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Today In The Collections Industry

By Mallory Megan on Saturday, June 5th, 2010 | No Comments

The collections industry has grown quite large in the past couple of years. The reason for this is that collections and recoveries are typically outsourced business functions. It would be unthinkable for a creditor to try to handle retrieving debt from all of their accounts, so the creditors call upon the collections agencies.

But there seems to be a beginning of an enormous change taking place with the collections industry. The industry has grown to massive proportionas through the recession and seems giant. Rather than hire out more service providers, creditors are begining to lower the number of debt collection companies that they will work with, which requires the companies they originally hired to take on more accounts.The effects of this could change the way that the collections industry operates in a large way.

As the worst workers are removed from these collection networks, certain debt collection agencies are going to lose their most important clients. Creditors will also have less reason to work with companies that have a reputation for being inappropriate. The financial effects of this will cause these companies to suffer, and company value will also fall with some owners forced to sell their companies in distress.

As this happens, the most efficient performers will see a lot more potential job growth, less competition, greater leverage on contract terms, better revenues, and improved profitability.

Within the debt buying market, the same type of transference is also taking place. Instead of calling on more debt buyers, some creditors are lowering the number of companies they approach for selling the accounts.

Less functional, smaller debt buyers will experience less of a chance to buy from these issuers. Here again, a condensement within the primary debt sales market will increase. Recovery executives within credit businesses will be making the same kind of choice more and more, picking concentration within their vendor networks rather than diversification.

Rapid Recovery Solution is a medical collection agency. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

An Oldie But A Goodie- Fake Bill Collector Scheme

By Mallory Megan on Saturday, May 22nd, 2010 | No Comments

Although an oldie, apparently still a goodie. Enjoying a boost in popularity as of late, the fake debt collector scam still fools unknowing victims.

First, you will receive a phone call from a telephone number that will not be recognizable. At times, it will seem legitimate, but ultimately, not familiar. When you get the call, the person calling will tell you that they are a bill collector with so and so debt collection company, and that this is an attempt to collect debt. At times, the phonies have been known to claim that they are working in addition to a local lawyer to get your delinquent account settled. The conman will tell you that you have accumulated a large amount of debt from a previous account. Typically, the crooks will tell you that you potentially owe them thousands, but if you are willing to settle, they will “settle: for, oh say, five hundred dollars. And could you wire the money via Western Union?

An interesting hint of ingenuity on the part of the scam artists is that a good amount of times these calls will arrive on a late Friday evening, or afternoon. When they call at these times, any government offices that you may report this to will be shut and closed for the weekend.

On numerous occasions the phony debt collectors will be calling from outside of the United States. An example of this was a scam that made recent news involving a call center in India. Utilizing services in order to mask their numbers, call centers located outside of the country may even choose a number from an area code nearby to where you live.

If you have received a call from a debt collector that you feel may be a scam, it is imperative to remain vigilant. Ask your bill collector for a written statement of your debt. If they will not provide you with written proof, don’t fork out any money to this suspicious business. If you feel as though you may have been victimized by a phony bill collector scam, it is necessary to file a report with the Attorney General’s office in your state. It is important to collect as much information as you can to provide more details in your complaint.

Rapid Recovery Solution is a third party debt collection company. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

In A Time When Americans Are Going Without Health Insurance The Medical Debt Relief Act Is A Godsend

By Mallory Megan on Thursday, April 22nd, 2010 | No Comments

From 1999 to 2009, premium costs for family insurance have risen by one hundred and thirty one percent. Easily, that’s over three times the rate at which working wages rose during this time. In this time of economic hardship, millions of jobs have been lost, putting workers who just lost their jobs at risk of also living without health insurance. For those who remain employed, employers are pushing more of the costs of health insurance onto their workers as they struggle with economic uncertainty. Then there are blue collar and retail workers, waitresses and the like who are paid less, work harder and are not offered health insurance plans at their jobs. No wonder that Americans are struggling to pay their medical bills.

In 2007, about seventy two million Americans wrestled with their medical bills. A large portion of these people made paying off their medical bills their top priority, while they had to struggle to pay for basic necessities like heat, rent, or food. More than THIRTY MILLION American adults utilized ALL of their savings or BORROWED AGAINST THEIR HOMES in order to pay off medical bills. Unfortunately, in this time of economic hardship, many Americans could not stop the bill collector from knocking on their door.

Thirty million Americans are contacted every year by collection agencies for delinquent medical bills; many struggle to pay these. Many people are unclear as to why their insurance refused to pay a claim, others are confused about the amount they owe. Over half of people who took the survey reported that they were puzzled by the medical jargon on their bills, and one in four reported confusion led them to allow bills to go past the due date or to be sent to a collection agency.

A delinquent medical bill that gets sent to collections will typically be reported to credit bureaus. This will result in a lower credit score. Medical accounts, even those that have been paid off in full will stay on a credit report for up to seven years. This will result in lower credit scores and increases the costs of mortgages, car loans, or credit card interest.

