Interested in debt collection news news and analysis?
Sign up today for our FREE debt collection news newsletter and get it delivered to your inbox.
A debt collection agency is a firm that collects debt owed by an individual or business by utilizing debt collection strategies. Acting as an agent of the creditor, a debt collection agency will collect debts with a commission based on the debt owed. Debt collection agencies may utilize technology (such as call centers or automated dialers) or other debt collection strategies to recover debt.
Creditors pass debts on to a debt collection agency so that they are wiped from their accounts receivable records. If the amount recovered by the debt collection agency is less than what is owed, the difference is recorded as a loss. A debt collection agency is subject to regulations such as the Fair Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and must adhere to legal debt collection strategies.
Free reports on debt collection from insideARM:
Advertisement
Top 5 Reasons to Utilize Sentinel's eCollections Suite
- Full-featured collections management system
- Technically superior delivery platforms
- Unique and affordable cost structure
- Tremendous scalability
- Advanced design and interface to collectors
News Headlines
- Lawsuit May have Implications for Medical Collection Agencies 1/6/09
- Collection Agency Sued for Allegedly Violating Charity Care Law 1/2/09
- A Turbulent Year for the Accounts Receivable Management Industry 12/31/08
- United Recovery Systems Acquired by Private Equity Group 12/24/08
- United Recovery Systems Acquired by Private Equity Group 12/24/08
- Change in Post Office Mailing Standard Seen as Positive for ARM Industry 12/23/08
- CompuCredit and its Collection Agency Settle FTC-FDIC Case for $114 million 12/22/08
- VIDEO INTERVIEW: Howard Enders, Philips & Cohen 12/22/08
- Case Dismissal Upholds FCC Declaratory Ruling on Cell Phone Use in Collections 12/22/08
- Allied Interstate and ConServe Top Student Loan Collection Contract in November 12/19/08
- Democrats Send Letter to Obama Calling for IRS Private Collection Shutdown 12/18/08
- NCO Cuts 175 Jobs at Canadian Call Center 12/17/08
- Buffalo Debt Collector Shuts Down in Difficult Economy 12/15/08
- Legal Ruling Further Muddies Waters on Third-Party Disclosure vs. Mini-Miranda 12/12/08
- Court Rules Against Debt Collector in Cell Phone Collection Case 12/9/08
- VIDEO INTERVIEW: Scott Weltman - Weltman, Weinberg and Reis 12/9/08
- NCO Group to Pay Texas $250,000 in Collection Settlement 12/8/08
- insideARM Announces 2008 Best Places to Work in Collections 12/4/08
- Debt Settlement Association Pushing for Regulation, Standardization 12/3/08
- NPR Throws IRS Private Collectors Under the Bus 12/2/08
- Tough Economy, Holiday Pressures Call for Flexibility When Collecting Medical Debt 12/2/08
- London Scottish Bank Fails; ARM Unit Fate Unclear 12/1/08
- Look for Collection Account Balances to Fall Under Universal Health Care, Not Volume 11/25/08
- Shakeup at Top of ED Debt Collection Competition in October 11/25/08
- Debt Collection Agency Fined $2.25 million by FTC 11/24/08
- Sallie Mae to Hire 1,100 at New Credit Operations Center in Delaware 11/21/08
- VIDEO INTERVIEW: Donna Meier, Asset Acquisition Group 11/20/08
- Unrealistic Collection Expectations Drive Consumers to Debt Settlement 11/20/08
- Collection Agencies Shifting Strategies in Rough Economy: Survey 11/19/08
- Credit Crunch Impacting Burgeoning Medical Receivables Market 11/14/08
- NCO Group Loses $26.5 million in Q3 on Impairments and Restructuring 11/14/08
- Collection Agencies Wary of Debt Settlement Firms, But See their Purpose 11/13/08
- ED Collector Premiere Credit Adding 300 Jobs 11/13/08
- Bailout Plan Growing Beyond Original Constraints 11/12/08
- Conifer Health Solutions Could Reshape ARM Industry, Competitive Landscape 11/11/08
- Obama Impact on ARM Industry Debatable 11/11/08
- Medical ARM Market to Grow, Even Under Universal Healthcare: Analyst 11/7/08
- EXCLUSIVE: Tenet Spins Off ARM and Communications Business 11/6/08
- Higher Government Deficits Leading to Opportunities for ARM Companies 11/5/08
- VIDEO INTERVIEW: Craig Grube, Portfolio Recovery Associates 11/5/08
- Asset Acceptance Posts Profit on Lower Impairments 11/4/08
- Aktiv Kapital Reports Lower Earnings, Revenue in Quarter 11/3/08
- Debt Buyer Portfolio Recovery's Income Slips in Q3; Encore Capital's Falls 10/30/08
- Sallie Mae ARM Unit Posts Loss, Sells Int’l Debt Buying Operation 10/29/08
- NCO Group Adding 400 Jobs to Call Center After Expansion 10/24/08
- Intrum Justitia Reports Big Jump in Revenue and Debt Buying 10/24/08
- ARM Industry Players Pushing for Role in $700 billion Bailout 10/23/08
- West Virginia AG to Cancel $6.6 million in Card Debt in Settlement with Debt Buyer 10/23/08
- Fidelis Recovery Solutions Sold to ARM Industry Veteran Dennis Cunningham 10/22/08
- End of Quarter ED Collection Results Offer No Surprises 10/21/08
Analysis Headlines
- Medical ARM Firms Feeling Pressure of a Sour Economy
- Banks Show Sliding Confidence on Collection Prospects, But Expect Rebound: Survey
- Data Causing Concern for Credit Card Market
- Managing Collection Processes in Uncertain Credit Markets
- Collection Agencies Shifting Strategies in Rough Economy: Survey
- $28 Million FTC Settlement with Bear Stearns/EMC Mortgage has Significant Impact on ARM Industry
- Healthcare Self-Pay Collection - Recover from Those Who Can Pay
- What is UR txt msg str@tegy?
