ACA International Convention & Expo 2022

8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

8:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast, 8:30 a.m. Workshop Begins

Show your clients that your agency is one they can trust by pursuing the Blueprint Quality Management System certification. Blueprint is the redesigned and modernized Professional Practices Management System (PPMS). Held one day before the convention kicks off, this Blueprint workshop is the first step to initial certification. The 18 elements presented will help organizations cut down on the number of mistakes it makes, improve inter-departmental communication, efficiently resolve client issues and improve their bottom-line. Learn more about Blueprint certification online at https://www.acainternational.org/education/blueprint

This add-on workshop is an additional fee: $449 Members, $549 Nonmembers. (Training Pass is not valid for this in-person training.)

5:00 PM - 6:00 PM

This reception is for the ACA International Council of Delegates, Board of Directors and Board candidates.

7:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Entrance into the Expo Hall during set-up hours are limited to only registered booth staff. Exhibitors who hire a contractor for booth set-up must identify those individuals in advance. Exhibit or Booth Set-Up badges are required for entry during set-up time.

7:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Sponsored by: 

7:30 AM - 10:00 AM

2:00 PM - 2:45 PM

Stop in for tips on how to make the most of your convention experience. All first-time attendees, new members or those who have not attended for several years are invited to attend. 

Sponsored by: 

2:30 PM - 3:15 PM

Stop in for tips on how to make the most of your convention experience. All first-time attendees, new members or those who have not attended for several years are invited to attend. 

Sponsored by: 

3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

ACA CEO Scott Purcell and President Kevin Baich kick off the convention followed by our opening keynote, Denise Hamilton. 

Now, more than ever, we are all confronting the complex issues of race and differences in the workplace. What does it mean to be an ally? How do we have the difficult conversations in a way that is productive and supportive? Denise will challenge and encourage you to excavate the underlying beliefs that shape your opinions around race, gender and intersectionality. Together we will identify shared values and develop a framework for incorporating different perspectives. The goal is to harness the differences among us to generate creative and innovative solutions to move us to optimal performance. The world is changing. By aligning your teams, especially leadership, we can create a path to competitive excellence, improved morale and increased retention. 

Sponsored by:

5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

The Welcome Reception is sponsored by: 

5:15 PM - 7:00 PM

7:00 PM - 9:30 PM

You won’t know which restaurant you’ll be eating at (or which ACA members you’ll be dining with), until 15 minutes before dinner time. Join the fun and suspense and sign up today—space is limited. No additional registration fee is required—you pay for your own transportation, dinner and drinks. Plan to meet at 7PM for group assignments; and reservations are set for 7:30PM.

7:00 AM - 7:45 AM

Sponsored by: 

7:00 AM - 3:45 PM

Sponsored by: 

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Remote work is more prevalent than ever before, even for lawyers. As lawyers work remotely and counsel across jurisdictions as in-house or outside counsel, this session will revisit staple rules of professional responsibility, including Model Rule 1.6 (“Confidentiality”) and Rule 5.5 (“Unauthorized Practice of Law; Multijurisdictional Practice of Law”). This session will also provide a refresher on core evidentiary concepts that intersect with the rules of professional responsibility, such as the attorney-client privilege, work-product privilege, and waiver.

Legal Education Sessions are Sponsored by:

8:00 AM - 8:50 AM

Session Information Coming Soon

8:00 AM - 8:50 AM

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is back with a vengeance. Examinations are in full swing. Civil Investigative Demands are being dealt like playing cards to agencies large and small, and rulemaking is at the top of the CFPB's go-forward strategy.  

This means it is time to dust off your Compliance Management System (CMS) and prepare for the inevitable visit, administrative action, or even more rulemaking. During this session, attendees will explore the principal control components of a CMS and the risks associated with a deficient CMS. We will cover: 

• The key components of board and management oversight;  

• New must-have Reg F policies and procedures;  

• Updates to your consumer complaint response system;  

• New training requirements for E-SIGN, Reg F, email, test, and portals; and  

• Common gaps found in annual CMS audits.  

This session is designed with YOUR agency in mind to ensure you can successfully manage compliance obligations and risks now and in the future. 

