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1. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA): Some Quick Tips to Avoid Problems Collecting in Today's Troubled Economy
   By Steven A. Harms
   The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) is a key federal law which applies to debt collections. Since it is a federal law, it is applicable in all 50 states. However, there are two primary provisions: it only applies to consumer collections, not commercial collections and the law only applies to third party debt collectors, not individuals or businesses collecting their own debts. Some credit grantors believe that it is cost effective if they set up an internal collection agency within their company. . . . keep reading
   
   
2. The Preventive Management System of Collections
   "If you can identify the specific collector skill performance levels prior to the end results, you can change the end results before they occur," says . . . keep reading
   
   
3. Telephone Collections: 10 Do's and Don'ts
   By Fred Strano
   There's more to telephone collections than getting in touch with the debtor and saying, "Show me the money!" Experienced collectors know that successful telephone collections is a skill that requires a positive attitude and careful preparation. Here are 10 important Do's and Don'ts that can help you become more effective when you pick up that phone to call a customer that owes your company money. . . . keep reading
   
   
4. Regulating Commercial Debt Collection
   By Loral Narayanan, May 26, 2010
   Clients and prospects often ask us about ABC-Amega's adherence to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Until we explain further, they're surprised when we tell them that we aren't regulated by the FDCPA. It isn't that ABC-Amega takes a cavalier attitude concerning legislation geared toward maintaining high standards within the collections industry. Quite the contrary, our core values center around the kinds of practices such legislation promotes. . . . keep reading
   
   
5. The Art of Negotiation: Collecting Via the Telephone
   By Joseph M. Jackson, CCE
   All the principles of successful negotiating apply equally for both in-person and telephone negotiations. The telephone is a delicate tool to use in r . . . keep reading
   
   
6. Dr. Collection: When Opportunity Knocks, Just Collect Yourself
   Dear Dr. Collection, I've been a credit assistant for the past two years. Yesterday, the credit manager said that she was really impressed with my . . . keep reading
   
   
7. Training Collectors to Take a Customer-Service Approach
   "When I first started out in collections, we were taught to have a "tough guy" attitude," recalls one veteran collector. "The delinquent customer was a deadbeat, and whether the person was one month or six months late, we came down hard. It wasn't uncommon to say 'I need you to pay your past-due amount today or I'll start legal proceedings and mean it!" But today, it's different.
   • Important factors (beyond the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act) why collectors today must have a different attitude when collecting than in years past. In this article you'll learn:
   • Several good reasons to treat your overdue accounts with a light touch
   • Specific training ideas to help collection staff make the transition from "old school" to a less confrontational approach
   . . . keep reading
   
   
8. Requirements for Debt Collection in the United States
   By Robert M. Tharnish
   The following article originally appeared in the April 2010 issue of ABC-Amega's free client newsleter, "Credit-to-Cash Advisor". Collecting a cre . . . keep reading
   
   
9. Women and Evaporating Credit Histories
   Each year, some women still find themselves being discriminated against when seeking credit under their own names. There are two federal laws in place . . . keep reading
   
   
10. Nine Building Blocks to a Successful Negotiation
    Richard Macias
    1. Leverage Both sides must want something or else there is no point to be negotiated. Usually one side needs the bargain more than the other. The difference in this wants/needs equation is leverage. You may not have leverage, but you don't need to be at a disadvantage. The key is in your preparation. . . . keep reading
    
    
11. Credit Reporting and Bankruptcy: Is Your Post-Discharge Credit Reporting Inviting Trouble?
    November 15, 2010, By Diane P. Furr & Lisa Sumner
    In difficult economic times, debtors' attorneys closely review credit reports looking for potential legal claims against creditors. Long after a debtor has been discharged from bankruptcy, creditors can find themselves defending claims of improper credit reporting. A recent case from the Eastern District of North Carolina illustrates the trouble facing creditors who furnish incorrect reports of discharged debt. See In re Adams (Bankr. E.D.N.C. 2010). . . . keep reading
    
    
12. Effective Collection Practices
    by Darrel Hewson
    In today's difficult business environment, having an effective collection strategy in place is imperative to having a short DSO and healthy cash fl ow. Building this foundation is the fundamental challenge many companies are faced with as there are multiple facets to building a strong and robust collection strategy. These range from credit controls, contact matrices, dispute management processes, and Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to policies covering the nature and process of escalating payment demands. . . . keep reading
    
    
13. Banks Can Freeze Bankrupt Consumers' Accounts
    The U.S. Supreme Court has given banks permission to freeze the accounts of bankrupt customers who have defaulted on loans made by the banks. The case . . . keep reading
    
    
14. Managing an Uncooperative Account - Ten Common Mistakes You'll Want to Avoid
    Five years into a generally satisfactory relationship with one customer, the payments flow began to slow down for a credit manager we spoke with a whi . . . keep reading
    
    
15. You Can't Collect? Then What?
    If you are unable to collect a past due on your own, you basically have four choices: Write it off. Take it to small claims court. Send it to a c . . . keep reading
    
    
16. Industry ARM leader Coface joins alliance with DebtWatcher
    May 10, 2010
    Gibbsboro, NJ -- DebtWatcher, an innovative Internet based interactive debt-search and alert system announced today that Coface Collections North Amer . . . keep reading
    
    
17. Commercial Collection Agency Association Members Continue to Report a Decline in B2B Accounts For Collection
    October 28, 2010
    In the third quarter of 2010, Commercial Collection Agency Association (CCAA) members reported a decline in the dollar amount of B2B accounts they received for collection of 16.5%, when the third quarter of 2010 is compared to the same quarter in 2009. . . . keep reading
    
    
18. Negotiate Better Collection Deals Now - The Five Pillars of Succesful Negotiations
    Barry Elms
    If you make a collection call with compromise high on your agenda, chances are that you will compromise far too soon and end up conceding far too much . . . keep reading
    
    
19. Top Collection Agency Reveals Strategies With Collectors: Hiring, Training & Operational Tips
    "When I advertise for collectors, I always include that this office uses a predictive dialer," says Bernie Donoghue, collection manager of Dun & Brads . . . keep reading
    
    
20. Aggressive Collections Net Impressive Results
    Less than two accounts per thousand ever become bad debts at Thermo-Industries, Inc. (Raleigh, North Carolina), and Credit Manager John Clark, CCE, an . . . keep reading
    
    

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