Daily Digest - November 14, 2025

🎂 Happy Birthday to Durea Falkner of Gatesone & Co. and Sandy Aquino.

🥳 Congratulations to: Deven Naicker, the new head of operations at Connect BPS and Michael Colotti, the new Collections Manager at Veolia.

🚨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, Jennifer Peck from The Stark Agency shares how to balance customer service and collections. Thanks to Peak Revenue Learning for sponsoring this series! Click on the image below to view this week’s episode!

Free Report!

🆓 Click here to download a free report from Prodigal on how to unlock higher payment rates

Collection Operation Facing FDCPA Class Action Over Excessive Fees

• One of the most unfair aspects of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is that it compels collection operations to be experts on laws and regulations that are completely outside the scope of collections. Take, for example, this lawsuit, in which a collection operation is facing class-action claims that it violated the FDCPA and California’s Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act because it allegedly attempted to collect on vehicle storage fees that exceeded what the city of San Diego allows by law. On top of that, the details surrounding the events that led to the lawsuit being filed also strain the boundaries of credibility.

• More details here.

• This series is sponsored by WebRecon

A MESSAGE FROM TCN

TODAY‘S WEBINAR

UPCOMING WEBINARS

NJ Appeals Court: Waiting Three Years to Act Means Judgment Stands

• By no means am I attempting to make light of the consumer’s situation, but when judges note that the consumer “slept on her rights” it feels only natural to say, you snooze, you lose. A New Jersey Appeals Court has denied a consumer’s motion to vacate a default judgment, agreeing with the lower court that she waited too long and because proper procedure was followed.

• More details here.

Report Finds Hospitals Could Expand Charity Care With Minimal Financial Impact

• A new analysis from Dollar For is challenging long-held assumptions about hospital financial assistance and its impact on provider finances. According to The Bottom Line: A Data-Driven Look at the Real Costs and Benefits of Hospital Financial Assistance, most hospitals could approve financial assistance for every eligible patient and see their net revenue fall by only 0.7% on average.

• More details here.

Jefferson Capital Posts Record Quarter as Legal and Insolvency Strategies Pay Off

• Jefferson Capital reported a record third quarter that ticks nearly every box operators in the credit and collection space watch: stronger collections, higher deployments, rising ERC (estimated remaining collections), and lower leverage, all supported by a very efficient cost structure.

• More details here.

WORTH NOTING: Could the funding crisis at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau mean more problems for student loan borrowers? ... Mortgage foreclosure rates are up 20% from last year, which is not a good sign ... LinkedIn is deploying AI to help you find people faster ... Objective research detailing why you should reply to comments on social media posts ... A look at what some retailers have in store for Black Friday ... Verizon is looking to cut about 15,000 jobs, which would be its largest workforce reduction ever ... The Attorney General of California wants to remind everybody that including medical debt on credit reports is illegal in The Golden State ... Wendy's is planning on closing hundreds of its restaurants next year.

Funny Friday, part I

Funny Friday, Part II

Webinar Recap: RCS vs. MMS vs SMS: Understanding the Differences and What You Should Be Using

Texting has become one of the most effective ways to reach consumers—but not all messages are created equal. In this webinar, industry leaders broke down the differences between SMS, MMS, and RCS, and what those distinctions mean for engagement, trust, deliverability, and cost in today’s collections environment.

Panelists agreed that SMS remains the baseline channel due to low cost and universal compatibility. However, many agencies are seeing stronger engagement from MMS because it allows for branding, images, and clearer explanations—key factors in building consumer trust. As Gordon Beck noted, MMS often delivers “three to four hundred percent” more engagement than SMS, despite the higher cost.

RCS, described by several speakers as “the future”, offers the most advanced capabilities. With verified branding, interactive buttons, carousels, and app-like experiences, RCS can dramatically increase trust and streamline consumer interactions. Yet adoption remains limited due to device compatibility, carrier approvals, and higher costs. David Fernandez highlighted that RCS now reaches 85–90% of U.S. smartphones, with support expanding as Apple adopts the standard.

Across all message types, panelists emphasized the importance of data, segmentation, and ROI analysis. Agencies must determine not just which channel works—but which channel works profitably for each portfolio. As Beck put it, “It’s not about what the message costs, it’s what your cost for recovery is.”

With declining right-party contact rates and new iOS blocking features reducing live phone engagement, speakers warned that agencies can’t afford to delay digital adoption. Whether through SMS, MMS, or eventually RCS, text messaging must become a core part of collection strategy.

🧠 Key Takeaways:

• Start or expand texting now: Even basic SMS can significantly improve contact rates, and delaying adoption only widens the gap with more advanced competitors.

• Use engagement data to guide channel selection: Track deliverability, click rates, and payments to determine whether SMS, MMS, or RCS provides the best ROI for each account type.

• Prepare for RCS adoption: Begin the approval process, explore early use cases, and build the infrastructure needed for interactive messaging as the channel becomes mainstream.

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