8:00 AM - 8:50 AM

Pursuant to its February 2022 report, the CFPB is taking a particular interest in medical debt, highlighting what it identified as the complicated and burdensome nature of the medical billing system in the U.S. The CFPB reported an estimated $88 billion in medical debt reflected on consumer credit reports as of June 2021, the majority of which are debts under $500. The bureauis focused on holding credit reporting agencies and others accountable for the accurate reporting of medical debt, including a duty to take action against abusive furnishers who routinely report inaccurate information regarding medical debt. In response, the the three major credit reporting agencies, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, issued a joint statement regarding how medical debt will be treated and reported, significantly modifying the landscape for reporting medical debt. 

This presentation will explore in-depth both the CFPB's medical debt report as well as the credit reporting agencies' proposed policy changes, what impact they will have on the ARM industry and how industry members should use this information. 

9:20 AM - 10:20 AM

Remote work is more prevalent than ever before, even for lawyers. As lawyers work remotely and counsel across jurisdictions as in-house or outside counsel, this session will revisit staple rules of professional responsibility, including Model Rule 1.6 (“Confidentiality”) and Rule 5.5 (“Unauthorized Practice of Law; Multijurisdictional Practice of Law”). This session will also provide a refresher on core evidentiary concepts that intersect with the rules of professional responsibility, such as the attorney-client privilege, work-product privilege, and waiver.

Legal Education Sessions are Sponsored by:

9:20 AM - 10:10 PM

So, do you think your collection agency is ready to purchase and work defaulted loan portfolios? There are pros and cons to acquiring nonperforming loans on the secondary market, and it's essential to know the right questions to ask to ensure that your agency is working with quality vendors and partners and compliantly collecting on purchased accounts. In this informative session, you will learn the basics of how debt buying works and hear best practices for getting started successfully. We will discuss the critical facets of debt buying as they pertain to collection agencies, including: 

• For every agency, there are pros and cons to acquiring NPLs on the secondary market. What are these, and can you mitigate enough risk to make the pros outweigh the cons? 

• The basics of how debt buying works and best practices for success in getting started. 

• Knowledge of compliance requirements and government regulations will enable you to collect on purchased accounts compliantly. 

• Restrictions and requirements from creditors/lenders/sellers, including the need for a chain of title tracking, post-sale support, a complaint management portal, and account transparency to PIF/SIF. 

• Portfolio selection and valuation is more than just price; learn to take historical performance and seller compliance requirements into consideration. 

Don't miss this info-packed session on debt buying for agencies, hosted by a diverse, cross-industry panel of debt buying and selling veterans. 

9:20 AM - 10:10 AM

Collection agencies engaged in consumer debt collection have until Dec. 9 to align their data protection programs with recent regulatory amendments to the Safeguards Rule. The rule, first promulgated in 2002 under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, regulates the data privacy practices of financial institutions, which covers debt collectors and debt buyers as well as originating creditors. Changes to the Safeguards Rule now require covered entities to implement particular procedures and controls and impact companies large and small, as well as the vendors serving them. The panelists will discuss how small and medium enterprises can economically undertake the necessary steps to come into compliance.  

9:20 AM - 10:10 AM

Session Information Coming Soon

10:10 AM - 3:45 PM

10:10 AM - 11:00 AM

Sponsored by:

10:30 AM - 3:30 PM

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

This session will pick through the shells and sea glass of recent cases to highlight recent case law that shapes our industry. Is Hunstein a piece of rough coral you find on the beach and toss back in the sea or does it provide the Plaintiff's bar with a shiny piece of sea glass. Has Reg F provided a beach full of moving target crabs or is Reg F going to be like the plastic that is clogging our oceans. Are there any new, unique FDCPA or TCPA shells that have washed ashore that require a second look?

Legal Education Sessions are Sponsored by:

11:00 AM - 11:50 AM

In the ARM industry, we are constantly dealing with situations and events that are complex, yet our thinking is often biased and simplistic. We can increase our effectiveness and success in nearly all business areas by adopting new ways of thinking that are more in tune with our adaptive and nonlinear world. When you attend this course, you will learn the basic principles of systems thinking: a more sophisticated way of looking at problems, organizing your thoughts, and changing how you see things by broadening your perspective.  

