Daily Digest - January 26, 2026

🎂Happy Birthday to: Trent Rosebrook of Capio, Stuart Mullen of FB Credit Services, Jose Ibarra of ProCollect, and Reggie Hodges of Capio. Happy belated Birthday to: Raja Datta of TrueML (Jan. 25), Pauline Gaudio of Collexx (Jan. 25), and Nicholas Stiller of Pioneer Credit Recovery (Jan. 24).

🎉Congratulations for starting new positions: Chris Straiter as AVP of Agency Management at Portfolio Recovery Associates, Brian Tonner as Executive Vice President, Outsourcing Operations at NCB Management Services, Al Rossman as Executive Vice President at AFM, Taylor Stone as Senior Account Executive at SuccessKPI, and Brett Schklar as Co-chair at Denver AI.

Mass. Governor Moves to Ban Medical Debt From Credit Reports

• The governor of Massachusetts announced last week during her State of the Commonwealth address that her office is planning to issue a regulation that would ban the credit reporting of medical debt.

• More details here.

A MESSAGE FROM TCN

TODAY’S WEBINAR

UPCOMING WEBINARS

Court Certifies TCPA Wrong Number Class Against Medical Debt Collector

• A District Court judge in Missouri has certified a class action against a collection operation accused of violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act over wrong number calls that were made to the plaintiffs.

• More details here.

Judge Greenlights Class Claims Challenging Tenant Screening Postcard Practices

• A District Court judge in New Jersey has certified a class action in a Fair Credit Reporting Act case over postcards sent to landlords detailing the eviction histories of tenants. The decision allows the case to proceed on behalf of tens of thousands of tenants whose names and eviction filing histories were allegedly disclosed on open, unsealed postcards mailed to landlords as a marketing tool.

• More details here.

Paper: Big Tech Is Redefining Consumer Payments, but the Law Isn’t Keeping Up

• Big Tech has fundamentally transformed how consumers pay, move, and access money, from peer-to-peer apps and real-time bank transfers to mobile check deposits, crypto payments, and AI-powered payment tools. These innovations have delivered speed, convenience, and flexibility for consumers and merchants alike. But according to a recent legal analysis, many of these payment systems now operate in areas where the law offers little clarity or protection, creating risk not just for consumers, but also for banks, fintechs, healthcare providers, and collection operations that rely on them.

• More details here.

Compliance Digest – January 26

• Rulings two different Appeals Court and a state Supreme Court. More movement from the Federal Communications Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. And a number of rulings in lawsuits involving collection operations. Get insights from 12 different compliance experts -- David Grassi, Lori Quinn, Leslie Bender, Marty Stern, Colin Winkler, Mitch Williamson, John Culhane, Michael Poncin, Stefanie Jackman, Rick Perr, James Schultz, and Loraine Lyons in this week's Compliance Digest.

• More details here.

• This series is sponsored by Frost Echols

WORTH NOTING: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is rescinding guidance on workplace harassment that it put into action last year ... Why you shouldn't trust your medical data to a college student ... QR codes are becoming a popular method for scammers to take advantage of consumers ... How the Treasury Secretary is pushing an agenda of deregulation in the financial services industry ... More warnings related to the passwords you choose, and reuse ... Consumers' utility bills are going to rise significantly this winter ... Ways to keep people from reading your text messages ... Getting buff may not take as long at the gym as you think.

Music Monday, part I

Music Monday, Part II

Webinar Recap: The If/Then That Leads Consumers to Make Payments

In this webinar, industry leaders explored the behavioral cues and operational practices that move consumers from intention to action in making payments. Panelists Matt Jarrell (Quanta Credit), Kristyn Leffler (Resurgent Capital Services), and Michael Zhou (Indebted) emphasized that understanding both broad motivators and individual triggers is critical for improving recovery outcomes across digital and voice channels.

Jarrell highlighted the importance of mapping the “super set” of reasons consumers pay—ranging from habit and credit preservation to settlement offers or legal pressure. Leffler stressed moving beyond averages to capture nuanced, individual-level responses, noting that “question the assumptions” is key to effective engagement. Zhou underscored the role of data infrastructure and segmentation, pointing out that origination method and creditor type often reveal consistent behavioral patterns.

The panel agreed that success requires a wide net of diverse messaging, robust data capture, and dynamic feedback loops. Timing, content, and channel choice must be optimized together, but content relevance and channel orchestration often outweigh micro-adjustments in timing. As Jarrell put it, “You can’t really bias one over the other. You need all parts to succeed.”

🧠 Key Takeaways:

• Invest in Data Foundations: Ensure systems capture delivery, engagement, and payment attribution. Without reliable data, optimization efforts risk being misdirected.

• Diversify Messaging Strategies: Build multiple variations of settlement offers and reminders to test what resonates with different consumer segments.

• Segment and Adapt Dynamically: Move beyond broad delinquency buckets. Use segmentation by ability, willingness, origination method, and creditor type, and adjust strategies in real time based on consumer feedback.

By combining behavioral insights with operational rigor, agencies and creditors can better influence consumers to make—and continue making—payments.

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