Category: payday loan collections

15
Mar

1 Simple Payday Loan Collection Tactic

“We’ve been taught to collect only one way. Heavy demand. Lots of thunder. But before you start firing all your collection bullets, how about a different approach?” Steve Hodgdon, founder of Modern Asset Management, reminds all of us to not overly complicate the task of getting borrowers to pay us.

Watch Steve’s short video and put some serious cash in your pocket. [After watching Steve’s collection video, READ THIS!]

The Best Collection Question. The single, best question to get your borrower to TALK to you. Let me know what you think.

Collections driving you nuts? Reach out to Steve.
Steve Hodgdon
President
Modern Asset Management, Inc.
1-415-596-2415 cell
1-800-617-3680 ext 801

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08
Apr

Soft-Collections-vs-Silent-Collections-Payday-and-Car-Title

What Keeps You Up at Night?

The CFPB? That State AG’s are after you? Is it the Legislators regulating you out of business? Where do all these issues start from? Consumer complaints. Does every loan you make turn into a complaint? No, complaints only come from consumers who don’t repay the loan on time.

I’m a bill collector. I’ve been doing this for a while too. Started collecting department store checks in Christmas of 1980 – 32 years as a collector, lender, debt buyer, and 17 of those operating the squeaky cleanest collection agency ever.

Guest Post by Steve Hodgdon . Help? Explore? Email Steve!

Short of just forgiving every loan, you’re going to have use some kind of collection method. Pick your poison, outsourcing, calling yourself or selling the accounts to recoup some losses. You’ve already learned they all have their negatives.

Silent Collections

About 3 years after buying my first agency, I had a breakthrough. Not a breakdown, a breakthrough, an epiphany. Clients viewed me as a necessary evil. I was “Guido”, the enforcer, the bad guy. They always took the debtor’s side, even though it was their money! How dare they! So, I turned my techniques upside down. Being a collector is being a salesman. Nothing more. It’s my job to sell you, the borrower, on the benefits of paying your bill. So, here’s your first take away:

  • The money is in the first call. First contact is the best contact. Take your time and “close the sale”.
  • EVERYBODY wants to be heard. Building empathy and recognizing you’re talking to another human being with the same kinds of problems you’ve faced will pay off for both of you. Don’t sympathize; just make sure they know you LISTENED.
  • What’s in it for them? We’re all motivated this way. Why should they pay you? What do you have to give them in return? Every collector should have a positive and negative list to work from.

I promised my agency clients that there would be no complaints – PERIOD. I worked for charity hospitals in some of the toughest, poverty stricken areas. You and I were neighbors! The same consumer who borrowed money from you paid me first. No doubt about it. How? Here’s your 2nd takeaway:

  • My collectors LOVED their job. Careful hiring and lots of hand holding for new hires. We were practically a cult. Folks would leave for greener pastures and come right back.
  • We built a team. We all had each others’ backs. They knew they could count on me.
  • There were achievable goals, public recognition, and contests all the time.
  • Commission Commission Commission. Pay them and they’ll stay.

You should check under the hood… BEFORE the CFPB does!

The regulatory mood is, and always will be, pro-consumer. Look at the FTC settlements over the past year. If AMEX settles for $85 million among many others, seems likely that the door is wide open for more actions.

State regulators and consumer attorneys take their lead from the CFPB and FTC. Federal sanctions play really well in State courts. There’s no need to fear the CFPB if you’re doing things right. You can stop living on the edge and sleep better with some simple steps. Takeaway #3:

  • Google your agency partners.. Do they dominate the debtor boards?
  • Conduct a mini audit. Internally and externally. Listen to 10 calls on paying accounts to start. What, you can’t listen to call recordings? No time? I’ll audit for you.
  • Go to www.webrecon.com. It’s a great database of FDCPA lawsuits. Search your vendors. I scrub every portfolio I buy through this to identify known litigious debtors.
  • Add a layer of protection. Update your 3rd party contracts to include TCPA, GLB, and PCI compliance for starters.
  • Is your complaint resolution process geared toward getting customers back or collecting money? Ask me how client satisfaction leads to better collections, for free!

