Daily Digest - July 16, 2026

🎂 Happy birthday to: Kristen Eastman of InComm Payments, and Scott Wortmann of Beam Software.

NEW AI SURVEY

Have 90 seconds to help me out? Take this quick survey, sponsored by TCN, on how you are using AI, what you like about it, and what frustrates you.

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!

I am thrilled to announce a new live conference I am hosting. It’s an AI conference for the credit and collection industry. It will be held in Denver this September. Check out getbrainstorming.com for more information. And watch the video below to see me showcasing my outdoor skills.

If you are interested in being a speaker at the event, click here.

Getting to Know Monica Williams of ACSI

• Monica Williams went from answering phones as a receptionist to running technology as CIO, all at the same company over 25 years. Learn how she thrives under pressure, why she believes you learn nothing by playing it safe, and how two wheels help her unwind at the end of the day.

• More details here.

• This series is sponsored by TEC Services Group

A MESSAGE FROM TCN

TODAY’S WEBINAR

UPCOMING WEBINARS

New York Proposes BNPL Rule

• New York regulators have formally proposed rules requiring BNPL lenders to get licensed, capping late fees at $8, and blocking collection activity until seven days after payment notice. The proposal also restricts payment retries, halts collections on disputed amounts, and forfeits a lender's right to collect if dispute procedures aren't followed. The comment period is open through Sept. 14, so now is the time to read what could become the national template for BNPL regulation.

• More details here.

Judge Denies MTD in FDCPA Class Action Over Wrong Bank in Chain of Title

• A debt buyer and its law firm sued a consumer over a $385 debt, but the bill of sale attached to the complaint traced back to a completely different bank. A federal judge in New Jersey ruled the plaintiff's lost sleep, credit score hit, and delayed bills were injury enough to keep her class action alive. Her lack of connection to the paperwork, the judge wrote, is grounds for suit, not grounds for dismissal.

• More details here.

Fourth Time Not the Charm: Judge Dismisses FCRA Case With Prejudice

• A Pennsylvania couple got four chances to plead their FCRA claim over botched payments and inaccurate reporting, and struck out every time. The judge ruled that claiming ignorance of when the furnisher failed to investigate would render the statute of limitations meaningless. A useful reminder of exactly what plaintiffs must plead, and when the clock starts ticking.

• More details here.

Senate Bill Would Rewrite Bankruptcy Rules for Medical Debtors, Keep Filings Off Credit Reports

• A new bill from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse would create a special class of "medically distressed debtors" exempt from the means test, able to discharge student loans, and, most notably, able to keep their bankruptcies off credit reports entirely. The bill faces long odds in a Republican-controlled Senate, but it shows medical debt isn't leaving the consumer protection agenda anytime soon.

• More details here.

More Consumers Falling Behind on Credit Card, BNPL Payments Used to Buy Groceries: Report

• New Urban Institute research finds a growing share of consumers are missing payments on debt they took on just to buy food, with more than a third of BNPL grocery users missing a payment. For agencies and creditors, it's a sobering signal about who is landing in collections portfolios and why repayment capacity keeps shrinking.

• More details here.

Optio Solutions Selects Case Central to Power Its Dispute Management Operations

• Optio Solutions has tapped PMG's Case Central platform to centralize its dispute handling, speed up resolution times, and strengthen its compliance recordkeeping. The move reflects a broader industry push to modernize dispute operations as volumes climb and regulators keep watching.

• More details here

WORTH NOTING: The top 10 markets where consumers are overpaying for their mortgages ... Be careful, people are judging you for your phone background ... Why would you buy this anonymously? It's not like you can hide it ... Doctors weigh in on whether lettuce is still safe to eat ... Summer skin care tips that dermatologists swear by ... An overlooked obstacle keeping people from being able to buy homes ... A psychologist shares that if you do these three things, you have self-discipline ... Takeaways from the new Fed chair's first congressional testimony.

Top 10 Thursday, part I

Top 10 Thursday, Part II

Webinar Recap: What the Best Leaders Are Doing Differently

In a recent webinar sponsored by Abstrakt, industry leaders discussed what separates effective collection leaders from the rest. The panel emphasized that strong leadership is not about luck but about deliberate choices in people, technology, and culture.

Key themes included:

• Engagement as a hallmark of leadership: Panelists noted that the energy in a room and how supervisors interact with agents are early signs of strong leadership. As Ken Peck put it, “The energy in a room starts to tell you everything you want to know.”

• Adapting to remote and offshore work: Leaders must use technology to foster connection rather than checklist management. Weekly team check-ins and personal conversations were highlighted as ways to maintain engagement across geographies.

• Technology adoption and change management: Terri Merrell stressed the importance of consistently communicating vision: “You can’t just make a decision and expect your whole team to rally around it.” Leaders must explain the “why” behind changes to secure buy-in.

• Accountability and leadership development: Referencing Jocko Willink’s principle that “There are no bad teams, only bad leaders,” panelists agreed that leaders must create environments conducive to learning while recognizing individual accountability. They also emphasized that top collectors aren’t automatically great leaders - true leadership is cultivated through training, mentoring, and vision-sharing.

🧠 Key Takeaways:

• Prioritize engagement: Build cultures where supervisors actively coach and connect with agents, both in-person and virtually.

• Communicate vision daily: When adopting new technology or processes, explain the “why” repeatedly to ensure alignment and smoother transitions.

• Develop leaders at all levels: Identify employees who share best practices and invest in leadership training, rather than assuming performance alone translates into leadership ability.

This session reinforced that leadership in collections is about intentional culture-building, accountability, and adaptability - qualities that directly impact recovery, compliance, and client trust.

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