Daily Digest - August 11, 2026

🎂 Happy Birthday: Sean Ebeling of The Cascade365 Family of Companies, and Sharon Mancero of 1st Franklin Financial Corporation.

🎉Congratulations for starting new positions: Peter Cerwin as Director, Investor Relations at King Street Capital Management.

New Digital Communications Report

The industry is optimistic. Placements are expected to climb. Consumers, it turns out, are more ready for digital than the businesses serving them.

New AI Event!

Have you checked out the speakers who are coming to brainstorm? It’s not just a who’s who of the people you have seen on webinars talking about AI, it’s software engineers, AI programmers, and executives who are all-in on the technology and will share their success stories, and not-so-successful stories to prevent you from making the same mistakes.

Collector Facing Rosenthal Act, TCPA Suit Over Alleged Early-Morning Autodialed Calls

• A collection operation is facing a lawsuit in California state court accusing it of violating the Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act over a series of collection calls placed to a consumer’s cell phone, including calls allegedly made before 8:00 a.m. and calls placed after the plaintiff says she revoked consent to be contacted. Notably, the suit was filed in Los Angeles County state court rather than federal court, relying on the Rosenthal Act’s incorporation of the FDCPA rather than bringing a standalone federal claim.

• More details here.

• This series is sponsored by WebRecon

A MESSAGE FROM TCN

TODAY’S WEBINAR

UPCOMING WEBINARS

NYC Publishes Long-Awaited SHIELD Rule FAQs, Clarifying Scope Ahead of January Effective Date

• New York City’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection has released its Frequently Asked Questions for the Stopping Harassment and Intimidation and Ensuring Lawful Debt Collection Rule, giving the industry its first detailed guidance on how the agency intends to interpret the sweeping amendments taking effect January 1, 2027.

• More details here.

FTC Freezes Assets of Credit Repair Operation Accused of Hijacking Searches for Collection Agencies

• A federal court has temporarily shut down Credit Glory and a web of affiliated credit repair companies that the Federal Trade Commission alleges impersonated some of the largest names in the servicing and collection industry to deceive consumers out of at least $172.5 million.

• More details here.

No Two Alike: New Report Details How State Medical Debt Laws Diverge and Where They Fall Short

• A Commonwealth Fund issue brief published last week reviewed state laws governing hospital financial assistance, billing and collections, and medical debt litigation, concluding that despite five years of accelerating legislative activity, significant gaps remain in standards, access, and enforcement. Medical debt affects an estimated three in 10 U.S. adults, the report notes.

• More details here.

Judge Tosses FCRA Suit, Orders Plaintiff’s Counsel to Explain Frivolous Arguments

• A District Court judge in Illinois has granted a pair of motions to dismiss a consumer’s Fair Credit Reporting Act lawsuit against two credit reporting agencies, ruling the agencies accurately reported three debts as charged off because the plaintiff never listed them in his bankruptcy schedules, and ordering the plaintiff’s attorney to show cause why she should not be sanctioned for making frivolous arguments.

• More details here.

Judge Rules Refusal to Pay Sent to One Collector Doesn’t Bind the Next One

• A District Court judge in Florida has granted a defendant’s motion to dismiss a consumer’s Fair Debt Collection Practices Act lawsuit, ruling that a written refusal to pay sent to one debt collector does not prohibit a different collector from contacting the consumer about the same debt.

• More details here.

Consumers Now Trust AI Over Social Media for Shopping, But Want a Human Hand on the Checkout Button

• Consumers now place more trust in leading AI tools than in social media platforms, newspapers, and major media outlets when making shopping decisions, according to a new global study from performance marketing firm RTB House. But when it comes to letting an AI agent actually spend their money, most want a human in the loop.

• More details here

WORTH NOTING: Why hearing your symptoms are "normal" may not be a good thing ... A look at how 10,000 different cities across America got their name ... If you want to save money by cooking at home, here are some mistakes you need to avoid ... Most people have yet to take a vacation this summer ... Taxi and ambulance drivers are far less likely to die of Alzheimer's disease than workers in any other job ... What to know about the solar eclipse happening tomorrow ... Weighing in on whether it's ok to bring a birthday cake to a restaurant ... Ten things that infectious disease experts don't worry about.

Trailer Tuesday, part I

Trailer Tuesday, Part II

Webinar Recap: Stop Firefighting: Help Managers Get Ahead of the Chaos

In this session, hosted by Mike Gibb of AccountRecovery.net and sponsored by Abstrakt, panelists explored how managers in collections and servicing can shift from reactive “firefighting” to proactive leadership. Fires were defined as urgent, unexpected disruptions—like IT crashes or missed court appearances—while systemic problems stem from deeper organizational issues such as poor communication, unclear ownership, or training gaps.

Panelists emphasized the importance of frameworks like the Eisenhower Matrix to distinguish urgent vs. important tasks, and the IDS method (Identify, Discuss, Solve) to address recurring challenges. They also highlighted the role of psychological safety and emotional intelligence in empowering staff to report issues and solve problems without fear. As one panelist noted, “People reproduce what they see produced”—underscoring the need for leaders to model effective problem-solving and calm decision-making.

🧠 Key Takeaways:

• Clarify ownership and expectations: Fires often arise from miscommunication. Managers should ensure roles, responsibilities, and processes are clearly defined to prevent confusion-driven crises.

• Build psychological safety and emotional intelligence: Create an environment where employees feel safe to raise issues and leaders respond with awareness and empathy. This fosters proactive problem-solving.

• Balance quick fixes with long-term solutions: Sometimes a “Band-Aid” is necessary, but managers must follow up with systemic fixes to avoid recurring inefficiencies and compliance risks.

This webinar reinforced that effective leadership in collections isn’t about putting out fires all day—it’s about building systems, culture, and skills that prevent fires from starting in the first place.

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