Ask yourself this – Would you let the agency call customers in YOUR NAME? Do they present your values? Could what they say to a customer be said in person? Is the collector hiding behind an alias, at an untraceable number, with no published address?

Doesn’t Anybody Like Us?

Reputation management can be more than damage control. Remember, CFPB’s view is that you are liable for bad acts performed by agencies. Let’s get ahead of the regulators.

If all your practices treat consumers as YOUR CUSTOMERS, even if they didn’t pay, all these problems go away. I know from personal experience you can generate thank you letters from consumers and improve liquidity at the same time.

Caveat Venditor – “Seller Beware”

Debt buyers should be vetted through the steps above and more. It’s the Wild, Wild West out there. You want to know what happens to your customer post sale. Liability and reputation damage continue forever.

The difference in price between an ethical, insured, licensed buyer and a cowboy is zero. Market price is market price. Choose buyers you’d let coach your kids soccer team.

You can improve your valuation by documenting and adhering to good underwriting rules. As a buyer of payday loans, my hot buttons are frauds and excessive rollovers. Three reference numbers will boost your valuation 10%.

If you do a good job underwriting then the charge-offs will perform better. That leads to a good reputation in the buyer community and a higher price for you. When we take your product to market, telling the story of your excellent verification procedures adds value.

All good buyers want good sellers. Our investors are spending $10,000 to $1,000,000 for good portfolios. We analyze data and get competitive bids in days, not weeks

I personally oversaw agency management of 500,000 payday loans in 2012. Nothing is better than an “in the trenches” knowledge of the consumer, the lender, and the regulatory landscape.

Putting It All Together – Revenue Cycle Management

  • Tune up internal practices. Are you the best payday shop to work at in your market? Let’s start the party!

Examine value add of 1st party outsourcing. Can it be better, faster, cheaper and not degrade your selling value?

  • Set a high bar for agency and buyer qualification. Do business with the best.
  • And, of course, use an experienced guide to get you home safe and sound. In 30+ years, I’ve seen and done everything in the A/R spectrum. Knowing where to look for problems gets you to the solution faster.

Fluff up that pillow and worry about something else.

Need help with your collections? Advice? Counsel? Shoot an email to Steve Hodgdon

What do YOU think? Leave a comment! What’s YOUR biggest challenge TODAY? What does your Team need help with? Jer@TrihouseConsulting.com

 

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30
Jan

Debt Buying and Collections: 2013 FTC Study Released

The FTC just concluded a 2013 study focused on the debt buying industry. If you’re interested, read on. If not, I suggest you blow “outta here now.”

By Jer Ayles-Ayler: A portion of the key findings and executive summary. (We’ve provided a direct link to the entire FTC PDF at the bottom of this POST.)

PRICES BUYERS PAID FOR PURCHASED DEBT

Buyers paid an average of 4.0 cents per dollar of debt face value.  Analysis of the prices debt buyers paid for debt purchased in more than 3,400 portfolios showed that the average price was 4.0 cents per dollar of debt face value.  Older debt sold for a significantly lower price than newer debt.  The price of debt older than 15 years was virtually zero.  Buyers paid similar prices for debt purchased from original creditors and resellers…

INFORMATION THAT DEBT BUYERS RECEIVED

Buyers typically received the information required for validation notices.  Buyers were likely to have received from sellers the information that the FDCPA currently requires that debt collectors include with validation notices at the beginning of the collection process, including the amount of the debt.  They also either received or were likely aware of the name of the original creditor, which the FDCPA requires that they provide to consumers upon written request.

Buyers also typically received additional information that could make validation notices more useful, but they usually did not provide it to consumers.  Buyers also typically received additional information that, if disclosed to consumers, might help consumers assess whether they are the correct debtor and whether the amount of the debt is correct.  This information included the name of the original creditor, the original creditor’s account number, the debtor’s social security number, the date of last payment, and the date of charge-off.

Buyers rarely received dispute history.  Buyers rarely received any information from sellers concerning whether a consumer had disputed the debt or whether the disputed debt had been verified…

ACCOUNT DOCUMENTATION THAT DEBT BUYERS RECEIVED

Buyers received few underlying documents about debts.  Although buyers received the data file and some other information about the debts, as discussed above, they obtained very few documents related to the purchased debts at the time of sale or after purchase.  For most portfolios, buyers did not receive any documents at the time of purchase.  Only a small percentage of portfolios included documents, such as account statements or the terms and conditions of credit.

