Daily Digest - June 11, 2026

🎂 Happy Birthday to: W. Michael Steward of Creditor's Bureau USA, Toney Fedullo of IC System, and Nitasha Westre of Wells Fargo.

🎉Congratulations for starting new positions: Kenneth Honerkamp as Supervisor - Debt Settlement & Charge-Off at Achieve, Michael Cook as Vice President, Director of Litigation & Compliance at Advance Financial, Andre Webster as Director of Sales and Business Development at Diversified Adjustment Service.

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.

Getting to Know Sarena Gaylor of Couch Lambert

• Sarena Gaylor wants to make sure you know there is a difference between networking and making friends, and she is definitely more interested in the latter. And who wouldn’t want to be friends with someone who loves to host, takes cooking classes in every country she visits, and is likely willing to try anything. Read on to learn more about Sarena, what “trash panda” days look like, and why she is the reason some people get the Sunday scaries.

• More details here.

• This series is sponsored by TEC Services Group

A MESSAGE FROM TCN

TODAY’S WEBINAR

UPCOMING WEBINARS

Trump Nominates Brian Johnson, Former CFPB Deputy, to Lead Bureau

• President Trump on Wednesday nominated Brian Johnson, a former CFPB deputy director and current Capital One executive, to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a move that gives the industry its clearest signal yet of where the Bureau is headed after 16 months of acting leadership under Russell Vought.

• More details here.

Judge Dismisses FDCPA Suit Against Collection Law Firm Over Unchallenged Default Judgment

• A District Court judge in New Jersey has dismissed a lawsuit accusing a collection law firm of violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act by suing to collect on a debt the plaintiff claimed was void, ruling that a default judgment entered in the underlying collection case meant the claims could not be relitigated.

• More details here.

Survey: 21% of Households Took on Debt to Pay Medical Bills as Insurers Bear Brunt of Public Anger

• Americans are taking on debt, skipping treatments, and going without prescriptions because of healthcare costs, and a new national survey makes clear who they blame.

• More details here.

Judge Reverses Course, Tosses Willful FCRA Claim in Mixed File Case

• A District Court judge in Texas has reconsidered his own ruling from earlier this year and granted summary judgment to the defendant on a willfulness claim in a consumer’s Fair Credit Reporting Act lawsuit over a credit file that was mixed with the file of the plaintiff’s son.

• More details here.

Collections Named Riskiest Banking Function for AI-Driven Consumer Harm in New Survey

• Collections and recovery is the banking function where artificial intelligence poses the greatest risk of customer harm or regulatory exposure, according to a new survey of 230 banking professionals from Wolters Kluwer, which found the function outpacing credit risk and underwriting by 10 percentage points.

• More details here.

SoFi Launches AI Financial Coach, Signaling Where Consumer Finance Engagement Is Headed

• SoFi Technologies has launched SoFi Coach, an AI-powered chat tool that delivers personalized financial guidance inside its app, and the details of how the company built it should catch the attention of anyone who is curious how consumers will increasingly manage, prioritize, and pay down their debts.

• More details here

WORTH NOTING: Most Americans aren't doing a good job of preparing for their retirement ... How to sound like a World Cup expert if you aren't that into soccer ... How a chatbot turned a thrift store painting into a $250,000 masterpiece ... One simple lesson to help you become a better leader ... Sleep researchers have pinpointed how much sleep we actually need each night, and it's not eight hours ... Which fried chicken chain topped the list as the country's favorite? ... A list of the best TV villains of all time ... Would you ever think to try something like this?

Top 10 Thursday, part I

Top 10 Thursday, Part II

Webinar Recap: Outbound AI Voice Bots and the Law: Compliance Requirements You Cannot Ignore

In a recent AccountsRecovery.net webinar sponsored by CSS Impact, industry experts explored the compliance challenges and opportunities of outbound AI voice bots in collections. Panelists emphasized the distinction between scripted bots and conversational AI, noting that while AI can deliver efficiency and consistency, it also amplifies risk if not properly controlled. As Vrinda Gupta put it, “Access to credit is access to opportunity… but at that moment of difficulty, you need a respectful, compliant, consistent experience.”

The discussion highlighted inbound vs. outbound use cases, with inbound seen as lower risk since consumers initiate contact, while outbound raises greater compliance concerns. Consent emerged as a critical issue, with John Ryan warning that Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) requires “express written consent” for voiceprints, carrying penalties of $1,000 per violation. Michele Shuster stressed transparency, accountability, and the need for clear policies and procedures, while John Henson cautioned against outsourcing compliance entirely to vendors without internal oversight.

🧠 Key Takeaways:

• Strengthen Consent Protocols: Review TCPA and state privacy laws (e.g., Illinois BIPA) to ensure proper consent mechanisms for AI interactions.

• Establish Guardrails & Monitoring: Configure AI agents with strict workflows, scenario testing, and supervisory oversight to prevent hallucinations or unauthorized decisions.

• Clarify Vendor Roles & Liability: Define responsibilities, indemnification, and accountability in contracts to ensure compliance risks are managed collaboratively.

This webinar underscored that AI voice technology is powerful but must be deployed carefully. As Gupta noted, “AI should not and cannot be making decisions… everything should be within a workflow, and it goes back to being auditable.” For collections professionals, the path forward is clear: embrace innovation, but only with rigorous compliance frameworks in 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