Speaker Sessions  

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Details will be added as speakers and sessions are confirmed.

Title of Session:
Arbitration Pro & Con (Debate)

About James Branton:
James joined the firm as a lawyer in 1998, but began working there as a clerk after his first year of law school. Having focused on FDCPA, FCRA, state regulatory compliance and common law liability issues throughout his time with the firm, James is recognized among the Atlanta bar as a specialist in debtor-creditor and consumer protection law compliance and defense issues as a creditor/collector advocate. James has appeared as a representative of the credit card industry on the Georgia Public Broadcasting television program The Layman's Lawyer and speaks regularly on FDCPA and FCRA compliance and related consumer protection law issues for both the Georgia Institute for Continuing Legal Education and private professional seminars.
... Read More » James is lead counsel for all defense matters in-house and has regularly worked closely with the corporate legal departments of the nations largest creditors with regard to both regulatory and litigation matters. During the years 2000 and 2001, James served at the pleasure of the General Counsel of Wachovia Bank Card Services as special outside counsel for defense matters and managed this important client's national defense portfolio. Most recently, James has focused on developing the firm's Arbitration Division and technology resources including the ongoing development of an open-source legal collections suite.

James D. Branton Born: Islip, New York ;Admitted Georgia State and Appellate Courts, U.S. Dist. Ct., N.D. Georgia, 1998. ;B.A., 1990, J.D., 1997, Emory University

Title of Session:
Agency vs Attorney (Debate)

About Jeff Brethauer:
Jeff Brethauer is the Recovery Operations Manager for GE Consumer Finance. He has over 35 years in the Collections and Recovery industry, and his experience includes management of both agencies and attorneys.
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Prior to joining GE Consumer Finance in 1998, Jeff held positions with Michigan National Bank and Bank One. He has experience with Bankruptcy, Probate, Audit, In-house, and Strategic functions for several major creditors. Jeff is currently responsible for management of the agency and attorney networks for GE's Recovery Center of Excellence (COE), which supports all GE Consumer Finance Business units.

Jeff is a graduate of C.S Mott Jr. College in Flint, Michigan.

Title of Session:
To Sell or To Place (Debate)

About Al Brothers:
Alfred J. Brothers, Jr. Mr. Brothers is a Chief Executive Officer of Cavalry Portfolio Services, LLC. Cavalry has been actively purchasing, collecting and reselling non-performing consumer debt portfolios since 1991. Since January 1999, Cavalry has purchased hundreds of portfolios with nearly 7 million accounts with aggregate balances in excess of $13 billion. Cavalry actively collects its portfolio and also resells selected accounts.
... Read More »

Prior to joining Cavalry, Mr. Brothers was a Senior Manager with BDO Seidman, LLP and advised clients on loan portfolio acquisitions and sales. Prior to BDO Seidman, Mr. Brothers was the President and CEO of a savings bank with $300 million in assets. He has co-authored two books published by the American Bankers Association and has authored articles on Sales of Distressed Debt that have appeared in Collections & Credit Risk, Hart Energy Markets, and Health Leaders. Mr. Brothers received his M.S. in Mathematical Statistics from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and a B.A. with Honors in Mathematics from Oberlin College.

Title of Session:
Agency vs Attorney (Debate)

About Paula Catterall:
Paula Catterall is Senior Director of Recoveries for Sterling Jewelers, Inc. of Akron, Ohio. Sterling is the nation’s largest retail jeweler and operates under various store names including Kay, Osterman, Goodman, Marks and Morgan, and JB Robinson Jewelers, as well as Jared the Galleria of Jewelry. Sterling offers its own credit programs and services its own receivables.
... Read More » Paula began her career as a credit management trainee for Sears. After learning the fundamentals of extending and collecting credit, she supervised a collection division that was one of the best in the corporation. She also taught inexperienced employees in all departmental positions and presented corporate training programs to all credit employees. Early on, she learned the importance of making training sessions interesting by adding her own creative spin.

As Executive Vice President for A.M. Miller & Associates, Inc., a large national collection agency located in Minneapolis, Paula was responsible for collections, as well as all collection area training and auditing. Under her leadership, the collection areas became top-performers for many national credit card, commercial, and student loan clients. Additionally, she implemented an internal audit program and developed management training modules as well as a management-trainee program.

