Daily Digest - July 31, 2026

🎂 Happy Birthday: Patrick Hunt II of RNN Group and James Travis of Solutions by Text.

💬 Group Text Chats are Back! - Sign Up Today!

I am excited to announce that I am bringing back the group text chats. We started these last year and they were a great way for people across the industry to get to know one another better and to engage and share and collaborate with each other. Sign up this week. It’s totally free!

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.

New Training Bytes Video Released!

Check out the newest Training Bytes video! Each week, an expert from the accounts receivable management industry will share how he or she would handle different scenarios that collectors often face. This week, Jenna Leigh Guyton from Americollect answers the question, “How do you advise collectors respond when a consumer calls to get a debt off of his or her credit report?” Thanks to Peak Revenue Learning for sponsoring this series! Click on the image below to view this week’s episode!

Collector Accused of Placing 50 Prerecorded Calls After Receiving Attorney's Cease Letter

• A California lawsuit alleges a collector kept calling a consumer's cell phone with prerecorded messages, more than 50 times, often more than seven times a week, after her attorney sent a letter revoking consent and directing all contact to counsel. The complaint stacks FDCPA, Rosenthal Act, and TCPA claims, and leans on Regulation F's seven-in-seven presumption to do it.

• More details here.

• This series is sponsored by WebRecon

A MESSAGE FROM TCN

TODAY’S WEBINAR

UPCOMING WEBINARS

Bankruptcy Filings Blow Past 600,000 as the Rebound Enters Year Four

• Bankruptcy filings jumped 12.2% in the year ending June 30, and it's the fourth straight year of increases. But the number that should really get your attention isn't the total. It's which chapter is growing fastest, and what that says about how much recovery capacity filers are bringing with them into court.

• More details here.

Appeals Court: Figuring Out Whether a Debt Was Discharged Isn't the CRA's Job

• A consumer's credit report showed both a bankruptcy discharge and a $146,000 mortgage balance. Misleading? Inaccurate? The Seventh Circuit said the answer turns on a distinction that has decided a string of recent FCRA cases, and the court's reasoning gives furnishers and CRAs a roadmap worth keeping handy. One caveat in the opinion, though, leaves the door cracked open for future plaintiffs.

• More details here.

No Proof of Delivery, No Arbitration: Credit Union Loses Bid to Escape Repo Class Action

• The arbitration clause existed. It was on page 29 of a document the credit union says it provided to every member. So why did a Pennsylvania appeals court refuse to enforce it? The answer comes down to what the credit union couldn't prove, and it's a lesson for anyone relying on "customary practice" affidavits to establish that a contract term ever reached the consumer.

• More details here.

NYC Sues Dental Practices Over Medical Credit Cards Patients Say They Never Opened

• New York City's consumer protection agency is going after two Brooklyn dental operations it says lured patients with $99 specials, then enrolled them in high-interest financing, sometimes without their knowledge. The collection activity on those accounts features prominently in the complaint, and the remedy the city is seeking could unwind the underlying debt itself. Also worth noting: who's now running the agency that filed it.

• More details here.

IBM: AI Is Now Driving One in Four Breaches, and Making Each One $1 Million More Expensive

• The average data breach hit a record $4.99 million this year, and the attack vector producing the costliest incidents is one phone-heavy ARM operations know intimately. IBM's annual report also puts a number on "shadow AI" — employees using unapproved tools — and it more than doubled in a year. The defensive findings, at least, offer a playbook.

• More details here.

AT&T Will Now Text Customers a Summary of Every Service Call. Guess Who's Next.

• AT&T customers can now opt in to receive an AI-generated written recap of every customer care conversation: what was discussed, what was promised, what happens next. A carrier perk on its face. But for an industry where "what was actually said on that call" fuels a meaningful share of complaints and litigation, the precedent could travel fast, and not just by consumer demand.

• More details here

WORTH NOTING: A lot of car buyers are extending the terms of their financing to try and make the loan payments more affordable ... Are health trackers doing more harm than good by raising our anxiety levels? ... The AI price wars are ramping up ... Ten things you need to know about the property market ... A debate over the most unbreakable records in sports ... Actress Donna Mills has joined OnlyFans at 85 years old ... Three of Anthropic's AI models got loose during testing and broke into three systems ... All the ways that AI is making your life more expensive.

Funny Friday, part I

Funny Friday, Part II

Webinar Recap: Handling ID-Theft and Fraud Disputes When the Documentation Is Thin

The webinar, moderated by Dennis Barton of Barton Law Group, brought together compliance and legal experts to discuss the growing challenge of identity theft and fraud disputes where documentation is minimal. Panelists noted that while police reports were once common, today most claims rely on FTC identity theft reports, often accompanied by a driver’s license or Social Security card.

The discussion highlighted the rise in disputes fueled by social media and credit repair organizations, many of which encourage consumers to file identity theft claims as a way to erase negative credit history. Panelists stressed the importance of distinguishing between vague “not mine” disputes and true identity theft allegations, as the regulatory and litigation risks differ significantly.

Experts agreed that companies must balance empathy with rigorous investigation. As Brad Armstrong noted, “Reasonableness is something that courts can pretty much always kick to a jury if they really want to.” Documentation, validation letters, and thorough record-keeping are critical to defending against FCRA claims.

🧠 Key Takeaways:

• Strengthen Validation Processes 
  Update validation letters to explicitly ask consumers to clarify if disputes involve identity theft, and request supporting documents such as FTC reports or police reports.

• Document Investigations Thoroughly 
  Maintain detailed notes on dispute patterns, suspicious affidavits, and credit repair organization involvement. This documentation can be vital in court when proving a “reasonable investigation.”

• Differentiate Dispute Types 
  Train staff to distinguish between “not mine” disputes and genuine identity theft claims. Treat all disputes seriously, but escalate appropriately to fraud review when identity theft is alleged.

This session underscored the need for defensible, well-documented investigations and proactive risk management strategies in handling identity theft disputes.

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