Current Newsletter
Collection & Credit Insights
June 2005
Volume 13.6
Tom Oldani
President of MACA
On May 19th, 2005 Tom Oldani was installed as President of Michigan Association of Collection Agencies (MACA), our state trade association founded in 1925. Tom’s industry experience and leadership skills were recognized during his tenure on MACA’s Board of Directors and by members from across Michigan who chose him to direct its 110 members for the next year.
After graduating from University of Michigan, Tom joined the Credit Bureau in 1989 and has managed every satellite office. He has held virtually every position in the collection division, and has served as General Manager since 2001. Tom comes from a successful family of sixteen children, where he no doubt learned the importance of punctuality at dinner time and negotiation skills, both of which have served him well in the collection business. A fiercely loyal man, Tom lives in Ann Arbor with his lovely wife Kara, his two children Kaelan, Keegan and his two golden retrievers.
When not at work, you can find him on a soccer field, helping his parents with the chores or at Connor O’Neil’s Irish Pub for a bite and a pint of Guinness.
No doubt many of you have spoken often with Tom; please congratulate him on this hard working significant achievement at the next opportunity.
I find it hard to think of a better partner with which to share a fox hole than Tom Oldani.
Bob Barden,
President
Office Location
Ann Arbor Credit Bureau
(734) 665-6173
(800) 710-4821
Upcoming Events
Collections Seminar
October 27, 2005
Welcome to Our New Clients
- Hovey's Service & Towing
- Chelsea Coutyard LLC
- Country Side Towing & Recovery
- Lookintheattic & Company
- Mayflower Auto Recovery
- Dr. Julie Lee, DDS
“Harley” – A True Show
Stopper!
“Harley” (Bob’s motorcycle, & my convention companion) and I went on our annual road trip last month. We attended the Michigan Dental Association Convention at The New Devos Place in Grand Rapids and what a beautiful facility it is. As usual, “Harley” got more attention then any other single item or person in the place! Hardly one person could pass by without slowing or stopping to either take a longer look, make a comment about their motorcycle, or the comment heard the most, “How can I win this?” Like a good employee, I explained I would no longer have a job if I gave away my boss’s “baby”!
We would like to thank Drs. Sylvia Ross, Denise Coleman, Lennart Lofstrom, Steve Crocker, Gary Sasaki, Todd Ryan, Lane Stumpos, and Joyce from Dr. Morrison’s office for stopping by to say hello.
And finally, our raffle winner is Melissa Arnold from Dr. Carol Moynihan’s office in Belleville. Melissa’s name was drawn from over 100 entries and is the lucky winner of a $200 Harley-Davidson gift certificate.
Congratulations to our lucky winner! Hope to see you all next year.
Debbie Hundersmarck
Referrals = Free Lunch
Remember, we want to buy you lunch!
Just send us a referral, have them mention your name, & when they send in accounts, lunch is on us!! Call us at 800-710-4821 with questions.
High Payment of the Month!
This month, high payment honors go to Jon Kramer who collected $3,749.63 for a local medical facility.
High Payment of the Month!
People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you . . .collect
What You Didn’t Hear About the FCRA and the FACT Act
Simply based on the name FCRA, Fair Credit Reporting Act, most of us understand that the FCRA is the governing law that guides the Credit Reporting industry and consumer credit files.
Despite the name, the FCRA covers a wide array of other consumer reports. That’s consumer reports, not just credit reports. The companies that compile reports on consumers that are other than credit reports have been designated by Congress as “nationwide specialty consumer reporting agencies.”
Now you’re wondering, right? What kind of reports do these nationwide specialty consumer reporting agencies compile? Most consumers don’t learn about these “other” reports until they have been denied a job, insurance, or an apartment rental. There are companies compiling your rental and employment history, insurance claims, check writing behaviors and your medical history. You will know the names of some of these specialty agencies and some you won’t recognize; to name a few: ChoicePoint, ISO Insurance Services, Medical Information Bureau (MIB), ChexSystems, Shared Check Authorization Network (SCAN), Unlawful Detainer Registry (UD), Telecheck, Saferent and more.
The good news about these nationwide specialty agencies is that they are bound by the FCRA and the new FACT Act. This means that upon your request, they must provide you with a complete report on the information they have compiled about you annually for no fee and they must have established a toll free number that is published anywhere the company does business. Unfortunately, the bad news is harder to bear. Unlike the credit reporting agencies which by law had to join together to create one centralized source for you to get your credit information, these specialty agencies were not required to create a centralized source, nor were they required to establish a web site or allow mail-in requests. This simply means you must find out who has a report on you and their process for requesting your free annual report. Most of these nationwide specialty agencies have posted this information on their websites.
Although you probably want to jump on the Internet and spend literally hours trying to get these free reports from these agencies, here is a suggestion of a few questions to start asking: 1) If you are shopping for new homeowner’s or auto insurance, first order a copy of your CLUE or A-Plus claims report; 2) If someone has fraudulently cashed checks against your account or if you have problems with your checking or savings account, order your ChexSystem report; 3) If your current or prospective employer asks your permission to run a background check, ask what screening company they use and contact that company as soon as the report has been issued, because they may not maintain permanent files; 4) If you want to rent an apartment or home ask the landlord the name of the tenant screening company he or she uses. There are many companies in this market so asking each time you apply for a rental may get you a different company and a different report each time; 5) If you are applying for private health, life, long-term care, or disability insurance, order your MIB report from the Medical Information Bureau, and if it is outdated or incorrect get it corrected before you apply for the insurance you want. And if any reports you request are incorrect, dispute them through the company that you ordered them from.
Linda Toro, Administrative Manager
For more information on nationwide specialty
agencies go to:
www.ftc.gov/os/2004/06/040624factafreeannaulfrn.pdf
And a few other sites for your information:
www.choicetrust.com
www.iso.com
www.mib.com
www.telecheck.com
www.consumerdebit.com
www.napbs.com |
