Great Trip with a Bad Start: ACA International Convention Recap

The start of my ACA International convention trip was not so good. Our plane taxied out to the runway and stopped. A simple mechanical problem—initially announced as a 15 minute fix—resulted in an extensive delay, and I missed my connecting flight.  I also missed some important convention meetings. Fortunately, the remainder of my trip was excellent.

I find these types of events to be invigorating! Upon arrival I was greeted by customers, prospects, competitors and industry friends. Interacting with these great people rejuvenated my desire to be a better vendor, to work even harder and to provide even more innovative solutions.

The convention was well organized with a good mix of training sessions. I particularly enjoyed the session “An Update from the CFPB” presented by Peggy L. Twohig, Assistant Director, Nonbank Supervision. There is certainly a lot of pent up trepidation, fear and uncertainty about how the CFPB will ultimately interact with the credit and collections industry. Ms. Twohig attempted to alleviate some of those concerns by discussing how the CFPB intends to conduct “examinations” and when needed “supervisions” of nonbank (i.e., collection agency) institutions.

Ms. Twohig’s presentation did not change my anxiety about how the CFPB will proceed with our industry. They appear to be genuinely interested in listening to our industry concerns, BUT until I see their actions, I’m still going to be uneasy. They are certainly not easing off their mandate from the Dodd-Frank bill to protect consumers.

Also, I had the privilege of running for and participating in the process of electing the new Board of Directors. I congratulate ACA International’s new board members. I pledge my support and the support of my company to this board. We will help you to further ACA’s mission and positively promote the industry, obtain reasonable regulations and assist businesses collect the money legally and rightfully theirs.

I look forward to attending next year’s Annual convention in San Diego. To the staff of ACA: Thank you for organizing a great event and helping to keep the credit and collection industry a vital partner to our economy’s success. While my trip’s start was less than desirable, the end result was great!

Dave Rudd is DialerFan, a champion of the collection industry, focused on improving collection capabilities through technology and political action. He energetically participates in lobbying efforts for the industry through donations, writing letters, making phone calls, participating in seminars and attending events in Washington D.C., including the most recent ACA International Fly-In. Well acquainted with debt collection, Dave spent two years debt collecting before joining IAT in 1990. He has held a variety of positions at IAT — a provider of collection-specific dialing technology — including President/CEO and most recently Senior VP of Finance & Administration.