Extensive Survey Illustrates That Working As A Debt Collectors Isn’t So Bad
In 2009, collection agencies all around the country participated in an intensive survey that aimed to single out the best places to work in the collections industry and why. With the results, the collections industry was able to identify a number of the most important parts of the job that makes a particular agency an employer of choice.
Company employees were asked to rate their agencies on an “ABC” scale, “A” being the best, “C” being the worst, “B” being in between. Small companies scored the most “A” ratings in comparison to larger and medium companies. The survey was able to determine that smaller companies were desired for a number of reasons, including the idea that employees are part of a team working towards a common goal, and the fact that leaders of smaller businesses in general are open to more input from employees.
Other factors responsible for high ratings included a feeling that the agency the employees were working for treated people like people, not numbers. Supervisors working at high scoring agencies were viewed as handling work related issues more adeptly, and seemed more open to feedback. The employees of the small companies that were selected as winners of the highest scores felt as though their supervisor helps them to grow to their fullest potential, and as if their agency might increase their pay. Employees of smaller companies additionally saw more room for advancement in the agencies.
Of all of the agencies of all sizes, employees were the least happy when it came to salary and benefits, and felt like their training and development lacked. But, overall ratings improved from the preceding year, most likely because of the sobering realities of difficult conditions and layoffs that happened over the last year.
Other major factors that had the largest influence on the positive opinions of employees included the belief that the leaders of the agency felt for their well being. Corporate objectives that were well planned with good follow through were highly valued, and leaders of agencies that were open to input from workers were much appreciated. Finally, out of all of the positive thoughts about their place of employment, the employees who thought they could trust the company reported the most favorable opinions.
Mallory Megan works for Rapid Recovery Solution and writes articles on credit collection agencies Check here for free reprint licence: Extensive Survey Illustrates That Working As A Debt Collectors Isn’t So Bad.
More Complaints About Collection Agencies Are Being Reported
The proof is in the pudding, and here it is. The amount of lawsuits and complaints about abusive, illegal and strong arm collection tactics that some dishonest debt collection companies utilize to collect has risen quite a bit in the past couple of years. Attorney Michael J. Koopmans, a lawyer who represents debtors who have been wronged weighs in with his input. According to Koopmans, he handles thirty to fifty cases at one time, all of them clients who claim that they have been bullied, harassed, and even threatened by collection companies.
According to Koopmans, this is a period where consumer debt is at an all time high and the economy is at an all time low, and at a time when a lot of debtors can’t afford to pay what they owe in one massive sum, he has noticed that collection agents are becoming less and less willing to work out some sort of a payment plan. “Now the collection agents are claiming they can’t do that” says Koopmans. “They say they’re only going to have this account for a short while, that they need a lot of the money, they need it fast, and they need it up front.”
Deputy Attorney General of Indiana, David Paetzmaann claims that his workplace receives at least a dozen telephone calls every week from people complaining about collection agents who they feel are harassing them. According to Paetzmann, the number of calls has increased by more than twenty percent from just four years ago.
One of the agencies that has received the brunt of complaints is called Premiere Credit of North America. A spokeswoman has countered that the agency has “tough policies, training, and monitoring against harassment and threats.” What does Paetzmann suggest? That consumers break out the books and bone up on their knowledge of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the legal restrictions that it puts on collection agents.
First of all, a debt collector is only permitted legally to call debtors between eight o’clock AM and nine o’clock PM. Additionally, the act also strictly prohibits collection agents from lying to you by claiming that they have the authority to arrest you or seize your property (they don’t). They are not permitted to discuss your debt with anyone else, and attempting to collect a fee for themselves in addition to the amount you already owe is clearly illegal as well.
Mallory Megan works for Rapid Recovery Solution and writes articles about medical collection agencies. Also published at More Complaints About Collection Agencies Are Being Reported.
