Executive Change: MRS BPO Welcome Tim Steele as VP Sales and Marketing

MRS BPO, LLC, an industry leader in financial services, healthcare, cable, utilities and telecommunications debt recovery, gave its national sales presence a significant boost with the addition of a new Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Tim Steele.

“Tim is a global sales executive with a consistent track record of implementing a sales process which has produced record-breaking results everywhere he’s been,” said Saul Freedman, Co-CEO of MRS BPO. “He’s experienced with leading, redefining, and building world-class sales organizations. We couldn’t be more excited to add him to an already-potent sales team as we continue to expand our debt collection and  BPO service offerings across the national business landscape.”

Steele, who began working for MRS on October 1, 2014, has more than 20 years of experience in the software, BPO, technology and financial services sectors, winning numerous awards in the process.

“I couldn’t be more excited to join MRS,” Steele said. “Because it offers such a unique blend of industry-leading recovery rates, outstanding BPO and financial services, cutting-edge technology and a high-end, customer-friendly approach in every sector it serves.  It’s an organization positioned to expand and thrive in the years to come.”

Founded in 1991, MRS has served the accounts receivable management needs of companies within the Healthcare, Banking, Financial, Government, Student Loans, Telecommunications, and Utility sectors for over 23 years.

“We’ve always believed the best way to serve our clients is by providing the tangible benefits, value, and customer service from the most talented employees we can find,” said Jeff Freedman, Co-CEO of MRS. “Tim Steele fits that belief as well as anyone we’ve seen. Because of his impressive background and national reach, Tim is the ideal addition to our sales team.”

In addition to hiring Steele, MRS also announced the addition of Sales Coordinator, Brian English, who has more than a decade of experience in Business Development in the software, data and hospitality sectors, among other industries.

“Brian is another solid addition to our team.  We see him bringing immediate value to our clients while helping develop new business relationships based on his experience and understanding of our key industries,” said Jeff Freedman. “The reason MRS has been so successful is our people. You can have the best technology, the best tools and resources, but at the end of the day, it’s always about the people on your team and the value and benefit they can bring your clients.

“Both Tim and Brian bring the blend of experience, talent and people skills our clients and customers have come to expect when dealing with MRS.”

MRS BPO, LLC is a full service accounts receivable management firm based in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. The company’s unique combination of experience, technology, and compliance management processes allows them to provide industry-leading debt recovery solutions while enhancing their client’s brand and reputation. For more information on MRS BPO, LLC, visit them online at http://www.mrsbpo.com.

 

Executive Change: MRS BPO Welcome Tim Steele as VP Sales and Marketing
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Strategies for Effective Phone Data Testing

When it comes to choosing the right provider, however, the first rule of thumb is to realize not all partners are created equal. Effectively evaluating potential data partners is a critical step to fully leverage their resources for optimal success. During the evaluation process, it’s important to peel back the layers on the prospective partner’s processes, technology and databases, in order to choose the vendor that best meets your individual needs.

Employing an effective testing strategy with your information solutions providers will enable you to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses and empower you to get the most value from the data you receive.

Qualifying Data Vendors
Before beginning the testing process it is critical to properly vet prospective data vendors. Some important points to consider include:

Financial stability

  • Evaluate track record of financial stability and experience serving the collections market

Regulatory compliance

  • Understand if vendor can deliver solutions that are capable of meeting new and evolving compliance regulations
  • Carefully review established processes designed to insure the protection and privacy of consumer data

Critical Business Practices

  • Reliability
  • Timeliness
  • Accuracy
  • Availability
  • Customization
  • Deliverability
  • Product usability
  • Complimentary products

Strategies for Effective Phone Data Testing
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Ontario Systems Has a Sense of Humor

Stephanie Eidelman

Stephanie Eidelman

Earlier this month I attended Ontario System’s PowerUp conference in Indianapolis.  I must say that after dealing with the airports in Los Angeles and Las Vegas in the last week, there is a lot to be said for an event at a location with a nice, new, smaller airport…oh, and little traffic.

If you’ve been to a few industry conferences, you know that the staff at all of them work hard to coordinate many details and try to create the best possible experience for attendees. But worthy of note about PowerUp was the extra mile they went to be creative, and the willingness of the management team to go along.

The show opened with, well, a show. Marketing VP Casey Stanley feigned embarrassment because his CEO Ron Fauquher was nowhere to be found. He proceeded to run out of the ballroom intent on finding him back at the office and bringing him to the event.