Luckily, Ohio Congresswoman Kilroy saw the ramifications of medical bills that remain outstanding. She decided to take action because she saw medical debt as unique. She introduced The Medical Debt Relief Act, which says that medical debt that is fully paid off or settled must be removed from a consumer’s credit report within thirty days.

Even though this will not repair our chaotic healthcare system, it will offer relief for those who have paid off their medical debt, while the rest of us wait for more efficient health care reform.

Mallory Megan works for a debt collection agency. She also composes articles on business, finance, the credit industry and collection agencies. You can get a unique content version of this article from the Uber Article Directory.

What Is A Collection Company Allowed to Do?

By Mallory Megan on Thursday, March 25th, 2010 | No Comments

When does a collections agent over the phone cross over the line into harassment? Collection agencies are restricted from utilizing obscene language or threats of violence. However, they are allowed to insult your integrity and make you feel bad about the person you are.

Anecdotal stories that have surfaced are about collectors saying that a debt can’t be negotiated, settled or paid off more slowly. Bill collectors have been known to rudely demand when a debtor is going to pay, and then reject a debtors offer as not enough. This is not true or acceptable, as a consumer you always have the ability to negotiate.

Debt collectors work on commission which is why the persistent ones can be so aggressive and hostile. But the key point is that, despite that you may owe money to a creditor, you always have the right to be treated like a professional. Even though collectors are prohibited from calling third parties such as co-workers, friends and family to spread the word that you are in debt, collection agencies are allowed to contact people who may know where you are if they are trying to find you.

Debt collectors especially are banned from threatening you with jail time,it has become a common tactic used by unethical agencies to intimidate immigrant communities. Finance experts such as Michael J Koopmans agree it is because there is less of a chance that these people will know or understand the law.

A bill collector cannot call you repeatedly, which technically means that they can’t continuously call you over and over. Still, that doesn’t stop them from calling you two, three, even four times a day. With some companies, collectors are given a small number of accounts to work with purposely so that they can badger a consumer in debt into paying for their commission. To put a halt on collections phone calls, it is possible to send a letter by certified mail return receipt requested requesting that they no longer contact you over the phone.

Mallory Megan works for a debt collection agency. She also writes articles on business and finance, consumer spending and collection agencies. This and other unique content ‘central collection agency’ articles are available with free reprint rights.

Bankruptcy: Everything You Need To Know

By Mallory Megan on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 | No Comments

Bankruptcy is generally seen as a quick fix solution to financial problems. Yet the effects of bankruptcy are long term and can hinder your ability to get employment, house, and any type of credit. It is important to weigh the pros and the cons of bankruptcy before making a major choice.

Admittedly, bankruptcy comes with a number of benefits. First and foremost it annihilates most of your debt. It can aid you with missed debt payments, defaults, repossessions and lawsuits. If you have horrible credit, it can get you started on rehabilitation.

Bankruptcy will stop the phone calls from creditors, collections letters, repossessions, declined charge authorizations, cancelled credit cards, and lawsuits. You can also keep your vehicle if you keep up on the payment; additionally, bankruptcy will permit you to hold on to your house if you remain current on the payments.

Bankruptcy will let you exit foreclosure and pay monthly payments on past amounts. Finally, it puts an end to creditors making a claim after it is filed, even if your financial situation changes for better or worse.

Conversely, bankruptcy law can offer a “fresh start” but only every six years in most cases. Bankruptcy will stay on your credit report for ten years and hurts your credit rating severly. Additionally, filing bankruptcy may require a wait of two years before it is possible to buy a home. Some lenders allow for home loans after one year however.

Bankruptcy does not wipe out most tax debt. It does not clear away student loan debt. It requires that you give up your credit cards. It might cause you to lose some of your things, and unfortunately bankruptcy carries a stigma that can be embarrassing.

If you are not positive whether you should file for bankruptcy or not, get in touch with your creditors to see what type of repayment plan they can come up for you. While bankruptcy is an option, in most cases it should be seen as a last resort.

Mallory McGuinness is employed by a collections agency that works with a debt collection lawyer. She also composes articles on business, finance, consumer spending and collections agencies. Visit the Uber Article Directory to get a totally unique version of this article for reprint.

Bankruptcy: What is Automatic Stay And How Does It Protect You From Creditors

By Mallory Megan on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 | No Comments

U.S. Bankruptcy Code imposes something called an automatic stay the moment that a petition for bankruptcy is filed. The automatic stay will typically prevent the enforcement, commencement, or appeal of actions and judgments against a debtor from the creditors they owe money to who are trying to collect these debts incurred prior to the bankruptcy petition. The automatic stay also protects property of the bankruptcy estate itself from collection actions and proceedings.

Any action that a creditor might take that violates the automatic stay will be voided out. Any violation of the stay might cause the violating party to have damages assessed to them. But, like every complicated law, there are exceptions. A creditor might be allowed to take their collateral if they obtain permission from the court first. They will get this by filing a motion for relief from the automatic stay.

