Creditors International Welcomes Members of the Former -- Communications Accounts Receivable Management Association (CARMA)

The Creditors International (CI) division of ACA International, The Association of Credit and Collection Professionals, is proud to announce that nearly 15 percent of the members of the former Communications Accounts Receivables Management Association (CARMA) have become CI members at the urging of CARMA leadership. Citing falling membership levels and low attendance at their most recent convention, CARMA?s executive committee recently sent a letter to their members announcing the dissolution of the association and suggesting that they join CI.

After an exhaustive evaluation of creditor associations, CARMA leaders decided that CI was the best fit, primarily because of the similarities in benefits the two associations offer. In addition to the creditor-specific benefits of CI, members receive full membership in ACA International, opening up a host of educational, networking and legislative opportunities.

?The integration of CARMA members fits right in to ACA?s vision for CI,? said ACA International CEO Gary Rippentrop. ?CI strives to bring together professionals from all segments of the credit industry: bankers, automobile financers, healthcare administrators, student loan counselors, government agencies, mortgage brokers, credit card issuers, retailers and more. Our members firmly believe in the value of learning from and interacting with other creditors, who deal with different specific issues but adhere to the same principles and, at a basic level, share the same needs. Privacy, bankruptcy, credit reporting, customer service and economic trends are all fundamental to granting credit and developing and executing effective in-house collection strategies.?

Rippentrop went on to say that this latest infusion of creditors and collectors from the telecommunications industry adds a whole new perspective and realm of expertise to CI?s diverse membership.

That new perspective came to light at ACA?s recent Collection Business Academy (CBA) in Clearwater Beach, Fla. Several CARMA members attended and lent their voices to discussions on effective collection techniques, supervisory skills, skiptracing and a compendium of ?Best Ideas for First-Party Collectors.?

For a complete list of CI benefits, call CI at (952) 926-6547.

ACA International, formerly known as the American Collectors Association Inc., is the association of credit and collection professionals. Founded in 1939, ACA International has approximately 5,300 members, including third-party collection agencies, attorneys, credit grantors and vendor affiliates. Headquartered in Minneapolis, ACA International serves members in the United States, Canada and 58 other countries worldwide. For more information visit our Web site at www.collector.com.