With partners, Paula started a corporation called Collection Management Network (CMN) and served as its President and CEO. CMN operated a national network of collection agencies using a proprietary internet-based collection system. CMN also offered consulting and training services through its subsidiary, LPR.

Paula Catterall has a Master of Business Administration degree from Drake University and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Iowa. She served as president of the International Credit Association.

Title of Session:
Extended Enterprises (Debate)

About Mark Cavin:
Mark Cavin is Vice President of the Portfolio Management Group for Arrow Financial Services, a Sallie Mae Company. He is responsible for the portfolio and strategic management of 16.5B in purchased assets, with primary focus on agency, law firm, and vendor management, and overall inventory management across all of the Arrow nation-wide operations. Prior to this assignment, Mark was the site VP of the San Diego Call Center, with additional responsibility for many other operational and strategic projects.
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Prior to his six years with Arrow Financial Services, Mark spent thirteen years with Union Bank of California, the 24th largest commercial bank in the US, where he held various senior level management positions. During his career, Mark has emphasized process reengineering and efficiency enhancements, and has been recognized for his management of large and diverse operational centers.

Mark’s expertise includes managing outsourcing relationships, such as collection agencies, collection law firms, and collection auditing firms. He has significant consumer and commercial portfolio sales experience, as well as extensive experience in consumer debt collection and recovery management, loss mitigation strategies, managing of commercial delinquent problem loan portfolios, and handling real and personal property liquidation(s).

Mark is active in trade and industry organizations, and has spoken nationally and internationally on various banking and debt portfolio sales topics. He is a Board Member and former President and Vice Chairman of the Health Centers of San Diego, which operates 13 inner-city health care centers providing care to approximately 380,000 disadvantaged citizens in greater San Diego.

Mark is married to Sarah Vold Cavin of Fontana, Wisconsin, and has two daughters, Mia, 17 and Chloe, 15, and a son, Max, 6. He resides in San Diego, California and has a second home in the Buena Vista Club in Fontana, Wisconsin. Mark loves a challenging round of golf, and his family attends the Church at Rancho Bernardo in which they are very active.

Moderator:
Healthcare Financial Management Roundtable

About Todd Cole:
Todd Cole has spent his entire 25 year career working in the healthcare industry; from Chief Accountant in a small community hospital to Director of Patient Registration in a large urban hospital, Senior Consultant with a ‘Final 4’ accounting firm, and Business Manager of a University–based Cardiology practice. Mr. Cole is currently Director, Patient Accounting for TriHealth Inc., a central business office and joint operating agreement between Bethesda Hospital and Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. TriHealth has routinely sold its uncollected accounts to a debt buyer since 2003.
... Read More »

Mr. Cole received his BS in Accounting from Northern Kentucky University and holds his CPA license in Ohio. Mr. Cole is a Fellow in the Healthcare Financial Management Association and is a Founders Medal of Honor award recipient. He has served HFMA National on the Chairman’s Task Force on Patient Financial Services and on the Chapter Assistance Team. He is a past President of HFMA’s Southwestern Ohio Chapter and a Hospital Accounts Receivable Analysis (HARA) Advisory Board member. He has spoken on healthcare debt collection and debt sales issues to both HFMA and the ACA.

Moderator:
Collection Operations Tracks

About Michael Cushing:
Michael Cushing is the Chief Financial Officer of Vision Management Services and its affiliate PDI Management Services. He is currently responsible for overseeing all of the companies’ day to day operations of the buying, selling and managing of purchased debt portfolios. During his tenure at Vision, the Companies have acquired over $5.5 Billion in accounts and also completed sales of over $5 Billion. Mr. Cushing is well known and respected in the industry and was elected to the Debt Buyer Association Board of Directors in 2003 and is currently the Treasurer. He is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
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Mr. Cushing has been directly involved in more than 150 portfolio acquisitions of various types of sizes totaling in excess of $3.5 billion in original principal obligations. Mr. Cushing graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics. Mr. Cushing became licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in the State of California while employed by the certified public accounting firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers (formally known as Coopers and Lybrand). His clients, while at PricewaterhouseCoopers, included real estate, manufacturing, banking, service, and retail businesses.