WARRANTIES AS TO INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTATION THAT DEBT BUYERS RECEIVED

Accuracy of information provided about debts at time of sale not guaranteed.  In purchase and sale agreements obtained in the study, sellers generally disclaimed all representations and warranties with regard to the accuracy of the information they provided at the time of sale about individual debts – essentially selling debts, with some limited exceptions, “as is.”  The fact…

DEBT BUYERS’ ABILITY TO OBTAIN ACCOUNT DOCUMENTATION

Limitations were placed on debt buyer access to account documents.  Buyers were given a defined amount of time (e.g., typically between six months and three years) to request up to a specified maximum number of documents (e.g., equal to 10% to 25% of the number of debts in the portfolio) at no charge.  After that, buyers were given an additional, defined amount of time to request documents for a fee, usually between $5 and $10 per document, with a maximum number of documents again specified.  Debt sellers usually had substantial time, typically between 30 and 60 days, to respond to requests for documents.  Availability of documents not guaranteed.  Most purchase and sale agreements stated that documents may not be available for all accounts.

Additional limitations applied to the resale of purchased debt.  If debt buyers resold debt to secondary buyers, the original creditors typically had no obligation to provide documents directly to the secondary buyers; instead the secondary buyers were required to forward document requests through the original buyers, which sometimes added additional fees and delays.

CONSUMER DISPUTES OF DEBTS

Consumers disputed 3.2% of debts that buyers attempted to collect themselves.  The data…

VERIFICATION OF DISPUTED DEBTS

About half of disputed debts were reported as verified.  Buyers reported that they had verified 51.3% of the debts consumers disputed.  Older debt…

DEBT AGE AND STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS

Some debt was beyond the statute of limitations, though most was not.  Many states have statute of limitations barring lawsuits to collect on a debt after a certain period, typically between three and six years…

http://ftc.gov/os/2013/01/debtbuyingreport.pdf

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04
Jul

Stop-You Can’t Beat Up Payday Loan Customers

Over! The Days of Beating Up Payday Loan Customers!

One ringy dingy. Two ringy dingys. Three… “Trihouse Payday Loan Consulting. This is Jer.”

The caller blurts out, “I owe a payday loan company $500. I want to pay them but I can’t all at once. I’ve tried to reason with them but they just won’t listen. What should I do, Jer.? Do I close my bank account? Call my state Attorney General? Maybe call my local newspaper? What can I do?”

I, being the sophisticated, experienced, and knowledgeable payday loan consultant that I am, responded to the caller with, “Are you $%^^^&&&&& kidding me! You’re trying to make a deal? And they won’t make one with you?”

“That’s right Mr. Jer.

“What’s your name?” I ask.

“It’s Donna ZXXXXX. I’m in South Carolina.”

“Alright, Donna. Have you talked to a Manager? Have you made the payday loan company an offer, Donna?”

“Mr. Jer, every time I contact them, the person I talk to says management does not make deals. I owe the money and they want it. Mr. Jer, I don’t have it all now. I know I owe the money and I want to pay off my debt but my family just doesn’t have it.”

“Donna, what did you need the original $500 loan for?” I ask.

“Well, our 1998 Honda needed a new radiator. It’s the only transportation our family has. My husband and I need it to get to our jobs. We were too embarrassed to ask for a loan from our relatives; they didn’t really have the money to lend us anyway. We have one credit card but it’s maxed out.” Donna starts trailing off… she’s crying.

“OK, Donna, calm down. I’ll try to help,” I say. “Tell me a little more. Have you paid any of it back yet?”

“Not really,” says Donna. “Every two weeks the payday loan company has deducted $87.50 for the past ten weeks. When I call the payday loan company they say I still owe $500.”

“Alright, Donna. If my math skills are correct, you’ve paid the payday loan company $437.50 ($17.50 per $100 X 5 x 5 two week pay periods) in fees and you still owe the $500 principal. Donna, how much can you afford to pay them until this loan is paid off?”

