Five Things I Learned During Call Monitoring That Had Nothing To Do With the Call 

I’ve been monitoring collection calls for over 30 years—sometimes sitting side-by-side with collectors, other times reviewing recorded calls. Along the way, I’ve picked up countless insights. But here’s the funny thing: many of the biggest lessons I’ve learned had nothing to do with the quality of the call itself.  Instead, they were tied to technology glitches, office culture, or management oversights that quietly shaped the customer and employee experience. Here […]

Call Monitoring Oversight: Beyond Just Listening

When you think about call monitoring in collections, what comes to mind? Most people picture someone with a headset, listening quietly in the background, checking off boxes for tone, professionalism, and compliance. That’s a start—but it’s a very narrow slice of what good oversight looks like. If you want your oversight program to deliver real results—not just satisfy a checklist—you’ve got to dig deeper. Listening is the entry point. What […]

Include the Collection Team in Reviewing Client Contracts

Why ignoring their input is like asking a sled dog to run without seeing the trail  When agencies sign new creditor contracts, the review process often happens at the executive or legal level. But those agreements often contain the rules that govern how collection managers and collectors operate every single day. Think of your collectors like a team of sled dogs. They’re the ones pulling the load, navigating the daily […]

CFPB Issues New ANPR on Personal Data Rights 

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has released an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) on personal data rights, commonly known as the Section 1033 rule or open banking rule. The ANPR is scheduled for publication in the Federal Register on August 22, 2025, after which the public will have 60 days to submit comments.  The proposed rule is intended to expand consumer control over financial data by requiring financial […]

CFPB Seeks Public Feedback on Revising “Larger Market Participant” Definitions 

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is asking for public input on whether it should revise the definitions of “larger market participants” in four key sectors: debt collection, automobile financing, consumer reporting, and international money transfers.  In notices published in the Federal Register, the bureau expressed concern that the current thresholds may not strike the right balance between regulatory benefits and compliance burdens for businesses. It also noted that existing […]

e-OSCAR Glitch Raises Accuracy Concerns for TransUnion Credit Data

A recent technical glitch in the e-OSCAR platform has sparked concerns over the accuracy of consumer credit data reported to TransUnion. The issue, which took place on June 13, 2025, affected the transmission of Automated Credit Dispute Verification (ACDV) Response records—an essential part of the dispute resolution process between data furnishers and credit reporting agencies (CRAs).  According to an email alert sent to users, e-OSCAR experienced an unexpected outage during […]

Creditors: Don’t Just Watch the Numbers — Listen for the Rustle in the Grass

Collection departments can’t afford to focus on just one data point or a single month’s performance. To understand what’s really coming down the pike, you have to step back and see the entire landscape — and right now, that landscape has some dark clouds forming. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Q2 Household Debt and Credit Report just landed, and buried inside is a warning sign. Credit card delinquencies […]

Court Grants Stay as CFPB Plans to Rework Personal Financial Data Rights Rule 

A federal judge in Kentucky has granted a stay in a legal challenge to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) personal financial data rights rule, a regulation designed to increase consumer access to their financial data. In response to the legal dispute, the CFPB has announced plans to revisit and substantially revise the rule.  The rule, finalized in 2024, was developed under Section 1033 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform […]

Oregon Enacts New Law Regulating Telemarketing Calls and Texts 

Oregon has passed new legislation that updates the state’s rules surrounding telemarketing practices, including both phone calls and text messages. The Telemarketing Modernization Act (HB 3865) was finalized in July 2025 and introduces expanded definitions and specific restrictions on the timing and frequency of marketing communications.  The law, sponsored by State Representative Nathan Sosa, broadens the definition of “telephone solicitation” to include text messaging and places limits on when and […]

The Data Trap – Flawed Data, Flawed Decisions

“Eighty-five percent of statistics are made up!”   I love that quote.  I’ve used it so long, I don’t remember if I saw it somewhere or may it up myself.  But, it’s my favorite example of bad information—funny, totally unverifiable, and somehow still quoted with confidence. It’s also a surprisingly good reminder of how easy it is to accept flawed data without thinking twice.  In the collections world, where numbers […]