Daily Digest - June 17, 2025

Brought to you by: TCN | By Mike Gibb

Author

Mike Gibb
June 17, 2025

📝 EDITOR’S NOTE: Scroll down to the bottom for a recap and highlights from yesterday’s webinar.

🎂🎉 Happy Birthday to: Kamal Kanwar of American Express.

🥳 Congratulations to: Erin Stewart, the new Senior Sales Director at Symplicity Communications.

📆 Monthly Meetings

I am excited to announced that I am bringing back two monthly meetings — Small Agency TechTactics, and the ARMTech Innovation Lab — while also announcing two more regular meetings — Women in Collections and Compliance Chat. Click on the links below to register for each meeting.

Logo Madness!

It’s time to start voting! Click on the logo you think is better to cast your vote. You can see the entire bracket here. Thanks to Drop Cowboy for sponsoring this year’s contest!

Complaint Accuses Defendant of Not Going Far Enough to Investigate ID Theft Dispute

  • What to do when an individual claims to be the victim of identity theft is not as straightforward as it probably should be. As with many of the types of disputes filed by consumers, the Fair Credit Reporting Act requires furnishers to conduct a reasonable investigation, but what constitutes reasonable is for a judge, or jury, to decide. A furnisher is being accused of violating the FCRA because, among other allegations, it did not contact law enforcement to investigate a plaintiff’s claim and because its handwriting analysis was not up to par, if it did one at all.

  • More details here.

  • This series is sponsored by WebRecon

A MESSAGE FROM TCN

TODAY‘S WEBINAR

UPCOMING WEBINARS

Nevada Governor Vetoes Medical Debt Collection Bill

  • The governor of Nevada last week vetoed a medical debt collection bill, saying it overreached and represented “excessive government intrusion” that would have resulted in “harmful consequences.” The veto was one of 87 different bills vetoed by the governor last week, a new state record.

  • More details here.

Phantom Debt Collectors Permanently Banned in FTC Settlement

  • The Federal Trade Commission yesterday announced a settlement that will result in a permanent ban from engaging in debt collection for Blackstone Legal and its affiliated companies. including owners Ryan and Mitchell Evans. The resolution follows a February 2025 lawsuit filed by the FTC accusing the operation of fabricating debts and using aggressive, deceptive tactics to coerce payments from consumers.

  • More details here.

Judge Rules Law Firm Not Collector Under FDCPA

  • Three may be the number of licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, but it is not enough activity for a law firm to be considered a debt collector under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, a District Court judge in Minnesota has ruled. The judge granted summary judgment in favor of a law firm and its attorney, finding that their limited involvement in debt-related legal actions was insufficient to qualify them as “debt collectors” under the FDCPA, while also denying a motion for summary judgment from the plaintiff.

  • More details here.

WORTH NOTING: How to fit twice as much stuff into your suitcases and luggage ... How travel experts deal with flight delays ... More consumers are turning to apps to help them manage their budgets and deal with their financial anxieties ... A lot of people are putting in extra hours at work these days ... MoneyGram is paying $250,000 to settle an enforcement action with the New York Attorney General over how it processed money transfers ... Federal regulators are seeking input and comment on payment fraud ... How consumers navigate financial misinformation they read online ... The four "S" words that may determine whether AI is going to take your job or not.

Trailer Tuesday, part I

Trailer Tuesday, Part II

Webinar Recap: How to Talk the Talk and Be a Leader in Your Operation

A panel of seasoned professionals discussed what leadership really looks like inside a collections operation — and how anyone, regardless of their title, can step up and lead in this webinar sponsored by Connect International.

Driving the conversation: Panelists from Williams & Fudge, Account Recovery Specialists, The Stark Agency, and Lockhart, Morris & Montgomery shared their definitions of leadership, the qualities they look for in future leaders, and personal stories of learning to lead the hard way. Spoiler alert: being the top performer doesn’t automatically make you leadership material.

What they said:

  • “A true leader doesn’t seek followers — followers seek a true leader.”
    – Ken Peck, Chief Compliance Officer, LMM

  • “Good leaders build trust by being consistent, transparent, and willing to get in the trenches.”
    – Candace Allen, Team Leader, Williams & Fudge

Why it matters: At a time when the industry is evolving rapidly, collection agencies and financial services companies need leaders at every level — not just managers, but collectors and coordinators who take ownership, foster culture, and help their teams grow.

3 Takeaways for Collection Operations:

  1. Leadership is a behavior, not a title.
    Look for employees who are consistent, communicative, and take initiative — even if they’re not in management roles.

  2. Top collectors aren’t always top leaders.
    Being great at collections doesn’t always translate into being great at coaching others. Leadership requires sacrifice, patience, and a willingness to develop others.

  3. Mentorship matters.
    Panelists emphasized the importance of training future leaders by modeling desired behaviors and creating an environment where feedback, trust, and continuous learning thrive.

Did you know that premium subscribers get full access to transcripts, summaries, more highlights, and full recordings of every webinar? That’s thousands of hours of content, available for just $29/month for an individual subscription or $99/month for a company subscription. Click here to subscribe as an individual or email me to sign up your company.

The Daily Digest is sponsored by TCN