“My husband and I figure $50 every two weeks,” says Donna.

“Donna, give me the payday loan company’s phone number and I’ll try. We’ll do a conference call with the 3 of us.”

One ringy dingy. Two ringy dings. Three ringy…

“XXX Cash Advances. This is Emmett, may I help you?”

“Hello, Emmett. This is Jer with Trihouse Payday Loan Consulting. My friend Donna ZXXXXX is on the phone with us. Say hello Donna. (Donna says hello.) Donna owes you $500. She needs a payment plan both you and her family can live with. Emmett, as you can see from Donna’s records there on your computer, she has paid your payday loan company $437.50 in loan fees so far. We propose you prepare an ACH authorization and implement a payment plan of $50 every two weeks for 10 pay periods until the principal of $500 is paid in full. That’s a total payment to your company of $937.50.”

“Why should we accept your proposal, Jer?” says Emmett.

“Well, Emmett. Let me count the ways…”

“First, it makes good business sense! In the long run, you’ll retain a good customer and gain access to her friends and family via her referrals and testimonials. Emmett, you and I both know the key to success in the payday loan industry is customer retention.”

“And, ultimately  over a 25 week period, you will have received $937.50 in fees and principal, Emmett.”

“You’ll have implemented FISCA, CFSA and OLA best practices. This is THE trend in our industry. And Emmett, you certainly don’t want your industry peers beating you up at the next payday loan industry convention, do you?” (I always find a little humor helps in these situations :o)

“Emmett, you and your company will avoid coming to the attention of the media, the regulators and the so-called Center for Irresponsible Lending.” (Ok, I can’t help it. Technically, it’s the Center for Responsible Lending.)

“If you’re licensed in South Carolina Emmett, you’ve already exceeded the maximum allowable rollovers and you MUST offer a payment plan to Donna.” (Note to reader: with the right payday loan software, this is very simple.)

“And most importantly Emmett, you’ll feel good about yourself and your payday loan company.”

“OK, Jer and Donna. Let me talk to management…,” says Emmett.

Now, READER, it’s too soon to know what Emmett and his payday loan company decided to do for Donna and her family. And, I don’t know if Donna or her husband will attempt to get 5 more payday loans next week. (Of course, if she does attempt this, and the payday loan companies she applies at use any of the top “scrubbers” – that is sub-prime consumer data reporting services – Donna will have trouble qualifying for a new payday loan.)

Note also READER, the best payday loan software offers the ability to implement a payment plan with fixed amounts deducted to coincide with consumer payroll periods or to create creative pay down plans depending on the specific payday loan consumer situation.

(Don’t worry READER, I’ll continue to cover LMS (payday loan software), sub-prime consumer databases, payment plans, Best Practices, collections, lead generation and MUCH more in future Newsletters and Blog Posts.)

Bottom line READER? Think LONG TERM. Employ Payday Loan Industry Best Practices. Feel good about yourself and your business! Remember, you’re providing emergency loans to consumers having no place to turn. Without you, they lack the ability to keep the lights on, fix the car, buy their kid’s prescription…

And dear READER, if this strategy of “soft-collections” doesn’t make sense to you, YOU and YOUR COMPANY ARE DOOMED! YOU WILL NOT ENDURE!! There are simply too many sophisticated, well-funded groups in the payday loan space who “get this.” Believe me, I know! I get calls and consult for them every day!

Finally, whether you’re a “brick-n-mortar” or an Internet Lender employing one of the creative payday loan licensing models such as Sovereign-Tribal Nation, offshore, choice-of-law, Credit Services Organization (CSO), line-of-credit, installment lending, OR WHATEVER, DO NOT THINK you can beat-up your customers. BE ADVISED! YOU WILL DIE!!

WHAT DO YOU THINK READER? Attack me, call me nuts, fight with me or LOVE me. Comments and altered thinking are welcome!

Are you a Lender? Or, maybe you want to learn how to be a Lender?  You want ideas, know-how, and make more money by lending to the masses PROFITABLY?

Get the latest version of our “Bible: How to Loan Money to the Masses Profitably.” CLICK HERE!

How to Start or Improve a Consumer Loan Business: Storefront or Internet anywhere!

