ACA’s Industry Advancement Fund supported members in a broad range of matters this year, including Telephone Consumer Protection Act and Fair Debt Collection Practices Act issues.
12/6/2019 9:00
This year proved to be yet another exciting and challenging one for ACA International members defending various and sundry consumer protection claims.
It was a school of hard knocks in some ways but in others, for ACA members and the accounts receivable management industry as a whole, it was a success. ACA was proud to work alongside its members by providing financial and “friend of the court” support to help shape the industry to the benefit of its membership, according to a summary report in the December issue of Collector magazine by former ACA Corporate Counsel Kari Barber.
ACA’s Industry Advancement Fund supported members in a broad range of matters, including arguing for more clarity on critical Telephone Consumer Protection Act issues and pressing for more consistency in how the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is applied across the nation.
The year began with ACA providing IAP funds to help defray the cost of litigation in a number of FDCPA letter language cases. Opportunistic consumer lawyers mull over collection letters, making a hodgepodge out of already plain language in the hopes of divining a possible lawsuit against collection agencies diligently seeking to comply with the law.
While the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau pores over 12,000 comments in response to its proposed rule for debt collection, debt collectors hoping for more timely relief from the courts on the latest consumer attorney claims regarding collection letters received some clarity this year. ACA’s IAP defrayed the cost of litigation, helping its members reap significant victories in several FDCPA letter language cases from federal courts around the country.
Read more about the significant cases supported by the IAP this year through amicus briefs and the Industry Advancement Fund in the December issue of Collector Magazine.
Although 2019 is coming to an end, the work in the accounts receivable management industry is not.
Next year may be the most important year yet as our industry awaits clarity from the Federal Communications Commission, the CFPB and the U.S. Supreme Court. ACA, through its industry advancement initiative, eagerly awaits opportunities in 2020 to help its members succeed.
ACA’s efforts to proactively support the accounts receivable management industry are part of the association’s Industry Advancement Fund, and are made possible by funding through ACA’s Industry Advancement Fund. If you want to read more about the most recent significant judicial decisions involving the accounts receivable management industry, ACA members can always find concise case summaries at acainternational.org/industryadvancementprogram.
ACA’s Board of Directors also recently approved additional use of the Industry Advancement Fund (IAF) to defray defense costs of member applicants. Members may read more about the new program here.