Kelli Krueger and Dennis Barton will lay out what systems thinking is, why it's valuable, and how to do it—and they will do all of this through interactive gameplay. It's time to modernize your mind! Join us to learn, play, and embrace a new way of thinking.  

WARNING: If you plan on multi-tasking during our session, this training is not for you.  

11:00 AM - 11:50 AM

Regulation F is here, and with it comes a blueprint for compliantly collecting through channels other than the ones we all love so dearly. You can email! You can text! And you can even (gulp) use social media! But the question remains— -should you? And if you plan to, does Reg F provide the only manual? Join us as we discuss how best to engage with consumers without having to bet the company on it. 

11:00 AM - 11:50 AM

Intelligent Contact Data to Fuel a 7x7 Omni-Channel Outreach Strategy 

Regulation F is transforming traditional collection practices. While the industry has focused on the regulatory compliance aspect, not as much attention has been invested in evolving outreach strategies to maintain performance. 

Now more than ever, every contact must count. Outbound calling will remain a core communication channel. Still, additional channels like email, text, and digital media need to be evaluated, integrated, and optimized into overall contact strategies to drive future efficiency and effectiveness. 

How can you shift to a precision outreach strategy and manage customer engagement across multiple channels?  

This panel will discuss how companies can meet Reg F guidelines and use unique behavioral intelligence on phones and emails to optimize outreach attempts and maintain right-party contact rates. Hear about the power of contact intelligence to increase reach and maximize efficiency using the best phone/email and the best time of day to contact each consumer to increase effectiveness while meeting new regulation guidelines. 

11:50 AM - 2:00 PM

Sponsored by:

12:00 PM - 2:00 PM

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Learn how the intersection of “fair” and “ethical” debt collection obligations is more than possible; the combination of the two results in successful collections.  A number of ethical rules deal directly with consumer collections. This seminar will explore those rules and the commentary interpreting them.

The session will include a refresher on ethical requirements when communicating with an unrepresented consumer. We will also cover your obligations regarding oversight of your “subordinates. ”All of this will dovetail with the “fairness” obligations under the FDCPA. And much more. It’s always helpful to go over what we learned back in law school when it comes to ethical obligations to ensure that your collection practice and protocols used in it are in accord with the current state of the ethical rules.

Legal Education Sessions are Sponsored by:

2:00 PM - 2:50 PM

Over the past few months, there has been an uptick in activity at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The debt collection industry is under the microscope, and the CFPB continues to churn out press releases, tweets, policies, and enforcement activity aimed at the industry, emphasizing medical and student loan debt. Panelists will break down the latest trends and provide tips for avoiding regulatory and congressional scrutiny as the ARM industry remains in the crosshairs in Washington and throughout the country. Auchterlonie, a former CFPB regulator who worked with CFPB Director Rohit Chopra during the Cordray years, and Dempsey, who represents the interests of ACA members in D.C., will provide an insider's perspective on what to expect over the next few months. 

2:00 PM - 2:50 PM

Are you wondering what this “blockchain” is that everyone is talking about? Do you question if this new technology will disrupt and transform the ARM industry? Join this session to get the scoop on what blockchain is and how it’s transforming industries today. Get tips on how your company can (and should) be prepared for this next industry transformation. Attendees will hear directly from experts and operators in the ARM industry on how they are readying their businesses to welcome this new technology into their work lives. 

2:00 PM - 2:50 PM

The last two years have been full of industry changes, and many of those changes required support from information technology resources. It's never been more critical to integrate your IT resources into your organization's Compliance Management System. It was no surprise to see the CFPB publish new CMR-IT Examination Procedures. In this session, we will dive into the expectations of the CFPB and how it relates to all aspects of your Compliance Management System. 

2:50 PM - 3:45 PM

Sponsored by:

3:45 PM - 4:45 PM

Sponsored by: 

4:45 PM - 5:45 PM

Meet with women in collections on mentorship and make new connections at this reception hosted by ACA’s Women in Collections Resource Council.

Sponsored by: 

6:30 PM - 9:30 PM

Bring your game face for this ax-throwing social showdown on Thursday night with 250 of your ACA friends.  Seats are limited to so register early! Special shoutout to our throwdown title sponsor, Nationwide, and bar sponsor, BillingTree, a REPAY company. TIckets for this event are $225 per person. Transportation and dinner will be provided.
Benefitting ACA's Political Action Committee administrative fund. 