We witness what happens next by video (note: the video won’t display on mobile devices):

Hijinks ensue, others get picked up along the way, cars and escalators are deftly traversed, and finally the full management team arrives live on stage.

The acting wasn’t superb (sorry guys… however there is a great example of jumping over a car), but the willingness of the group to go out on a limb was refreshing for an industry that’s in a no-laughing-matter kind of period. I bet the experience of making the video also brought the team closer together, which is important when it comes to its ability to share information in a way that benefits clients. To me it seemed that the good-natured opening was well-received, but didn’t change the professional feel of the event.

The rest of the conference was of course focused on the business of Ontario’s clients, with a full slate of updates on products and features, and detailed educational sessions on the latest topics like compliance.

Ontario Systems Has a Sense of Humor
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Judge Rules that a Text Message Platform is Not an Autodialer Under TCPA

A federal judge in California late last week ruled in favor of a defendant in a TCPA case by deciding that a platform for sending out text messages did not meet the definition of an automated telephone dialing system (ATDS). The ruling is seen as positive precedent for judicial ATDS interpretations.

Defendant Crunch San Diego, a company that operates gyms in California and other states, was hit with a class action TCPA suit in response to promotional text messages it sent to members. The plaintiff, Jordan Marks, claims he did not want the text (SMS) messages.

Crunch uses a third-party web-based platform to send promotional text messages to its members’ and prospective customers’ cell phones. Marks claimed that the platform behaved as an ATDS, therefore its use was prohibited in contacting cell phones under the TCPA.

Judge Cynthia Bashant, in the Southern District of California, ruled that was not the case, granting Crunch’s motion for summary judgment and dismissal.

Bashant relied not on the FCC’s previous opinions on the matter, but rather the strict language of the TCPA. “The system present here is factually distinct from the system described in the FCC comment,” Bashant wrote, referring largely to the 2012 case, Meyer v. Portfolio Recovery Associates.

The judge also referenced last year’s Satterfield decision in discussing present capacity.

“In Satterfield v. Simon & Schuster, Inc., the Ninth Circuit found the definition of an ATDS ‘clear and unambiguous,’ she said. “Because it is ‘clear and unambiguous,’ the FCC’s 2003 statutory interpretation of an ATDS is not binding on the Court.”

TCPA defense attorney David Kaminski thinks this case is a positive ruling that could have impact in future TCPA cases where there are questions about ATDSs.

“The judge notes that the text platform relevant here is factually distinct from the predictive dialer system described in the FCC 2003 and 2012 Rulings,” said Kaminski. “Even though the judge was interpreting a text platform, her logic in this case could be carried across multiple platforms.”

Judge Rules that a Text Message Platform is Not an Autodialer Under TCPA
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American Outsourcing Alternatives Gets First Batch of Donor Dog Tags from Vets’ Charity

With about two weeks still remaining in its 2014 No Debts for Vets Charity Fundraising Drive, ARMing Heroes, the collection industry’s charity for military veterans, has started sending out Donor Dog Tags to supporters of its fifth annual fund drive, which runs from September 11th through Veterans Day, November 11th, every year. New to the organization’s campaign this year, the Donor Dog Tag promotion offers commemorative, military-style dog tags to employees at those companies participating in the drive and donating at specified thresholds as described on the ARMing Heroes website.

American Outsourcing Alternatives (AOA) is one such company.  It’s no surprise, since the firm’s mission includes job creation for military families in and around Fort Benning from its headquarters just north of the base in Midland, Georgia.  Combining employee contributions with a company donation, the organization has pledged a generous amount to ARMing Heroes at the close of its campaign on Veteran’s Day.

Fred Landrum, President of AOA and also a member of the board of trustees of the ARMing Heroes charity, commented, “Several of our associates have served, and many are spouses of active duty soldiers, so we have a deep understanding of the challenges facing those who have sacrificed for our country. For example, our call center manager, Ms. Perez, served in Iraq, and is married to a career soldier. Having personally worn the dog tags of our nation’s military during the Vietnam conflict, I am especially excited to offer our associates the opportunity to wear the ARMing Heroes dog tags in support of those real heroes who have served to protect our freedom and now have a financial challenge that we can help with.”

