- What are the requirements for agency membership?
- Is the individual or the company a member?
- How much does agency membership cost?
- Is it an annual membership? What month does it start?
- How long must a company be in business before becoming a member?
- How long will it take to get my application approved?
- I am just starting my collection agency. What information does ACA provide?
- I need to be bonded and licensed in order to open my business; what do I need to do?
- May an agency in the United States choose to join at the national level only?
- Who decides on (approves) agency memberships?
- I am not sure if I am in first-party or third-party collections. What’s the difference?
- What are the other types of ACA International memberships?
1. What are the requirements for agency membership?
To apply, complete an agency membership application, which includes an annual dues statement. When you sign the application, you certify that all applicable licensing and regulatory requirements have been satisfied. In the United States, this includes licensing/registration and bonding requirements, if any, in your state. You also agree to abide by ACA International governing documents, such as the Code of Ethics and Code of Operations. A complete application includes references (contact information for three current clients) and a resume for one owner, partner or the CEO. Dues are payable at the time of application but are not applied until membership is approved. You may pay by check or credit card (Visa, MasterCard or American Express).
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2. Is the individual or the company a member?
Agency membership is held by the company. Dues are based on the size of a company, which is measured by the number of employees or personnel (owners, managers, collectors, support and other staff) at the member office location. Benefits such as Web site access and education discounts are available to all individuals working at the member location.*
*On the application, you identify one person as the “main contact” at your company to receive ACA member communications (mail, faxes and e-mail). Additionally, the main contact has administrative access at ACA’s Web site to set up passwords for additional users, pay dues and update the agency’s listing in ACA’s Online Membership Directory.
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3. How much does agency membership cost?
ACA agency membership is by location. Each office wanting access to ACA membership benefits (insurance, bonds, compliance assistance, business discounts, mailed publications, Web access and more) must complete an application and pay annual dues.
To calculate your annual agency member dues, select the appropriate application for your geographic location and view the dues statement. Dues are subject to change.
United States – ACA agency membership in the United States is a combined package of national and state benefits.
National dues: The base fee is $300, which includes one person, plus $25 for each additional employee, up to a maximum of $2,500. State unit dues are additional.
State unit dues: There are 42 U.S. units (either a single state or a multi-state group) and each has different dues as outlined on the dues statement of each of the state-specific membership applications.
Number of employees: Count all full-time equivalent personnel including owners, managers, collectors, support and other staff working at this location. "Full–time equivalent" means the total number of full-time employees, plus the full-time equivalent of all part-time employees. A large, diversified corporation with completely unrelated divisions that do not support the collections operation in any way may exclude the employees in those divisions.
Multi-office discount: A multi-office discount may be available for third-party collection agencies with two or more offices, under the same ownership, and where membership is held for 50 percent or more of the company’s offices. Contact ACA’s Membership Department for details.
International & U.S. Possessions – Basic rate is $210 in U.S. funds. At this time, there are no per-person or unit dues for International Unit members.
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4. Is it an annual membership? What month does it start?
The ACA agency membership (fiscal) year is Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. If you join mid-year, you still pay the full annual dues. However, when you renew for the next fiscal year, you may receive a pro–rated credit on your dues. This credit ranges from 0 percent to 50 percent, depending on the quarter in which you joined.
Full dues are payable at the time of application/when you first apply; however, membership does not begin until the application is approved. At the first renewal, a pro-rate of 25 percent per quarter is applied to applications approved during the second, third and fourth quarters of the year.
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5. How long must the company be in business before becoming a member?
There is no set amount of time an agency needs to have been in operation, but you do need to establish your business before applying for membership.
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6. How long will it take to get my application approved?
Once we receive your completed application and payment, we submit it to the state unit for review. The state unit has up to 45 days to process your application. We will contact you as soon as ACA’s Membership Department is notified of the outcome. (Our deposit of your payment indicates only that the application has been received and is being processed; it does not confer membership.)
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7. I am just starting my collection agency. What information does ACA provide?
ACA’s Web site answers general questions about the industry and collections. Starting and Managing a Collection Agency offers advice and tips for individuals interested in starting their own collection agencies or purchasing a pre-existing one. It is located under the Publications tab of our Web site in the Brochures & Booklets section. You will also need to meet the licensing and bonding requirements in your state. For further information, consult your own business advisors, such as your attorney, or visit your state’s official Web site.
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8. I need to be bonded and licensed to open my business; what do I need to do?
Only ACA members can use our risk management services, which include insurance, bonding and licensing. In order to speed up the process, once we receive your completed application with payment, we can put you in touch with an ACA representative to get you started.
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9. May an agency choose to join at the national level only?
In the United States, agency membership is a combined package of national and unit benefits. When you join ACA, you are joining your state (or multi-state) collectors association (unit) and the national association at the same time. ACA offers only this full membership for collection agencies and related companies.
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10. Who decides on (approves) agency memberships?
In the United States, agency membership is granted through the unit in your state or region, although you must first send the application to ACA for initial review. The unit’s review process may take up to 45 days after receipt of your application and payment. However, during the time your application is pending, you can begin working with ACA’s Risk Management Department for bonds, insurance or licensing needs. (For applicants in other countries, ACA International reviews the application and grants membership directly.)
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11. I am not sure if I am in third-party or first-party collections. What’s the difference?
Does the money you collect go back to your employer or clients? For example, if you are working for Sears and collecting for Sears, then you are a first-party collector. If this is the case, please consider membership in Creditors International, an ACA division for credit grantors, first-party collectors, credit or risk managers and consumer credit counselors.
If you are you working for AAA Collections and remitting to Sears, then you are in third-party collections and would apply for agency membership. Billing companies and companies that purchase debt, whether or not they collect on the debt themselves, are considered substantially related to the collection industry and are included in the “agency” member group.
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12. What are the other types of ACA International memberships?
A. Attorney members practice law in the credit and collection arena, representing fellow ACA members. This division is the Members’ Attorney Program (MAP). The individual attorney holds the membership. To join the Members’ Attorney Program (MAP), the defense attorney, collection attorney or in-house collection agency attorney must be licensed and practice in area of credit or collection law, and be sponsored by a current ACA member or certify that they do not represent consumers in claims against collectors or credit grantors. (Collection law firms should first contact ACA’s Membership Department about agency membership; eligibility varies by state, based on unit bylaws and state regulations.)
B. Creditor members are experts in credit management, lending and first-party collections, and hold positions such as lenders, credit union executives, managers and credit counselors. The individual holds the membership. This division is called Creditors International.
C. Vendor members supply goods or services to the credit and collection industry.
D. Asset buyers are companies that buy, sell, finance or service asset sale transactions, and employ individuals such as debt buyers or sellers, brokers and investment bankers. Companies that do any collections must apply for agency membership. Only companies that do not do any collections may join as asset buyer members.
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If you have not found an answer to your question(s), please contact ACA’s Membership Department. We are happy to answer your inquiries. E–mail: membership@acainternational.org. Call: Marcia Mehlhaff, membership specialist, at (952) 928–8000, ext. 206.