Credit Information

Collection Agencies: What Do They Do?


Collection agencies are businesses that collect past-due bills and accounts receivable for other persons or businesses in exchange for a fee. Collection agencies charge for their services one of three ways:

1) A flat fee.

2) A percentage of what is collected.

3) Through a direct sale of the delinquent accounts.

If you are trying to collect a small or medium sized debt, using collection agencies that charge a flat fee are probably your best option - collection agencies that charge a flat fee work just as hard to collect a small debt as they do to collect a large debt.

If you have just a few large unpaid receivables, working with collection agencies that charge a percent of the total debt collected is a wise choice. (usually 25 to 50 percent).

The third option, selling your uncollected receivables at a discount to certain collection agencies is advisable only if you have a very large amount of debt - usually $1 million or more. The selling price is typically a minuscule 2 to 8 cents on the dollar.

Most collection agencies use one of three tactics to collect debt:

1) Letters.

2) Direct contact via the telephone.

3) Litigation.

Typically, collection agencies begin the collection process by sending a series of notification letters, often called demand letters. The final notification letter generally warns the debt dodger that if the past-due account is not paid by a certain date, his or her name or company will passed on to more intensive collections.

Many collection agencies also pay their staff to phone the debtor directly. This direct contact is most useful in turning up the heat on debtors who have identified themselves as having no intention to pay their bill.

Litigation - in small claims court or a full-scale courtroom - is a final option.

Besides sending out letters and making phone calls, some collection agencies also specialize in locating debtors who can no longer be reached at the address or phone number listed on their accounts. To determine whether certain collection agencies offer this service, ask them about their "skip tracing" abilities.

Collection Agency Outsourcing - Outsourcing accounts receivable to a professional collection agency has become a popular alternative to attempting to collect receivables in-house.


MORE RESOURCES:

1 in 4 college students graduate with $5000 in credit card debt
Bizjournals.com, NC - 8 hours ago
About one out of every four college students leave school with upwards of $5000 of credit card debt, according to a survey released Wednesday. ...


NY hospital worker accused of patient credit card theft
Newsday, NY - 4 hours ago
PORT JEFFERSON, NY - A Long Island nursing assistant has been accused of using a hospital patient's stolen credit card. Suffolk County police received a ...


CreditCards.com: Weekly Credit Card Rate Report
MarketWatch - 8 hours ago
AUSTIN, Texas, Aug 21, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Annual percentage rates for new credit card offers were mostly steady this week, according to the ...
Avoiding College's Plastic Hangover Wall Street Journal
all 8 news articles


Washington Post

Credit crisis hangs over markets
Globe and Mail, Canada - 5 hours ago
Investors looking for the all-clear signal are keeping an eye on the US credit crisis and unfortunately things are not getting better at all. ...
Europe Squashed By Credit Worries Forbes
Wall St opens flat on credit woes Business Spectator
Wall Street drops on credit fears The Australian
BloggingStocks - Bloomberg
all 2,263 news articles


Los Gatos police arrest four in credit card fraud case
San Jose Mercury News,  USA - 6 hours ago
One adult and three teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of burglary and fraudulent use of a credit card, police said. Los Gatos/Monte Sereno police ...


Versatile's Kiosks Generate More Than $2 Billion of Credit ...
FOXBusiness - 5 hours ago
Using Versatile's Kiosk a typical retailer can generate over $1 million of credit facilities per annum at each location with an average credit limit of ...


First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit a Boost for Homebuyers
MarketWatch - 12 hours ago
SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Aug 21, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- A one-time tax credit for first-time homebuyers is part of a new federal housing stimulus law ...


AFP

Dollar Heads for Biggest Drop in 3 Months on Credit Losses, Oil
Bloomberg - 2 hours ago
... in three months on speculation Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke will signal he favors keeping interest rates low as credit-market losses widen. ...
Yen, Swiss franc stronger on credit fears Currency News
Yen, Swiss Franc Rise as Credit Losses Damp Higher-Yield Demand Bloomberg
Yen Rises as Credit-Market Losses Damp Demand for Higher Yields Bloomberg
Bloomberg - Bloomberg
all 370 news articles


Mythic VP Brushes Off ‘Warhammer’ Credit Complaints, Wants To Talk ...
MTV.com - 7 hours ago
Brushing off complaints from an anonymous developer who complained about a lack of credit for working on “Warhammer Online,” the game’s lead designer wants ...


Credit Solutions Makes Inc. 5000 List of Fastest-Growing Private ...
MarketWatch - 12 hours ago
RICHARDSON, Texas, Aug 21, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Credit Solutions has been named to Inc. Magazine's 2008 list of the 5000 fastest-growing privately held, ...

Credit - Google News

home | site map
© 2006