After a petition is filed, the court will grant the motion or provide security to the creditor, which ensures that the value of their collateral won’t decrease during the stay. Without the protection of the automatic stay creditors could hypothetically race to the courthouse in order to improve their positions against a debtor. If this happened, and let’s say that a debtor’s business was facing just a temporary crunch, it might not survive a “run” by creditors when their business could otherwise be salvaged. A run may also result in waste and it might be unfair to similar creditors that are owed money too.

There are three kinds of avoidance actions, and all of these are intended to limit the risk of the legal system prompting the downfall of a financially unstable debtor who hasn’t yet declared bankruptcy. The bankruptcy system will generally reward creditors who continue extending financing to debtors and will discourage creditors from ramping up their debt collection efforts.

Despite the seemingly simple nature of these rules, a couple of exceptions exist in the context of each category of avoidance action.

Mallory Megan is employed by a debt collection agency. She also does articles on business and finance, consumer spending, and collection agencies. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

Spanish Debt Collection Agency Humiliates Debtors Into Paying Up

By Mallory Megan on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 | No Comments

Would you be embarrassed if someone in atop hat and tuxedo followed you into a restaurant and silently joined your lunch date? How about a trio of men with more to love dressed like superheroes asking your neighbors for donations to assist you in your financial situation?

In Madrid, be sure your bills are paid off or you may be visited by one of these interesting characters. The recession has slammed Spain hard. Official figures show that the unemployment rate has sky rocketed, reaching 19.3 percent. That is one of the highest rates in Europe. Around four million people are not working. That\’s the same number of jobless people as France and Italy put together. One business is flourishing however, that business is debt collection.

Spanish law is pretty relaxed when it comes to paying debts. They permit 95 days to settle bills unlike the 30 in other parts of Europe. This, coupled with the fact that Spanish courts give the matter low priority put collection companies in high demand.

One agency, El Cobrador del Frac – which translates as \”The Debt Collector in Top Hat and Tails\” – has more than 250 collectors, and an equal number of secretaries and investigators.Their goal is to work out some deal and retrieve money, not to go after people without the means to pay.

For them, the new business stems from constructive trade which is suffering badly from a huge slowdown. Homeowners owe money to contractors, contractors owe money to construction companies, construction companies owe equipment makers, and so on and so forth.

Last year, the company had a wedding company contact them about a couple who didn\’t pay the $83,000 bill for their huge over the top wedding. The company obtained a wedding guest list and began calling up guests one by one on the phone and asking them if they had the chicken or the lobster, and then asked them where to send the bill. Eventually the shamed couple paid up.

These ideas are quirky, (I guess that is one way to describe it) but they will not be this effective in times to come. In this time of economic crisis, too many people have debts and they honestly can\’t pay. And to these people, it doesn\’t matter how much you humiliate them.

Mallory Megan is employed by a debt collection company. She also writes articlesabout business, finance, consumer spending and debt collection. Visit the Uber Article Directory to get a totally unique version of this article for reprint.

Debt Collectors Or Debtors: Who Is Suing Who Now?

By Mallory Megan on Monday, February 8th, 2010 | No Comments

It is true that Americans with overdue debts will typically be subject to a number of retributions. Collection letters, phone calls, unfavorable credit scores and a chance to wind up in court are examples of punishments for non-compliance.

However, a new trend that is growing is debtors suing debt collectors first. Any violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act can be valid reason alone to take a collector to court. It might be true that in a declining economy suing a debt collection agency instead of paying off what you owe may be your only choice. There were 8,347 consumer lawsuits filed against collection companies in 2009. That\’s a 55 percent increase over 2009 and double that number filed in 2007.

A few debtors are plaintiffs suing for their first time; the people who suddenly find themselves unable to pay debts and feel that they have been wronged by aggressive collectors. Others compulsively sue, typically these people have debts worth tens or hundreds or thousands of dollars. It is their hope that favorable judgments may put them on a \”collections blacklist.\” If he has sued 4 out of 5 debt collectors, debt collection agencies are probably going to want nothing to do with this strange character who puts time and effort into lawsuits when he could be looking for a sense of structure, and a job.

One example of a lawsuit in action was from a woman who complains that the collection agency never offered her proof it was entitled to collect. Seriously? Most debt collection companies adhere closely to FDCPA laws, but even that law is not clear on certain practices such as whether it\’s legal or not to leave a voice mail. Basically, the FDCPA hit the scene in the 1970s and needs desperately to be updated to today\’s technology.

You might not want to know my opinion, but here it is. I was contacted by a debt collector who left a message on a third party phone, asking for me and letting me know she intended to collect a debt. This is a big no-no. I could have called her and given her hell, but I know why I have the debt and even though I may be broke, I intend to pay it back. To me, it seems like the economy is not getting better any time soon as the number of people who refuse to hold themselves accountable for financial decisions they made in the past grows. I hate to say it, but a debt is a debt, whether we are in a recession or not.

Mallory McGuinness works for a debt collection agency. Also, she does articles on business and finance, the credit industry and debt collection You can get a unique content version of this article from the Uber Article Directory.

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