7:00 AM - 1:30 PM

Sponsored by: 

7:30 AM - 8:10 AM

Join us for breakfast as we get ready to announce this year's award winners. Breakfast services will only be from 7:30 - 8:10 AM, followed by Awards presentation and Keynote Dr. Romie Mustaq.

Sponsored by:

8:10 AM - 9:30 AM

At the annual awards ceremony, many of the association’s outstanding members will be recognized for selflessly devoting their time and skills to advance the accounts receivable management industry. Receiving an ACA honor symbolizes a member’s commitment to the association and the industry. Join us in this celebration of member success, where awards such as the ACA Member of the Year and James K. Erickson Continuous Service will be given as well as education honors, advocacy and unit awards. The Awards recognition is followed by our final keynote speaker.

Keynote Dr. Romie Mushtaq: brainSHIFT: 3 Mindful Steps to Break the Stress-Success Cycle
Modern leaders and employees are stuck in the never-ending “Stress–Success cycle”. It’s that cycle where we work too hard, stress, obsesses, and worry on our way to achieving goals—then once we achieve them, we just go right back into the cycle again. How often do you or your employees have: Difficulty focusing at work? Racing thoughts before bed? Feelings of stress or anxiety and end up with too many visits to the doctor with no real answers? It’s time to get to the core of the issue and break the Stress-Success Cycle. Dr. Romie’s keynote blends medicine and wellness into her “3 Mindful Steps” and will truly shift your personal and professional lives. This keynote goes into the neuropsychology and mental health syndromes affecting cognitive performance and emotional control—then wraps it all up in easy-to-digest and practical takeaways. Your audience will get Dr. Romie’s science-backed program that everyone can go home with and implement right away for increased mental health and wellness. Let’s change the way your brain and your team functions to create a more successful, balanced, and healthy life.
 

Sponsored by: 

9:30 AM - 1:30 PM

9:30 AM - 1:30 PM

9:30 AM - 10:15 AM

Sponsored by: 

10:15 AM - 11:15 AM

We know a thing or two because we’ve seen a thing or two. Two experienced litigators share the lessons learned from outrageous claims and inept defenses in this session modeled after NPR’s Says You! quiz show.  Come hear about the lessons your agency can learn from the cases that have been litigated in recent years.

Legal Education Sessions are Sponsored by:

10:15 AM - 11:05 AM

Managing compliance in a virtual ecosystem, along with the ever-changing regulatory environment, poses new challenges. Even though the concept of an office may have changed, regulatory compliance remains a critical business function. Managing compliance in this time of telework, videoconferencing, and travel limitations is more difficult than ever.  

In this new normal, companies must be able to identify the common issues with virtual onboarding and training new employees, maintaining compliance in the cloud, and installing tools and processes to effectively monitor and sustain an effective Compliance Management System. Now is not the time to ignore compliance obligations or best practices. 

10:15 AM - 11:05 PM

During these challenging times, it can be difficult to manage a business in the accounts receivable management industry. This session will discuss how to lead your company through volatility and technological change, specifically focusing on the role C-level executives need to play. Throughout this presentation, we will cover the current state of the industry (e.g., macro trends and consumer stimulus programs), adapting to the “new normal” (e.g., the CFPB’s final rules, remote work environments, COVID-19, and the regulatory shift under the Biden administration), how to assess yourself as a leader (e.g., what is working/not working and what is your end game), and where you can go from here (e.g., assess your team members, reflect on your strengths and weaknesses and make a plan). 

10:15 AM - 11:05 AM

Data-analyst-turned-lawyer will take industry leaders on a journey using experimentation and data crunching that will challenge conventional collection techniques, all designed to get you thinking differently about how to resolve accounts. It's no secret that the collection process is data-intensive, but what does the data show? And how can you use your data to increase revenue?  

Using a "Moneyball" approach allows your agency to analyze and "exploit" your data in new and creative ways to increase successful collections. As "Moneyball" instructs, we need baserunners to score runs. Swinging for the fences feels good but can be counterproductive. 