Veterans and spouses in AOA office. Left to right: Javier Rivera, Rosie Soboleski, Leigh Gilmore, Crystal White, Joycelyn Neal, Rosslynn Enriquez, Tiffany Marshall, Fred Landrum, Sheldon Scott, Yenisel Perez

Veterans and spouses in AOA office. Left to right: Javier Rivera, Rosie Soboleski, Leigh Gilmore, Crystal White, Joycelyn Neal, Rosslynn Enriquez, Tiffany Marshall, Fred Landrum, Sheldon Scott, Yenisel Perez

This year’s crop of veterans who are seeking a No Debts for Vets grant award have never been more worthy of consideration. More than 100 military veterans have applied for assistance.  More than 80% of all applicants have a service-connected disability.  About the same number served in a military-designated “imminent danger pay area.”  About 40% of the applicants served for more than 10 years in the military.

The charity has already received pledges totaling tens of thousands of dollars for vets, most of which will be disbursed through direct grants payable to the creditors of grant recipients, just in time for the holidays. But with so many applicants seeking a grant this year from ARMing Heroes, donations are still needed to help everyone. There’s still time to get your company involved, even if there’s not time to hold a drive but only to contribute. Stories of past grant recipients remind us of the hope and help these grants offer to those who need them the most.

The charity’s flagship No Debts for Vets Charity Fundraising Drive runs from September 11th through Veterans Day, November 11th every year. Tax-deductible donations are being accepted online at www.armingheroes.org and via mail to PO Box 353, Collingswood, NJ 08108, payable to ARMing Heroes. Pledges may be made to info@armingheroes.org.

About American Outsourcing Alternatives, LLC

Headquartered in Midland, GA, American Outsourcing Alternatives, LLC (AOA), a subsidiary of Prosperity America LLC, provides high quality call center services, receivables management programs, and revenue recovery services primarily focusing on serving the needs of clients in the healthcare field. With almost 80 years of combined experience, its management team understands the needs of its clients and delivers rapid response to their requirements and priorities. The company is dedicated to creating jobs for American workers, and in particular service men and women, their families, and the communities that support them.

About ARMing Heroes

ARMing Heroes was founded and began operating in March, 2009.  The organization’s mission is to serve the needs of U.S. military veterans, including their spouse and children. ARMing Heroes fills a charitable niche by linking people identified with employment, credit, and financial counseling needs with the accounts receivable management industry, an industry uniquely poised to help in these areas.  Persons interested in volunteering their time and others interested in applying for benefits or pledging other forms of support are encouraged to contact the organization at www.armingheroes.org.

What Can I Do Right Now to Help?

  • Visit www.armingheroes.org and donate now.
  • Friend us and post this article to your page on Facebook.
  • Tweet about this article on Twitter.
  • Join our group on LinkedIn, the ARMing Heroes Veterans Charity Supporter / Assistance Center.
  • Comment on this article online and ask us to contact you.
  • Forward this article via email to your key contacts.
  • Print this article and fax it to your local congressional office and ask them to post our website on theirs as a resource for vets.

 

 

 

American Outsourcing Alternatives Gets First Batch of Donor Dog Tags from Vets’ Charity
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Atlantic Credit & Finance Raises $61,000 for Boys & Girls Clubs

Atlantic Credit & Finance, a subsidiary of Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: ECPG), an international specialty finance company, today announced that it helped raise $61,000 for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia.  For the ninth straight year, Atlantic sponsored the Skins Game Golf Tournament that was played at Ballyhack Golf Club in Roanoke, VA. Over that time, ACF has raised a total of $585,000 for the local Clubs.

“We are extremely grateful to Atlantic Credit & Finance for again taking the lead sponsorship role in the Skins Game,” said Boys & Girls Clubs Chief Professional Officer Laurie Gibbons.  “It would not be possible to support the kids in the ways that we do without the generosity of companies like Atlantic Credit & Finance.”

This year, the tournament was comprised of 17 teams along with a special tournament for youth golfers, who were each paired with a golf professional.

“We are proud to support the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia, whose mission is to enable young people to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens,” said Kevin Hudson, Atlantic Credit & Finance’s Vice President for Business Development.

About Encore Capital Group, Inc.  

Encore Capital Group, an international specialty finance company with operations spanning seven countries, provides debt recovery solutions for consumers and property owners across a broad range of assets. Through its subsidiaries, Encore Capital Group purchases portfolios of consumer receivables from major banks, credit unions, municipalities, and utility providers, and partners with individuals as they repay their obligations and work toward financial recovery.

