
May 1, 2008... Consumers lodged 70,951 complaints of violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act by third-party debt collectors last year, 2.4% more than the 69,249 complaints received during 2006, according to the Federal Trade Commission's annual...

Large Lenders Drop Student Loans.
May 1, 2008... As many schools eliminate student loans or replace them with grants, several lenders are finding it hard just to stay in the game. During the same week in March, HSBC Bank USA, M&T Bank Corp., both of Buffalo, N.Y., and Wayzata, Minn.-based...

Risk Case Study: BofA.
May 1, 2008... Bank of America's credit card unit plans to eventually share account data across all business units to help identify red flags before a customer becomes delinquent and extends the behavior to other bank accounts. Currently, the bank's...

Bad Debt Woes Continue.
May 1, 2008... While overall hospital industry performance should stabilize this year, bad debt expenses will keep pressuring the sector, according to a report from Fitch Ratings. Bad debt expenses last year for seven hospital operators examined by...

The Crackdown on Credit Counseling: The tax-exempt status of dozens of credit counseling agencies could be revoked as a result of Internal Revenue Service audits. What's the problem?
May 1, 2008... Traditionally a beacon of hope for debtors, the credit counseling industry is under federal scrutiny thanks to increasing reports of abuse and ongoing consumer complaints. The Internal Revenue Service, which grants the coveted tax-exempt...

Economic Storms and the Elements of "Risk": With the deteriorating economy threatening a tide of delinquencies, how can creditors survive?
May 1, 2008... With the confluence of plummeting housing values, the credit crunch, rising oil prices and core inflation dragging the economy into uncharted territory, lenders are reevaluating whether existing analytical models used to predict risk and...

How Nimble Are You?
May 1, 2008... Get ready to update the customer lists. As serious trouble roils the financial markets in wake of the mortgage mess, a wave of bank mergers seems more and more likely. The recent near collapse of investment bank Bear Stearns punctuated the...

Looking Out for Number 10, 11, 12 ...: Mapes Consulting wants to help smaller collection agencies and institutions gain a competitive edge.(Company overview)
May 1, 2008... Jeremy Mapes has a Clearly defined plan for his young consulting firm: be a champion for the little guy. Mapes Consulting specializes in helping collection agencies, hospitals and financial institutions improve IT and workflow operations -...

The Evolution of The Physical Dialer: Dialer technology is at risk of becoming a liability despite serving as the heart of collections for years.
May 1, 2008... While dialers offer Key productivity gains for agents, the legacy systems behind them can require complex networking, significant IT support and high costs to acquire and maintain. The result: large capital costs that can force call center...

Advertising and Service Contacts for Collections & Credit Risk and Credit & Collections World.(Directory)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Advertising Associate Publisher Brenda Schultheis 550 West Van Buren, Suite 1100 Chicago, Illinois 60607 Brenda.Schultheissourcemedia.com (847) 251-1588 Fax: (847) 251-0887 Advertising Sales Manager ...