Daily Digest - December 1, 2025

🎂 Happy birthday to: Jeff Stewart of CBE Companies, Eric Rosenkoetter of Maurice Wutscher, Corey Butcher of DebtBlue, Kevin Luebke of Southern Capital Finance Group, Adam Baker of TEC Services Group, and Mike Selbitschka of IC System. Happy belated Birthday to: Tamara O'Neal of Crescent Bank & Trust (Nov. 30), Adam Dobberstein of Dobberstein Law Firm (Nov. 29), Shaun O'Neil of Concord Servicing (Nov 29), and Mike Melrose of Finavise (Nov. 29)

New Speakers Being Added Daily

Check out ARMTech.live for the growing list of impressive speakers who are going to be in Dallas. This is going to be the must-attend event of the year!

Indiana Appeals Court Affirms HOA Win in FDCPA Dispute

• An Indiana Appeals Court has affirmed a ruling for a defendant, a homeowners association, that was accused of violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, ruling the plaintiff, who represented herself, for the second time did not present “any evidence” regarding whether the HOA “violated the FDCPA.”

• More details here.

A MESSAGE FROM TCN

TODAY‘S WEBINAR

UPCOMING WEBINARS

FCC To Vote on Making All Providers Take Action Against Robocallers

• The Federal Communications Commission is preparing to advance another set of measures aimed at curbing illegal robocalls, with a vote scheduled on a Third Report and Order and Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking at its monthly meeting in December that would tighten the requirements Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers must meet to maintain direct access to telephone numbers.

• More details here.

Judge Grants MTD in FCRA Suit After Plaintiff’s Own Documents Undermine Claims

• A District Court judge in Illinois has granted a defendant’s motion to dismiss claims it violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act, ruling that documents submitted by the plaintiff herself contradict her claims that the defendant did not conduct a reasonable investigation after she disputed the debt.

• More details here.

State AGs Push Back Against Federal Proposal to Limit AI Regulation

• A bipartisan coalition of 36 state attorneys general is urging Congress to reject proposals that would block states from creating or enforcing laws governing artificial intelligence. The message came in a letter sent last week to Congressional leadership, warning that a federal moratorium on state AI regulation would jeopardize public safety and prevent states from responding quickly to emerging risks.

• More details here.

Compliance Digest – December 1

• Insights from a handful of compliance experts -- Mike Frost, James Schultz, Lori Quinn, Brent Yarborough, and Jessica Klander -- help you make heads and tails of recent legal rulings, rulemakings, and other important developments that could impact how you interact and engage with consumers.

• More details here.

• This series is sponsored by Bedard Law Group

WORTH NOTING: The city of San Diego is sitting on a lot of unpaid parking tickets and might need help collecting them ... People relying on extra work over the holidays are finding it harder to get jobs this year ... What happens when you ask ChatGPT for the top 1% to pay off everyone's student loans ... If you are in over your head on Buy Now Pay Later debts, here is how debt relief might help ... A list of under-rated U.S. travel destinations that feel luxurious on a budget ... Consumers are fighting back against the rising prices of new cars ... More consumers are feeling confident about their financial outlooks heading into 2026 ... The 10 hottest IT skills for 2026.

Music Monday, part I

Music Monday, Part II

Webinar Recap: Understanding the Tangible and Intangible ROI of AI Investments

In a rapidly evolving collections landscape, determining the real return on AI investments has become both essential and increasingly complex. In this webinar sponsored by CSS Impact, a panel of industry leaders examined how agencies and creditors can measure the tangible and intangible impacts of AI—from operational efficiency to compliance, customer experience, and long-term competitiveness.

Panelists agreed that the core elements of ROI still apply, but the metrics look different with AI. Tangible benefits such as reduced average handle time, improved one-call resolution, enhanced monitoring, and higher agent productivity can be quantified with traditional KPIs. But the panel emphasized that many of AI’s most valuable contributions—risk reduction, stronger compliance posture, better customer experiences, and faster agent ramp-up—sit in the “intangible” category. As Rob Grafrath noted, “You can’t always put a price tag on just good feelings,” yet these benefits often carry significant long-term value.

The discussion also highlighted common pitfalls. Deploying AI without clean data or strong guardrails can magnify existing problems, creating compliance exposure rather than reducing it. Several panelists cautioned that many products labeled “AI” are actually scripted workflows or machine-learning engines, prompting Jeff Simendinger to warn, “It was really slick, but it wasn’t AI.”

Looking ahead, the group agreed that competitive pressure is accelerating AI adoption across the industry. Fully digital agencies, 24/7 AI collectors, and rapidly improving LLM-based tools are reshaping expectations. As Justin Metacarpa put it, some benefits are “the cherry on top,” but the foundational productivity gains already justify the investment.

🧠 Key Takeaways:

• Create an AI Baseline Scorecard
  Track current KPIs—RPCs, promise rates, AHT, compliance flags—so you can clearly measure AI-driven changes.

• Evaluate True AI vs. Automation
  Vet vendors carefully. Confirm whether a solution uses generative AI or simply rules-based scripting before committing resources.

• Fix Data and Processes First
  Ensure data cleanliness and workflow stability before introducing AI, or risk amplifying existing operational problems.

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