- Improving Deceased Account Collections Performance Without Sacrificing Client Brands
- The Art of the Talk Off Can be Taught
- Kaulkin Ginsberg to Present the Best Places to Work in Credit and Collections
- Interview: John McNamara, Chief Marketing Officer at LiveVox
- Collections Management Requires a Plow Horse, Not a Show Horse
- Leveraging Technology: Automated Collections
- Consumer Gloominess Likely to Continue to Pressure Collections
- Survey Shows Tough Times But Rosier Outlook for Collectors
- Leveraging Analytics to Prioritize Collections Efforts and Increase Return on Investment
- The 5 E’s: A Creditor’s Guide to Managing Outside Collection Agencies
- A Customer in Bankruptcy
- Sales and Collection Departments Need to Work Together for Company Success
- Compliance Essential for Effective Accounts Receivable Management
- NCO’s OSI Purchase Helps More Than Just NCO in Government Markets
- Economy Creating a Challenging Collections Environment
- The Tangled Web of Google Health – Online Medical Records Could Change Healthcare Receivables Strategies
- Good Cop-Bad Cop and Other Techniques for Small Business Collectors
- Skittish Consumers Threaten the ARM Industry
- Student Loan Market Enticing but Competition is Fierce
- How to Maximize the Effectiveness of your Healthcare Collection Agency
- The State of the Industry: What is Next for ARM?
- Keeping Score: Managing Success With a Collector Scorecard
- State Healthcare Reform and the Collection Industry
- Success Factors in a Company Sale: Managing Client Introductions During Due Diligence
- The Future of Receivables Management
- 2007 M&A Activity ARM Industry Nears $1 billion
- Drilling Down on Consumer Bankruptcy
- What Really Makes Healthcare Collections Unique
- ARM Companies Dial-in on the Changing Telecommunications Industry
- Valuing Your Business: Clients Make all the Difference
- Interview: Leigh Marcus, VP of Professional Claims Bureau, Inc
- Interview: Jack Nixon of CMRE Financial Services, Inc
- HIPAA and Medical Collections: Staying Compliant Worth the Hassle
- The Attrition Condition in the ARM Industry
- Global Aspirations: International and Cross-Border ARM M&A Activity Gains Momentum
- Debunking Common Myths about Automated Voice Messaging
- Supreme Court eDiscovery Ruling Impacts Data Management Strategies for Businesses
- Private Equity Legend Enters the ARM Industry – Big Time
- The Importance of Alignment between Business and Systems Architecture in Internal Debt Collection
- Creditors Exercising Options for Receivables Management
- Chipping Away at the Arguments Against Private Tax Debt Collection
- Running Thin: The Search for Talented Collection Pros
Research Headlines
- Kaulkin Report 7 Excerpt - Bankruptcy Reform
- Kaulkin Report 7 Excerpt - Investments in Technology Required for Improved Efficiency
- Kaulkin Report 7 Excerpt - More Household Income Used to Repay Debt
- Kaulkin Report 6th Edition - Convergence Pricing Outlook
- Kaulkin Report 6th Edition - Mergers & Acquisitions
- Healthcare ARM Report - Healthcare Sector of the ARM Industry
- Kaulkin Report 6th Edition - Legal Framework
- Kaulkin Report 6th Edition - Globalization Outlook
- Kaulkin Report 6th Edition - M&A Outlook
- Kaulkin Report 6th Edition - First Party Collections
- Kaulkin Report 6th Edition - Collection Law Firms
- Kaulkin Report 6th Edition - Debt Buying
- Kaulkin Report 6th Edition - Pricing Outlook
- Kaulkin Report 6th Edition - Contingency Collections
- Kaulkin Report 6th Edition - Offshoring
- Kaulkin Report 6th Edition - Technology Vendors
Press Releases
- The Debt Marketplace Announces Buyer/Seller 101 Course Offering 1/7/09
- ACA International Accepting IFCCE & MCE Award Applications 1/7/09
