Collection Agency President Named to Virginia Privacy Working Group

The president-elect of the Virginia Collectors Association was named this month to a state working group reviewing consumer-data privacy and security by Virginia Gov. Timothy Kaine.

Fran Fisher, president of Revenue Recovery Consultants Inc. in Fairfax, Va., was named to the group that is meeting this summer to review the challenge of ensuring consumer data security while allowing for the use of such information by businesses. The group will present its findings and potential solutions to the Virginia General Assembly in November. Plans call for legislators to use the working group's findings when drafting legislation during its upcoming session in January.

The working group also includes consumer advocates, Capital One Financial, Lexis Nexis, and representatives from banking, retail and auto dealer associations, according to Fisher.

“Consumer data must be safe guarded [yet] there’s a legitimate need by industries to use this data,” said Fisher. “If we put severe restrictions on the use of the data, it could hamper the economy.”

Brass tacks for a collector, “If I can’t get information based on the debtor’s name and Social Security number, I can’t be certain I’m talking to the right person. That violates the FDCPA,” said Fisher.

Fisher will begin her term next spring as president of the Virginia Collectors Association, the state unit of ACA, the Association for Credit and Collection Professionals.

Revenue Recovery is a full service Accounts Receivable Management company with eight collectors that primarily serve commercial accounts, said Fisher. She notes that collection firms in Virginia employ 4,200, according to the U.S. Census.