Headquartered in San Diego, Encore is a publicly traded NASDAQ Global Select company (ticker symbol: ECPG) and a component stock of the Russell 2000, the S&P Small Cap 600, and the Wilshire 4500. More information about the company can be found at www.encorecapital.comMore information about the Company’s Cabot Credit Management subsidiary can be found at www.cabotcm.com   

About the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia was incorporated in 1997 to serve the area’s children.  The organization is affiliated with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the nation’s fastest growing youth development agency.  Regionally, over 850 youth in the Roanoke and New River Valley areas are members in one of our six clubs.  Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia is committed to the positive development of quality after school and summer programming for all youth residing in the region.  Visit http://www.bgcswva.org/.

Atlantic Credit & Finance Raises $61,000 for Boys & Girls Clubs

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BillingTree Announces ‘Spotlight on Compliance’ Virtual Executive Roundtable on Key Compliance Topics

BillingTree® announced today the next webinar in its well-received “Payment & Technology Spotlight Series – Technology and Innovation for the Digital Age“. Titled Spotlight on Compliance, it will feature a virtual panel discussion by a group of leading industry professionals who will share their unique experiences and perspectives on major compliance topics which have an effect on any organization that falls under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s oversight including collection agencies, lenders, auto financiers and credit unions.

The panel, which includes Charity Olson, Managing Attorney with the Olson Law Group and Jennifer Philips, Financial Services Director with Ontario Systems Compliance Consulting, will hold in depth discussion on subjects such as Regulation E, the E-Sign Act and Convenience Fees. Audience questions and participation are encouraged during the 60-minute live session.

The live webinar will take place on November 18 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern and participation is free of charge for industry professionals. To register for this event visit http://info.mybillingtree.com/WBN2014-11-18ComplianceWebinar-SpotlightSeries.html

The Payment & Technology Spotlight Series is sponsored by BillingTree®. It was launched earlier this year with complimentary webinars including “Interactive Voice Response- Utilizing IVR Technology to Drive Agency Growth and the “Three Virtual Virtues: Agents, Negotiation & Settlement“. Both are available for replay upon request. Companies interested in contributing to a future event in the Payment & Technology Spotlight Series can email marketing@mybillingtree.com.

About BillingTree
BillingTree’s mission has centered around assisting companies with growing their business by delivering cost-effective, compliant payment solutions that increase and accelerate collections. Committed to and serving the accounts receivable industry for over a decade, BillingTree is the industry leader in the breadth of integrations with core collection platform systems and payment technologies, and in payment compliance. At BillingTree – Your Growth is Our Business. For more information, visit www.mybillingtree.com or call 877.4.BILLTREE.

BillingTree Announces ‘Spotlight on Compliance’ Virtual Executive Roundtable on Key Compliance Topics
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FTC Gets Court to Shut Down Debt Collection Scam Targeting Latinos

At the Federal Trade Commission’s request, a U.S. district court in Miami has temporarily shut down a fraudulent phantom debt collection operation that deceived and abused thousands of Spanish-speaking consumers across the country in an attempt to collect money they did not even owe.

The FTC made the announcement the same day as its “Debt Collection & the Latino Community roundtable, held jointly with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

According to the FTC, the defendants behind Centro Natural Corp. and Sumore L.L.C bilked consumers out of at least two million dollars. The FTC is seeking a court order permanently stopping the defendants’ scam.

In its complaint, the FTC charged that the defendants cold-called consumers and threatened them with harsh consequences, such as arrest, legal actions, and immigration status investigations, if they failed to make large payments on bogus debts. The defendants’ telemarketers also pressured and deceived consumers into paying for unwanted products by telling consumers it would “settle” their debt.

“These defendants deserve a shameful Triple Crown for fraud. They posed as government officials, used abusive debt collection practices, and ignored the National Do Not Call Registry,” said Jessica Rich, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “We’re shining a light on fraud affecting every community, and we’re pleased that this scheme targeting Latinos has been stopped.”

According to the FTC’s complaint, since at least 2011, the defendants have held themselves out as court or government officials or lawyers. They demanded that consumers pay them to “settle” phantom debts that typically ranged between $3,000 and $9,000. The FTC alleges that the defendants often told consumers that they could settle their debts by paying defendants hundreds of dollars. If consumers refused to pay, the defendants often continued to call and threaten them, sometimes using profane language.

The complaint charges the defendants with violating the FTC Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), the FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule, and failing to pay for, or abide by, the rules of the Do Not Call Registry.

The FTC’s suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on October 20, 2014. The court issued a temporary restraining order against the defendants the same day.

FTC Gets Court to Shut Down Debt Collection Scam Targeting Latinos
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Subprime Auto Collections – A Growth Market for ARM Companies or a Bubble About to Burst?