Stock 101 Part One
Did economics hurt your head in grade school? Do you believe that Dow Jones is a person? Well, then you will like my beginner’s course on stocks, a four part article series outlining the very basics of what stocks are all about. Shall we begin?
Essentially, the stock of a business represents the original amount of money that went into founding it. Since a business’ stock can’t be withdrawn to the disadvantage of its creditors, it serves as a security to them. When a new business is being formed, the stock of this business is divided into shares, and every share will have a particular declared face value that depends on the total amount of capital that was invested in the businesses. Shares represent a portion of ownership in a company, and there may be different sorts of shares with different ownership rules, privileges or share values.
Usually stock will take the form of shares of common stock or preferred stock. Common stock is a unit of ownership and generally comes with voting rights that can be used when corporate decisions are being made. Preferred stock usually doesn’t come with voting rights but people who own preferred stocks are legally entitled to receive a certain level of dividend payments before any dividends can be issued to other shareholders.
The rules and perks of stocks can vary though; some shares of common stocks can be issued without typical voting rights, or some shares might have special rights unique to them that are given only to specific parties. Preferred stock might have qualities of bonds blended in with common stock voting rights in addition to preference in the payment of dividends over common stock.
Any type of financial instrument whose value is dependent on the price of its underlying stock is called a stock derivative. The two main sorts of stock derivatives are futures and options. Stock futures are contracts where the buyer takes on the obligation to buy the stock (the buyer is long), and when they take on the obligation to sell the stock (the seller is short). A stock option is the right to buy stock in the future at a fixed price (a call option) and the right to sell stock in the future at a fixed price (a put option). So, you can see that the value of a stock future and a stock option changes as the value of the stock it is derived from fluctuates. To Be Continued In Part Two
Mallory Megan works for Rapid Recovery Solution and writes articles on credit collection agencies. This article, Stock 101 Part One has free reprint rights.
It Pays To Be Aware Of Who You Are Paying
Alright, so you owe some money, but who is attempting to get you to pay up? There are two kinds of people who may call you looking to collect money that you owe to a creditor. The creditor themselves (the business that you owe the money to directly – think Visa), or a third party collection agency that Visa may hire to collect their debts for them. The Fair Debt Collection Practice Act (FDCPA) was created in the 1970s and provides a wealth of protections for debtors. These are strict regulations and rules that a debt collector must follow, and if any of these rules are broken, there is a great possibility that take the agency that violated the FDCPA to court. But what about that deadbeat friend of yours who owes you five bucks? Are you required to grant them thirty days to refute your claim? Clearly, as both you and your friend’s wallet know, you don’t.
My point is that the FDCPA is a very special set of guidelines meant specifically for a very special set of people: third party debt collectors. Browse through Morency v. Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Corp. This was a district court case in Illinois from 1999. In this court case, a hospital issued and sent out pre-collection notices in an attempt to collect debt. For third party debt collectors, this is a definite no-no according to the FDCPA. What could have happened? Well, anyone that got the letter might have been off the hook for their debt. But after looking at the situation, the court held that the hospital was a creditor, because the money was going directly to it, and not a third party collection agency, so the FDCPA did not apply.
This case has not been the first of its kind, and courts will take many questions into consideration to determine if the creditor should also be deemed debt collector. In a lot of these cases they ask the following questions: Does it say on the letters that get mailed out if the debtor doesn’t pay up the debt will be sent out to collection? Did the creditor hire a collection agency only to send letters, not on commission? Is the collection agency itself just a mailing service?
Here’s another example: if a debtor neglects to respond to a letter sent out by a bill collection company, and said collection agency has no further contact with this individual, it probably won’t be held to third party bill collection company standards. If a collection agency doesn’t receive the files or information on the debtors, then it probably won’t be considered a debt collection agency either.
And thus completes our lesson on the difference between third party debt collection agencies and creditors attempting to collect, and why it pays to know who you are paying. And remember: good luck trying to get that five dollars back from your friend!
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