Members specializing in credit reporting compliance and representing agencies of all sizes in the ARM industry are slated to speak on webinars following the release of the CFPB’s final debt collection rule. Editor’s note: This article is available for members only.
10/7/2020 9:00
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is expected to release its long-awaited debt collection rule this year, and ACA International is ready. The release of the final rule signals the biggest development in the accounts receivable management (ARM) industry since the passage of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act more than 40 years ago.
ACA’s panel of experts is standing by to quickly review the comprehensive rule and will be providing detailed analysis and compliance resources.
As part of that process, ACA is planning 11 daily ACA Huddle webinars complimentary for members sponsored by Hinshaw & Culberston LLP, Ontario Systems, Venable LLP and RevSpring Inc. Registration is open now and the webinars—for ACA members only—will be held on consecutive weekdays within 24 to 48 hours after the rule is released.
Here is a look at the sixth and seventh webinars in the series and featured speakers:
Credit Reporting Under the New Rule
The CFPB’s proposed debt collection rule incorporated existing FDCPA prohibited practices and added proposed restrictions on communicating before credit reporting. The proposed rule said a debt collector would be prohibited from reporting collection items to a consumer reporting agency unless the debt collector has already communicated with the consumer, for example, by sending a letter to the consumer. In this webinar, speakers Christopher Meier, general counsel and chief compliance officer at The CMI Group in Plano, Texas; Kim Phan, partner at Ballard Spahr LLP in Washington, D.C.; and John Bedard, owner of Bedard Law Group P.C. in Duluth, Georgia, will cover updated regulations on credit reporting in the CFPB’s final rule.
Meier, who serves on ACA’s MAP Committee, manages all legal aspects of The CMI Group’s operations and ensures compliance with all relevant laws and regulations. He joined the company in 2008 after working for an insurance defense firm in Dallas that specialized in defending collection agencies against FDCPA and FCRA lawsuits. Meier is also an active member of ACA and the Southwest Collectors Association and has served as a guest presenter at several conferences covering topics such as legislative reform and in-house litigation strategies.
Phan’s practice also focuses on providing privacy and data security guidance to clients on laws such as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, FCRA and FDCPA, and on regulatory compliance matters including supervisory and enforcement interactions with the CFPB and the Federal Trade Commission and other federal regulatory agencies. She has successfully represented multiple national companies through the FTC investigatory process, resulting in “no-action” letters. Phan and Meier previously spoke on credit reporting during ACA’s webinars on the CFPB’s proposed rule.
Bedard, an ACA Certified Instructor, also spoke during last year’s series and in a webinar on electronic communications and disclosures. He is chair of ACA’s Education Council and testified before the House Financial Services Committee during a September 2019 hearing on debt collection just after ACA’s proposed comments on the CFPB’s proposed rule were submitted.
Member Impact: Small/Medium/Large Companies. What is My Next Step?
In this webinar, members will hear firsthand insights from ACA leaders and their fellow members about the impact of the CFPB’s debt collection rule on businesses of all sizes. Speakers include Tamar Yudenfreund, senior director, public policy, Encore Capital Group in San Diego; Jack Brown III, president, Gulf Coast Collection Bureau Inc. in Sarasota, Florida; and Courtney Reynaud, president of Creditors Bureau USA in Fresno, California.
Yudenfreund, who chairs ACA’s Federal Affairs Committee, will offer a perspective for large member companies of ACA. She is an active ACA member and participated in a panel at the June Washington Insights Livestream on legislation in the 116th Congress impacting the ARM industry.
Brown is the ACA Board of Directors liaison to the Federal Affairs Committee and will share insights as a representative of a medium-sized agency. Brown is a second-generation agency owner and 2018/19 president of ACA.
In addition to his federal advocacy, Brown continuously volunteers his time to the Florida Collectors Association and has served in several board roles, including president.
Reynaud, who was elected to ACA’s Board of Directors in 2019, is the third generation to own and operate her company. Reynaud and her husband purchased Creditors Bureau USA in 2017 and she will speak to the impact of the debt collection rule for small agencies. Her professional experience is rooted in the health care industry, with a special understanding of law and consumer rights. Reynaud has served in various capacities on the board of the California Association of Collectors and she continues to serve in an active role on the state legislative committee.
Register for ACA’s upcoming webinars on the CFPB debt collection rule, available only for members, now. For CFPB and ACA advocacy updates, log in to your My ACA profile on acainternational.org to subscribe to ACA Daily and Member Alerts.