Mike Ginsberg

Mike Ginsberg

As we recall, painfully well, the Great Recession was largely about a housing bubble created by consumers eager to borrow and investors desperate for profits. The warning signs of the developing financial crisis were silenced in large part by securitization and a lack of regulatory oversight. Is another bubble market emerging in the subprime auto sector? Perhaps, but a growth market for accounts receivable management (ARM) firms is fast developing already.

Just as many consumers purchased homes that exceeded their financial ability because financing was readily available prior to the financial crisis of 2007; many people with poor credit are currently buying cars with price tags that exceed their capability. This time, similar to the last go around, Wall Street isn’t directly lending to consumers. The loans are coming from smaller finance companies that sell the loans they make to bigger Wall Street firms that sort them from weakest to strongest credit scores, pool them together and sell them to their investors in a process called subprime securitization.

About $26 billion worth of subprime car loans will be made this year, far short of the $500 billion of subprime real estate securitizations made in 2006. Unlike real estate, cars are a lot cheaper, so this trend is  bound to impact a lot more consumers. Regulators are already starting to pay attention. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced last week that it is proposing to oversee the larger nonbank auto finance companies.

CFPB Director Richard Cordray said, “Nonbank auto finance companies extend hundreds of billions of dollars in credit to American consumers, yet they have never been supervised at the federal level. We took action after we uncovered auto-lending discrimination at banks we supervise. Today’s proposal would extend our oversight, allowing us to root out discrimination and ensure consumers are being treated fairly across this market.”

Currently, the CFPB supervises large banks making auto loans, but not nonbank auto finance companies. The Bureau estimates that about 38 auto finance companies would be subject to this new oversight. These companies originate around 90 percent of nonbank auto loans and leases, and in 2013 provided financing to approximately 6.8 million consumers.

According to a recent article on insideARM, auto loans have long been an interesting market for ARM companies. Recent data shows that auto loans are growing at a rate similar to student loans, another attractive asset class for ARM companies and auto loans represent the second largest market of secured loans in the US behind mortgage loans.

Lenders, still reeling from the impact of the financial crisis, are increasingly willing to finance consumers with subprime credit scores. According to Patrick Lunsford’s article, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (FRBNY) recently released a study of subprime auto lending with the following takeaway: “Since the trough in Q4 2009, balances have risen across the board, but the growth has been most pronounced among the riskier groups, which also experienced the most severe contraction during the credit crunch of 2007-09. The dollar value of originations to people with credit scores below 660 has roughly doubled since 2009, while originations for the other credit score groups increased by only about half.”

While delinquency rates on auto loans remain well below credit card and student loan rates, volume is growing at rates that exceed credit cards and run parallel to student loans, creating a growth market for ARM companies equipped to service this market segment.

 

Subprime Auto Collections – A Growth Market for ARM Companies or a Bubble About to Burst?
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State Regulator Warns of Scam Potentially Involving Debt Collector Fishing for Personal Info

The Ohio Department of Commerce is warning Ohioans about a company that is mailing postcards to citizens asking them to call and search their name for unclaimed funds.

The postcards have appeared in various colors including green, blue, yellow and orange. Regardless of the color, they are not being sent out by the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Unclaimed Funds, the official state agency tasked with reuniting Ohioans with lost or forgotten money.

How the scheme works: A citizen receives the postcard instructing him/her to call a toll free telephone number. A prompt asks the caller for their Social Security Number. The recorded message then instructs the caller to search for unclaimed property at www.unclaimed.org, the official website of the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA), which makes the communication seem like a legitimate search for funds.

David Milby, Executive Director of NAUPA, says NAUPA has no involvement with the postcards. Milby added that he has found multiple reports on the Internet explaining that the company mailing the postcards is a debt collector. It is believed that the company disguises itself as having something to do with unclaimed property as a means to buy time to collect more information and skirt debt collection laws.

“It is a shame that some bad actors are attempting to take advantage of our mission of returning Ohioans’ hard-earned money to them,” said Andre Porter, Director of the Ohio Department of Commerce. “The sender of these postcards is not looking to return money to Ohioans. Rather, this is an attempt to trick the recipient into providing personal and financial information.”

The company in question is not registered with the Department of Commerce and is therefore not authorized to engage in such activity. Director Porter strongly encourages Ohioans to work directly with the Division of Unclaimed Funds.

“Our forms are official, free and will lead to claim payment once proper verification is approved,” he said.

State Regulator Warns of Scam Potentially Involving Debt Collector Fishing for Personal Info
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