Current Newsletter
Collection & Credit Insights
December 2004
Need Has No Season
“Community Service is the best work of life.” This is the last line from the Jaycee’s Creed, a well known community service group I was in many years ago. That line still rings true. Since that time, I’ve enjoyed membership in many other clubs that have taken me places where I have met people and seen things that I never would have without getting involved by saying “Yes”. Here are just a few recollections that stand out.
Delivering Motor Meals on Christmas day to home bound people. Doing so would be a sobering event for my children on a day when overabundance of gifts seems to be the focus. We delivered to private homes, some without electricity, and senior centers where residents had no family or friends to visit them. This was the real world! A world that most rarely see in a nation of video games and reality programs. It’s hard to say which of us were stirred more by our visits.
Visiting inmates at a maximum security juvenile facility. These are some very bad actors. Our Kiwanis club annually makes holiday visits to play cards, have conversation and take sweets to the kids. These were often cherubic faced kids, many who grew up neglected without anyone to teach them ethics and values, many of who never had a chance of childhood normalcy. By carrying a message that someone cares who does not even know you, our hopes were high it could make a difference to just one of them during a season of love and giving. Such sentiments rarely pass through concrete and barbed wire.
Ringing the bell for The Salvation Army. By far the best “feel good” holiday activity, next to selling Christmas trees for the Jaycee’s, but oh man, it can be frigid! The bustle of shoppers, the clanging of bells and the easy smiles of donors makes the time pass quickly. Letting the children ring the bell after a donation, there’s nothing quite so warming on a cold and windy day.
Please, make this a season of giving your time to those who so badly need it. Enrich your heart and soul; contact your church, synagogue or county United Way for information on how you can volunteer.
May God bless you:
R. J. (Bob) Barden
PLEASE NOTE THAT OUR JACKSON OFFICE AND ADRIAN OFFICE HAVE MERGED
TO OUR ANN ARBOR OFFICE.
Upcoming Events
Collections Seminar
March 16, 2005
Welcome to Our New Clients
- Kotz, Sangster, Wysocki & Berg PC
- Country Fair Market
- Dr. Robert Zonca DDS
- Lenawee ISD
- Dill & Brady, PC
- The Fabulous Mr. Fix-It
Phone Numbers
Client/Sales questions
800-710-4821
Mortgage Dept.
800-684-2738
Customers to pay bills
800-741-6955
Report payments
734-665-6173
The Truth About Credit File Inquiries
Good credit is critical to getting more out of life. And managing your credit throughout the year can help you get the things you want, when you want them. But many people think that checking their credit file too much will hurt their score because each request creates an inquiry. Following is the truth about inquires.
There are 2 general categories of credit inquires: “hard” and “soft” inquiries. A hard inquiry “counts” in your credit score. Generally, a hard inquiry is recorded when a business pulls your credit file because you have asked for credit to be extended to you or initiated some other specific transaction or application that allows the person to obtain your credit report. You must initiate the transaction for the resulting inquiry to “count” in your credit score. Only hard inquiries in the most recent 12 months affect y our credit score.
A soft inquiry does not affect your credit score.
- Soft Inquiries occur when:
You order your own credit report score.
- A company that has issued a credit card or extended other credit to you pulls your credit report to review it.
- A company “pre-approves” you for an offer of credit. (if, however, you take advantage of a pre-approved offer, the lender will pull your credit report, which will create a hard inquiry)
These inquiries are displayed to you when you receive your credit report from any of the 3 credit reporting agencies [Eqifax, Trans Union & Experian] for informational purposes. However, they are not displayed to creditors or others that obtain your credit report.
Generally speaking, the more hard inquiries you have on your credit file, the more your score will be negatively impacted. However, if you are shopping for a mortgage or an auto loan within a short amount of time, the additional inquiries resulting from credit file requests made by multiple lenders do not adversely affect your credit score.
Equifax 2004
From all of us at Ann Arbor Credit Bureau
We want to thank all of our clients and friends for their continued patronage. We also send you special holiday greetings from our staff. Relationships are built with people, not corporations. In lieu of sending Christmas cards, we have made a contribution to Salvation Army, Mott’s Children’s Hospital and Arbor Hospice. .
High Payment of the Month!
This months high payment honors go to Louise Ford. Louise collected $2638.00 from a local automotive company.
Congratulations Louise!!
A2CB Staff
The past year has been full of changes for Credit Bureau, Inc. With the many staff changes we have had, we thought it was time to update our list of contact names.
As you look over the list, keep in mind who you need to contact as specific questions or needs arise. By directing your inquiries to those who can help you immediately, you enable us to better serve you, our valued clients.
Key personnel are:
Management
Bob Barden — President
Tom Oldani — General Manager
Collections Department
Jason Villaloboz-Collection Manager
Louise Ford-Collection Specialist
Jon Krammer-Collection Specialist
Shannon -Collection Specialist
Kendra Schoenfeldt-Collection Specialist
Front Office Department
Halina Tsem — Bookeeper
Yelena Griffiths — Staff Support
Lindsey Lince—Staff Support
Beth Barden — Staff Support
Client Sales Department
Deb Hundersmarck-Client Consultant
Carol Molton- Client Service Rep.
Mortgage Reporting Department
Linda Underwood -Admin. Manager
Stephanie Shimko - Mortgage Service
Linda Lasho-Public Records
Legal Department
Jen Smith — Legal Coordinator
Technical Support
Gail Christopherson-Data Wrangler |