How to Start or Improve a Consumer Loan Business: Storefront or Internet anywhere!

Jer@PaydayLoanIndustryBlog.com
https://www.PaydayLoanIndustryBlog.com
702-208-6736

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21
Dec

Collection Idea for AFS – Payday Loans, Car Title, BHPH, and RTO

I regularly write about the need for Alternative Financial Services (AFS) like payday loans, car title lenders, rent-to-own (RTO), buy-here-pay-here (BHPH) operators and others to evolve and embrace technology. Not only in the types of loans and terms we offer, but also in marketing, software, collections and more.

I know that a large percentage of customers who owe me money DO NOT WANT TO TALK to me! After years in this business, I’ve learned that if I offer my customer a method of paying me off or negotiating with me, WITHOUT having to actually talk to me, they’re more likely to cut a deal.

So… regarding collections, I introduce Debt Resolve – online settlement of debt – a unique way to collect your delinquent accounts. It’s basically an automated bargaining system that provides your delinquent customer the opportunity to make a deal without your having to involve your collections employee in the process. It takes place online and it’s entirely “hands-off.”

Debt Resolve received their 5th patent allowing the Company “a method and system for automated bargaining in a round by round manner.” Debt Resolve, Inc. (Debt Resolve, Inc. (OTCBB:DRSV) provides lenders, collection agencies, collection law firms, debt buyers and hospitals with a patent-protected online bidding system for the resolution and settlement of consumer debt.

Here’s how it works:

Invite: At your invitation, your delinquent customer logs into a website with a personal invitation code – branded in your name – and confirms their contact information.

Resolve: A series of simple-to-use screens is presented to the debtor. For early-stage delinquencies, Debt Resolve offers a quick and easy way for customers to self-cure online.

For late-stage and charged-off accounts, Debt Resolve features a patented bidding process. The debtor gets three chances to submit an offer and settle the account. Based on strategies, the offers are compared to treatments you have set right from your desktop. The customer chooses from payment options made available to them, or makes an offer for settlement or payments.

COLLECT: When the your debtor makes a successful resolution payment, it’s collected using your electronic payment gateways and deposited directly into your bank account. In the event an agreement is not reached online, you can queue up accounts for follow-up using the updated contact information you’ve received online from your customer.

So, worst case you don’t cut a deal with your delinquent borrower but you now have their most current contact, banking and employment information without having to pay your collections employee to work this loan.

As of this writing, budget approximately $750/month for the service for unlimited transactions.

Personal note: as of this writing, neither I (Jer) or my company (Trihouse) has ANY affiliation with Debt Resolve. No commissions, no stock, no nothing! I just think it’s worth looking at.

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* Providing advice or assistance to a consumer regarding the previous two services.

How does the CAB/CSO Credit Services Organization work with consumer loans?
The CAB/CSO Credit Services Organization operates as a broker, The Texas Credit Services Organization Act (CSOA) allows the lender to register as a CAB/CSO and act as a loan broker. Thus, the CAB/CSO can make loans via "3rd Party Lenders" that are UNREGISTERED and UNLICENSED. The CAB/CSO Credit Services Organization acts as a broker for the consumer in need of funds by issuing a "letter-of-credit" on behalf of the consumer to a "3rd Party Lender." This 3rd Party Lender funds the "loan" brokered by the CSO.

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The fee is $5000 total per company (Including our Bible)
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Talk to an expert!

1] Request a Call; as little as $75.00 for a 15-minute call. Extend the call if you like.
2] Via Clarity.fm, you will be pre-charged for the estimated length of the call, based on our rate of $200/hr.
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4] Ask ANY question regarding the small-dollar loan industry
4] At the appointed day/time, call the conference line we provide. After our call, the charge will be adjusted to reflect the actual length of our call.

Jer and the Team at Trihouse Consulting have taught thousands of entrepreneurs the correct way to identify, evaluate, negotiate, perform due diligence on, finance, turn-around and operate payday loan, car title loan, and installment loan businesses; the business of making money by lending money. Some people think we’re nuts for doing this, but the truth is that we’re far from crazy. DOING & Teaching opens doors for us that pales in comparison to any other channel.

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