Daily Digest - April 23, 2026

🎂Happy Birthday to: Charles Dunn of Signature Servicing.

🎉Congratulations for starting new positions: Shane Aubrey as Performance Manager at Paragon.

Logo Madness!

It’s time to crown the best logo in the industry. Full bracket available here so you can track the competition. Click on the link underneath the logo to choose your winner. Voting is open for 24 hours.

Getting to Know Eric Hinderberger of Provana

• Eric Hinderberger is a hustler who throws everything he has into everything he does. Want proof? Just look at the answers below. They are thoughtful, comprehensive, and when you’re done, you see a pretty complete picture of who he is and what makes him special. Read on to learn more about Eric, his take on why salespeople are so important to the industry, and what he’s likely to be drinking on his way to the Catalina Wine Mixer.

• More details here.

• This series is sponsored by TEC Services Group

A MESSAGE FROM TCN

TODAY’S WEBINARS

UPCOMING WEBINARS

Customer Service Expert: The Case for Slowing Down to Drive Better Outcomes

• ST. GEORGE, UTAH — Jeff Toister, a globally recognized customer service expert and bestselling author of Human Service, delivered a keynote at TCN’s C3 conference this week in St. George, Utah that struck a chord with an audience navigating the balance between automation and human interaction. His message was clear. In an era of AI and digital-first engagement, the organizations that win will be the ones that double down on being human.

• More details here.

Appeals Court Revives FDCPA Case Over Out-of-State Garnishment

• The Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has revived a Fair Debt Collection Practices Act case against a collection law firm, finding that its efforts to garnish a consumer’s wages across state lines may have been deliberately aimed at the consumer’s home state, creating enough connection to allow the case to proceed there.

• More details here.

Judge Allows FCRA Claim to Proceed Over Post-Forbearance Credit Reporting

• A District Court judge in New York has partially granted a motion to dismiss in a Fair Credit Reporting Act case that zeroes in on a question many have wrestled with since the pandemic: how should mortgage loans be reported after exiting COVID-related forbearance? The decision allows part of the plaintiff’s claims to move forward, while dismissing others that hinge on more unsettled legal questions around CARES Act requirements and loan servicing practices.

• More details here.

House Republicans Target State Data Privacy Patchwork with New Bills

• If you’ve been waiting for Washington to finally step in and clean up the data privacy patchwork, this might be the moment to watch. House Republicans this week unveiled a pair of bills aimed at doing something the industry has talked about for years: creating a single, national standard for how consumer data is collected, used, and protected.

• More details here.

WORTH NOTING: A major airline said that airfares may need to rise by as much as 20% to offset the higher price of gasoline ... A state-by-state look at where consumers are in the most debt and falling behind ... Work memes for people who have checked out ... How doctors cashed in on the No Surprises Act ... A look at the account benefits that are being offered by banks today ... Which picture is the photo of the year? ... Jack Nicholson's daughter has penned a scathing takedown of celebrity culture in Hollywood today ... A simple mental habit that is shared by many top performers.

Top 10 Thursday, part I

Top 10 Thursday, Part II

Webinar Recap: How to Position Your Operation for Short- and Long-Term Success

At the TCN C3 Conference in St. George, Utah, industry leaders discussed how collection agencies can balance immediate recoveries with long-term scalability. Panelists Max Hawes (CEO, Hawes Group), Scott Hearn (President, Universal Fidelity), and Candice O’Brien (EVP & COO, Action Collection Agencies) shared insights on inefficiencies, compliance pressures, and technology adoption.

Candice O’Brien highlighted decision latency and missing client data as key inefficiencies, noting that “activity is your input, optimization is the output.” Max Hawes pointed to disparate systems and stressed the importance of vendor-agnostic integration, while Scott Hearn emphasized the need to educate clients on the value of data to improve outcomes.

The panel agreed that agencies must balance short-term profitability with long-term compliance readiness. O’Brien cited New York City’s upcoming legislation as an example of how successful current strategies may soon be disrupted. Hearn added that rising postage costs and declining letter response rates demand operational change.

On technology adoption, panelists advised a measured approach—rolling out one solution at a time, proving ROI through KPIs, and ensuring internal resources are sufficient. Hawes recommended focusing on “high impact with least effort” projects to eliminate bottlenecks, while O’Brien cautioned against adopting tools like speech analytics without adequate manpower.

Ultimately, the discussion underscored the “messy middle” agencies face: sustaining current success while preparing for inevitable regulatory and technological shifts.

🧠 Key Takeaways:

• Streamline inefficiencies: Reduce decision delays, integrate systems, and demand better client data to improve recoveries.

• Adopt technology strategically: Roll out tools gradually, align with KPIs, and ensure internal resources can support them.

• Balance compliance with profitability: Continue leveraging current strategies while preparing for regulatory changes to avoid costly disruptions.

This session reinforced that sustainable success in collections requires disciplined experimentation, proactive compliance planning, and smart technology investments. Agencies that embrace these practices will be better positioned to thrive in both the short and long term.

Did you know you can get full access to all of my past webinars, along with transcripts and summaries of each, for only $29/month? Sign up to be a premium subscriber today!

The Daily Digest is sponsored by TCN