Collections & Credit Risk articles from October 2003

Collections & Credit Risk archives from October 2003

Card Issuers and Collectors Gathering.
October 1, 2003... It's hard to believe that October is here again - and with it the 12th annual Credit Card Collections Conference, chock full of important information presented by some of the industry's leading practitioners. This year's gathering in Orlando,...

Letters to the Editor.
October 1, 2003... Ill-Defined To the Editor: What is finally encompassed in the (do-not-call) regulation seems so gelatinous that it seems difficult to prepare for something as yet so ill-defined. Secondly, since I deal almost exclusively with...

Survey Results.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Here's how visitors to Credit & Collections World, Collections & Credit Risk's website, voted on this month's Instant Survey: Federal do-not-call regulations target the telemarketing industry, but some observers believe that specific...

HIPAA Deadline Nears.
October 1, 2003... Yet another HIPAA deadline looms for the medical community, one that could seriously impact cash flow for those who fail to comply by Oct. 16. The previous deadline concerned the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act's...

WHAT'S NEW?
October 1, 2003... FleetBoston, Diebold Unveil Check Solution FleetBoston teams with Diebold Inc. to unveil "Paycheck Anytime," the bank's check-cashing solution specifically designed to enhance customer service by automating the cashing of commercial...

Fiserv Buys Chase Firms.
October 1, 2003... Fiserv Inc. bought Chase Credit Research and Chase Credit Systems, companies offering credit-reporting services. The deal will add $25 million in annual processing revenues. Terms were not disclosed. Fiserv offers data management services to...

Collections Goes Online: Spurred by a desire to lower operating costs and more effectively reach computer savvy debtors, some collections agencies and creditors are taking a new route to recoveries via the Web.
October 1, 2003... There's no doubt the Internet has made it easier for creditors and lenders to extend credit and communicate with customers, now they're finding it's also a cost-effective collections tool. Indeed, the self-service aspect of Web collections...

Welcome.
October 1, 2003... We are delighted to welcome you - attendees, exhibitors, sponsors, and speakers - to the 12th Annual Credit Card Collections Conference, cosponsored by Collections & Credit Risk, our Credit & Collections World website, and sister Thomson Media...

Keynote Presenters.
October 1, 2003... Chaomei Chen is Vice Chairman of Credit and Collections at Providian Financial. Ms. Chen joined the Company in August 2002, and is responsible for developing opportunities and efficiencies within several areas, including credit policy, risk...

Conference Schedule.
October 1, 2003... Wednesday, October 15, 2003 3:00 PM Registration Opens Pre-Conference Workshop For principals only. Workshop fee is $145. Register one and get one free. Participants must be registered conference attendees. 2:00 PM - 5:00...

Exhibitors.(collection agencies)
October 1, 2003... A.A.C.A. 303 Aargon Collection Agency 119 Academy Collection Service 109 Accelerated Data Systems 614 ACCESS! Corporation 703 Account Solutions Group 415 Accounts Receivable 621Management...

The Credit Card Game: Knowing when to hold, fold, or reprice credit card accounts is key for issuers hedging their bets in a down economy.
October 1, 2003... Stakes are high in today's credit card game amid ugly unemployment numbers and the record debt that followed suit. When the economy tumbled more than two years ago, some issuers gambled consumers would keep spending yet still have enough money...

Turnaround Tactics: B2B creditors can help faltering customers by taking a leaf from the banking workout playbook: Call in the turnaround experts.
October 1, 2003... Credit managers have long found themselves limited to a few responsive actions when they find that a key customer is experiencing financial distress. Placing the troubled customer on credit hold, re-evaluating the customer's credit line, and...

NARCA'a 2003 Fall Collection Conference.(Calendar)
October 1, 2003... October 23 - 25 2003 Disney's Coronado Springs Resort Lake Buena Vista Florida Wednesday, October 22, 2003 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm NARCA Board of Directors Meeting (open to all NARCA members) 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm...

Tightening "de Mayo": The FTC's revised interpretation of first-party calls made by collections agency employees suggests these relationships should be reviewed and possibly restructured to minimize exposure to FDCPA complaints.
October 1, 2003... The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is probably the most important law regulating the collections agency business. While some state laws may be more restrictive, none are as comprehensive and far-reaching, or cause the specter of...

The Basel Beat Goes On: The deadline for implementing the Basel II accords, tightening international credit risk standards, looms. But concerns about unintended consequences for competition between large and small financial institutions abound. How will they be resolved?
October 1, 2003... David Schroeder, vice president and chief executive officer of American Enterprise Bank, a $180 million asset bank with branches in Buffalo Grove and Schaumburg, Ill., is aware of Basel II - a proposed set of complex rules designed to shore up...

Beating the Clock: To work smarter, follow these six steps to building a more efficient credit and collections operation.
October 1, 2003... In a business world fraught with mergers, layoffs, and budget cuts, uncertainty abounds. Credit and collections managers often ask: "What if these cuts hit my department? How can I do more with less?" As a result, the need for efficiency in...

Stacks and Stacks of Letters: Are lettershop and mailing services, the workhorses of the collections industry, plowing new fields?
October 1, 2003... Nowadays, it seems that everyone with a laser printer is opening up a collections lettershop. In the past few years, the number of businesses providing collections letter printing and mailing services has mushroomed, challenging more...

Lettershops & Mailing Services.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Company Acxiom Corp. Am-Pro Telemarketing & Mailing List Co. Associated Computers and Mailing Services Inc. CompuMail Inc. Cosgrove-Juro DANTOM Systems Inc. Datamatx Diversified Data & Communications DM...

Bye, Bye, American Refi: The economy benefited from record new mortgages and refinancing, which boosted household spending. But, as the refinancing bubble bursts, watch out for risks ahead.
October 1, 2003... It was nice while it lasted. But now it is time to say "bye-bye to American refi." Refinancing, which allows holders of mortgages and automobile loans to refinance their loans at lower rates and reduce monthly payments (and sometimes gain cash...

More Positive Signs.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Most of the key indices in The Credit Research Foundation's National Summary of Domestic Trade Receivables indicate continued improvement in B2B accounts receivable performance during the second quarter of 2003. The Collections Efficiency...