First Collection Services Inc. Depends on LexisNexis Accurint SureContact for Increased Collections

BOCA RATON, FL – First Collection Services, Inc., an Arkansas-based collections agency specializing in telecommunications collections, said today that recovery rates have significantly increased since the company began using the new Accurint SureContact™ product from LexisNexis®, a leading provider of legal, news and business information services.

“Accurint SureContact is an incredible leap forward for skip tracing – the amount of phone numbers returned is just amazing,” said Chris Dunkum, vice president of operations at First Collection Services, Inc. “Using Accurint SureContact, we are seeing a higher right-party contact rate, which is translating into increased recovery and a shortened collections cycle.”

A challenge faced by the collections industry is that research shows that approximately 35 percent of delinquent debtors move annually, and half of all accounts received for collections require some form of skip-tracing. At any given time, billions of dollars in consumer loans are in delinquency.

Built on proprietary Accurint® data-linking technology, Accurint SureContact cleans debtor account information, and then matches it against multiple nationwide databases. Accurint SureContact provides multiple points of contact from a single query, and helps eliminate unproductive call attempts by identifying bankrupt and deceased individuals.

“Accurint SureContact delivers a high rate of right-party contacts,” said Dane Mauldin, Vice President of Collections Solutions for LexisNexis Risk Management business unit. “Our initial tests have demonstrated that customers like International Computer Systems will differentiate themselves in the industry by using this product.”

The debt collection industry plays an important role in the American economy. The billions of dollars recovered are injected back into the economy and to merchants, which helps to save businesses and jobs. The debt collection industry also benefits consumers. Industry research has shown that by returning money owed to U.S. businesses, the collection industry saves American families on average $331 a year in money they otherwise would have spent if businesses raised their prices to cover losses to bad debt.