By way of example, this session will challenge you to critically examine collected accounts and then use lessons gleaned from what worked to develop more effective and creative ways to resolve consumers' financial problems. You will use this new mindset to solve consumers' financial problems (i.e., truly work with the consumer to creatively get debts paid). The collateral benefit? A better bottom line for your agency. A consumer problem-solving mindset increases "win-win-win" resolution. Consumers win by getting their debts paid, creditors win by getting their past-due accounts paid, and your agency wins by getting paid for its successful collection efforts.  

Can this work? Come hear real-world examples of how getting runners on base (instead of swinging for the fences and striking out)" significantly improves collection agency bottom lines. This session will offer tips that can help you return more money to your clients and increase your agency's profitability by helping consumers get their debts behind them, all with the collateral benefit of reducing your risk of lawsuits and complaints—a true grand slam. 

11:15 AM - 1:30 PM

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM

The CFPB is not the only regulator the ARM industry has to worry about.  At the state level, State Attorneys General continue to actively pursue investigation and enforcement against the industry, including issuing Civil Investigative Demands (CIDs).  Effectively addressing these CIDs is critical to staying under the State AG's radar or, if necessary, to mitigating any penalties that the State AG may decide to impose.  This presentation will cover the basics of effectively addressing State AG CIDs, from the viewpoint of a seasoned MAP Attorney experienced in representing ARM Industry clients in such matters (including a recent matter from which a group of clients received assistance from the ACA Industry Advancement Fund).

Legal Education Sessions are Sponsored by:

1:30 PM - 5:00 PM

1:30 PM - 2:20 PM

Many of the consumers you connect with want to, and are capable of, managing their way out of debt. They don't like to be contacted every day with the same question: Can you pay? What they want and need are financial management tools that help them improve their situation and some time to get it done. This session will help you discover the tools that will benefit the consumers you are collecting from, enhance your collections AND significantly reduce your expenses. Especially in today's labor market, you'll want to make sure you're using artificial intelligence where you can! 

1:30 PM - 2:20 PM

This session will show attendees how to avoid severe litigation traps raised in consumer FCRA litigation—"reasonable investigations" and an agency's policies and procedures can create dangerous minefields. Learn how to avoid the landmines under the FCRA for failing to reasonably investigate disputes, the problems that improper FCRA policies/procedures can create, and the tools needed to help agencies navigate the dangerous waters of an FCRA suit.  

1:30 PM - 2:20 PM

There has been a lot of talk recently about the Great Resignation, employee retention, and how to combat this with better employee engagement and development. Your new hire's experience in the first 30-60 days is a vital timeframe that we must get right if we want them to help us grow our business. It does not matter if your agency is in person, remote, or hybrid because the main principles of what to do are the same. In this session, you will hear from two longtime collection training experts who have the keys to set your staff up for success as soon as they join your agency.  

This session will start from the beginning with tips on getting candidates in your door. From there, we will walk through some great onboarding best practices, how to train new employees and what to focus on, continuous development techniques, and how to prepare them for long-term growth and real-world success. 

In our ever-evolving world and industry, it is vital we are open to and prepared for constant change. With that in mind, we will also discuss specific tools, technology, techniques, and software that help achieve all of these goals. 

2:50 PM - 3:50 PM

The CFPB's Debt Collection rule has had far-reaching implications for the debt collection industry and others.  This session will explore the impact of Regulation F on debt collectors, and present strategies that debt collectors can use to manage compliance risk and prepare for regulatory and private plaintiff scrutiny in light of the new rule.  The session will focus on the importance of a strong risk and enterprise-wide compliance management system with cross-functionality. 

Legal Education Sessions are Sponsored by:

2:50 PM - 3:40 PM

Session Information Coming Soon

2:50 PM - 3:40 PM

The CFPB has cleared you to text; now, what should we focus on? Let's talk about updating your third-party risk management plan, business continuity plan, processes, and key performance indicators. Having these policies in place is the next step to a successful texting program. The third-party debt collection industry has been challenged by carriers refusing to do business, vendors abandoning service, and rules and laws that seem to conflict with each other. 

Not sure how to navigate these barriers? Our panel of experts will explain how to manage a compliant texting program from the inside out, including external hurdles and internal alignment. 

6:00 PM - 9:30 PM