Creditors International Issues Annual Report

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Tremendous growth, strong educational opportunities and great strides in its publications and Web site content marked Creditors International?s (CI) first full fiscal year. Creditors International, a division of the American Collectors Association (ACA) dedicated to serving the needs of credit grantors, first-party collectors, risk managers, consumer credit counselors and other credit professionals, was chartered in January 2000 and since then has increased its membership to nearly 1,300 professionals working in all areas of the credit industry.

To date, CI boasts of 1,271 members who work at large multinational companies, small local operations and businesses of all sizes in between. Many members made the transition from ACA?s Creditor Membership program to CI last year. Others were members of the former International Credit Association (ICA) and joined CI when ACA bought the assets of ICA in late 1999. Others still were drawn in by the strong benefits CI has developed over the past year.

“Many people join trade associations for two reasons,” said CI director Robbie Thompson. “For education and for legislation. The CI staff and steering committee have gone to great lengths to shore up both of those very important benefits.”

On the education front, CI has coordinated instructive and cost-effective teleseminars on bankruptcy developments and legislation, effective human resources practices, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), identity theft prevention and more. Together with ACA?s education department CI has developed extensive creditor education courses, and the Resource Guide to Credit is recognized throughout the industry as an important and comprehensive reference manual. What?s more, for the first time ever, ACA?s annual convention will feature a creditor track of programming that includes more on GLBA compliance, a dialogue between credit grantors, collectors and credit counselors, news from the credit bureaus and tips for managing early delinquency.

In legislative news, CI has introduced extensive tracking of pending state privacy legislation that affects creditors. Links to some of the most influential legislation of the year are available on the CI portion of ACA On-Line. CI has also done its part to influence federal legislation by submitting comments to the Federal Trade Commission?s (FTC) proposed interpretation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and providing members with tips on how and where to write to their senators and representatives. Besides the legislative tracking section, CI has expanded its Web offerings include an up-to-date member roster, registration for teleseminars, information about the steering committee and information about the Society of Certified Credit Executives (SCCE), CI?s certifying branch. CI?s Web page also features access to Consumer Trends newsletter, one of the association?s most important benefits. Over the course of the year, that publication expanded from 12 to 16 pages and is on the verge of growing to 20 pages. The content reflects the needs and diversity of CI?s members, including economic statistics, industry trends, and current information on issues that affect credit professionals.

CI?s industry-specific initiatives include a joint membership offer with ACA?s Healthcare Services Program and student loan certification developed in conjunction with ACA?s Government Services Program (GSP). CI also worked extensively with GSP to put on Collections 2001: The Conference for Student Loan Receivable and Student Loan Collection Professionals.

The commitment to community credit education many members feel has also come across in CI?s programming this year. ACA and CI have worked together to revive ICA?s National Credit Education Week and ACA and CI members are serving on a joint committee to evaluate credit education needs and the role the organization should assume.

“The growth potential here is unlimited,” said CI Steering Committee chairperson Nancy McLaughlin. “The staff, committee and members of this organization are all working together to create something that will have a positive impact on the credit industry for years to come.”