From June of 1999 to September 2003 Mr. Cushing was a Partner and Vice President of Professional Recovery Systems, LLC (PRS). Mr. Cushing was involved with PRS’s business development, planning and implementation of corporate strategies for all of PRS’s operations and acquisition programs. Mr.Cushing was instrumental in the successful marketing of PRS as a buyer of debt portfolios to the financial community as well as the design and application of PRS’s acquisition stratification programs. P.R.S. has purchased in excess of $2.5 billion in debt and reaps unique benefits and advantages in the areas of pricing, buying power, and quality assurance when purchasing debt portfolios.

From January of 1992 to June of 1999, Mr. Cushing was the Chief Financial Officer of Performance Capital Management (PCM), Performance Telecom, and Performance Development and was affiliated with them since their formations beginning in January 1992. PCM and its affiliates were some of the early pioneers in the debt buying industry. Mr. Cushing was instrumental in development, growth and management of PCM into one of the preeminent debt buyers through the acquisition of over $2.3 billion in charged-off receivables and creation of a multifaceted conglomerate of companies, which employed over 200 individuals.

From January of 1989, to November of 1991, Mr. Cushing served as Vice President of Real Estate and Corporate Secretary for the Bay Plaza Company, a master developer of a planned 1.4 million square foot, $240 million downtown redevelopment project for the city of St. Petersburg, Florida (“Downtown Redevelopment Project”). This company, also, was facility manager of a 1/4 mile retail and entertainment pier complex, a 42,000 seat domed stadium, 8,500 seat arena and 2,000 seat fine arts theater for the city of St. Petersburg, Florida. Mr. Cushing was responsible for all aspects of real estate operations including asset and property management, investment analysis, financing, acquisitions, dispositions, planning, and risk management. As Corporate Secretary, Mr. Cushing was responsible for the maintenance of the company’s books and records.

From September of 1985, to January of 1989, Mr. Cushing was Senior Vice President of the Elcor Companies, a national commercial real estate company. This company served as an advisor and management company for Wespac Investors Trust, a publicly traded over-the-counter real estate investment trust (“R.E.I.T.”) with total assets in excess of $160,000,000 and approximately 5,000 shareholders. In addition to servicing the R.E.I.T., the company acquired, owned and managed properties for its own accounts, as well as other third parties. This company, also, owned 50% of the Downtown Redevelopment Project. Mr. Cushing’s responsibilities included overseeing all property and corporate operations; performing all aspects of the disposition of R.E.I.T. assets; placing, negotiating, and closing all property financing and workouts; and overseeing the recovery of assets by bankruptcy and foreclosure proceedings.

From October of 1984, to September of 1985, Mr. Cushing was part of the real estate acquisition team of Wespac Advisors, a national real estate syndicator. His responsibilities included completion of acquisition and due diligence documentation, negotiation of acquisition terms, and research of markets and properties throughout the nation. This company provided the property management and acquisition services for 3 publicly traded real estate investment trusts with total assets in excess of $300,000,000.

Title of Session:
The Best of Champion Challenger Programs - How to Motivate the Agencies, from an Agency Point of View

Session Description:
Many creditors operate their own version of what we call in our industry a “champion challenger program.” These programs are designed to create competition among competing agencies, with the ultimate goals of increasing overall liquidation for the creditor while serving as a benchmark to ensure creditors are receiving competitive performance in the industry.

The problem is, however, that most champion challenger programs are designed by creditors for creditors! All the benefits of the program are designed around the creditor’s interests and goals. Many programs do not give much thought as to what will truly motivate the agencies to keep raising the bar, and pushing the numbers higher and higher. A successful program must be a win-win for all parties involved, with measurable benefit going to the competitors, as well as the creditors.

In today’s marketplace, many champion challenger programs have grown stale. Creditors are satisfied when all agencies are within certain “Best of” percentages, rather than continuing to set new standards, pushing record breaking liquidation rates, and reducing customer complaints.