- Executive Change: Gress Hickman to Central Credit Services as Business Intel Officer 1/7/09
- LiveVox Launches SmartMessage to Revolutionize the Approach to Unattended Campaigns 1/7/09
- Conserve’s Charity of the Month Program Raises Dollars to Support Those in Need 1/6/09
- PSC Info Group Introduces Suite of Automated Patient Communication Solutions 1/6/09
- Aktiv Kapital Considers Strategic Options for Danish Operations 1/5/09
- Calif. AG Gets $4.85 million Settlement with H&R Block Over Early Refund Marketing and Collection 1/5/09
- iQor's Vikas Kapoor Joins Rubin Museum of Art Board of Directors 1/5/09
- Intrum Justitia's Share Capital Increases as a Result of Employee Stock Option Exercise 12/31/08
- Performing Collections in an Economic Downturn Highlights Annual IACC Event 12/31/08
- Castel Customers Receive Best Overall Operations, Quality and Client Support Awards 12/31/08
- LEIB Solutions Releases Free Service for 2009 12/31/08
- Repeat Failures on Home Loans Reveal Faulty Modifications 12/23/08
- LiveVox Announces New Feature to Increase Skip Tracing Productivity 300% 12/23/08
- Collection Agency OMS Pays it Forward by Giving Back 12/23/08
- Ocwen Financial Corporation Announces Plan to Spin Off BPO and ARM Operation 12/22/08
- Allied International Credit Attains ISO 9001:2000 Certification 12/22/08
- Caine & Weiner Expands Buffalo Operations 12/22/08
- Gila Corporation Achieves SAS 70 Type II Certification 12/19/08
- Fair Isaac Announces Release of Debt Manager 7 12/19/08
- Illinois AG Sues Chicago Lien Filing Service For Fraudulent Practices 12/18/08
- GFKL Announces Growth in Revenues and Profit in Collection Unit 12/18/08
- RevQ RPCS 2008 Delivers New Features for Government Collections 12/17/08
- Experian Release to Enable Debt Collectors to Identify Cellular Phone Numbers 12/17/08
- New EstateWise Offerings Give Creditors Comprehensive, National Probate Solutions 12/17/08
- Collection Agency drs/BONDED opens Indianapolis office 12/16/08
- San Joaquin County Collection Project Goes Live 12/16/08
- One Georgia Bank Receives Highest Lender Status for Small Business Loans 12/16/08
- Second Round, LP Opens in San Marcos, TX 12/12/08
- Aspect Announces General Availability of Aspect Unified IP 6.6 12/12/08
- eBureau Joins Ontario Systems’ Link Partner Program 12/10/08
- LiveVox Announces Analytic Tool for Collection Contact ROI 12/10/08
- Executive Changes: UK Credit Services Association Adds Two ARM Specialists 12/9/08
- National Recovery Agency Steps Up for Holiday Food Drive 12/9/08
- IAT to Present Free Webinar for Collection Attorneys 12/9/08
- CCA Acquires Rochester Collection Agency 12/8/08
- Investcorp Acquires Stake in UK Debt Management Firm TDX Group 12/8/08
- Contrax Systems to Launch Intelligent Desktop Stratification and Liquidation Modeling System 12/5/08
- WWR Partner Alan Hochheiser Elected to Serve as Vice President for the ARMDI 12/5/08
- Metropolitan Credit Adjusters Relocates to Larger Collection Facility 12/5/08
- CR Software Provides Enhanced Security for Custom Pages 12/4/08
- SoundBite and Collection Industry Leaders Host Webinar On Optimizing Collection Strategies 12/4/08
- OneClick-Data Now Offers Place of Employment Searches 12/3/08
- Intrum Justitia Acquires Two French ARM Firms 12/2/08
- VWA Sees 30 Percent Increase in Third Party Collections in Past Two Months 12/2/08
- Totality Software Launches New Edition Designed for Collection Agencies 12/2/08
- Executive Change: David Herman to RENKIM as Regional Sales Manager 12/2/08
- Purlieu Solutions Acquires US Business Operations of Admerex Limited 11/26/08
- Purlieu Solutions Acquires US Business Operations of Admerex Limited 11/26/08