The key to a HIGH POWERED champion challenger program lies in proper motivation that reaches all levels of the people engaged in collecting the money and working the program; right down to the agencies’ collectors and skip tracers.

Paul will demonstrate what he has found to be the most effective and highly motivating programs in the industry today, and how to effectively implement, operate, and measure them. He will also prove why they are so effective.

Paul has personally been involved in the creation of several champion challenger programs that have set new heights for many creditors over the past 13 years.

About Paul Errigo:
Paul Errigo is Co-Founder & CEO for Accounts Receivable Technologies, which is a full service national A/R Management & Collection organization. Paul began his career in the collection industry in 1986, working as a collector while a student at St. John’s University.
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After graduation, Paul went to work for a Fortune 200 company, where he gained valuable training and experience in client management.

In 1993, Paul Co-Founded Accounts Receivable Technologies. Since that time, he has operated and overseen virtually every position in the collection operation.

Paul has a unique ability to earn clients’ long-term trust by asking the right questions, discovering the “true issues”, and working in partnership with them to create, implement, and operate effective solutions that satisfy immediate and long-term objectives.

Paul is a frequent speaker and panelist on accounts receivable management and collection topics for various industry associations. He is an active member of YEO (Young Entrepreneurs Organization), and has sat on the Board of Directors and/or the advisor board for Rotary International, the American Red Cross, the Alzheimer’s Association, and the American Cancer Society. He is a founder and board member of the Indian Society Scholarship Fund for St. John’s University, and is active in the SJU Alumni Association.

Paul has a Bachelor of Science degree both in Marketing and Psychology from St. John’s University.

Title of Session:
Advanced Skip Tracing Techniques

Title of Session:
Skip Concepts for Creditors

About Charles S. Filipek:
Charly has spent 37 years in the collection industry, and is known to be a subject matter expert on process management and behavioral engineering. His expertise includes development of location processes that have been adapted by many organizations. Some of his accomplishments include the
... Read More » development of 'no contact' strategies used exclusively in the bank card industry and also in the development and execution of emotional marketing strategies used in conjunction with the Hallmark Corporation that have been heralded in the Wall Street Journal.

Prior to joining Verifacts, Charly held the following management positions:
1988 - 2003 Director of Asset Management - Discover Financial Services, Phoenix, Arizona
1984 - 1988 Vice President - The Associates, Los Colinas, Texas
1972 - 1984 Collection Manager - First Card, Elgin Illinois

Affiliations:
Deer Valley Education Foundation: - President and CEO
Arizona Council on Economic Education - Board of Trustees
Maricopa County Sheriff Enforcement Support Posse - Board of Trustees, Lieutenant

Verifacts is a proven leader in skip tracing, and in providing location information in support of no contact strategies. Verifacts also provides asset investigations and specializes in providing the credit and collections industry with high quality information; 100% verified and guaranteed!

Title of Keynote:
The State of the Industry

Session Description:
The accounts receivable management industry has grown in sophistication, size and importance to the point where now it is generating an unprecedented level of interest from Wall Street, financial institutions, and corporations worldwide. In this presentation, we take a look at how this transformation is shaping the future of the industry and what that will mean to collection agencies and other service providers, debt buyers, vendors and credit grantors. This presentation will focus on the current industry drivers, including economic conditions, mergers and acquisitions, market forces, and trends. It will also look ahead to how these developments are likely to play out in the future.

Title of Session:
Selling Your Agency in Today's Market

Session Description:
With the high number of interested, well-funded strategic and financial buyers in the market today, many owners are assessing their options for selling their businesses. However, even in a “seller’s market,” there are important considerations for maximizing the value of the sale. This session will put current merger and acquisition activity into context. We will describe the key business aspects that impact how agencies are valued today, and then provide information on the sale process, exit strategies, and pitfalls to avoid when selling. After this session, attendees will have a good overall knowledge of the current market for agencies, and valuable information to assist them in planning for the eventual sale of their company.

About Mike Ginsberg:
Mike is the President and CEO of Kaulkin Ginsberg Company and spearheads all of the firm's advisory business practices. He oversees a team of professionals that has completed over 100 transactions ranging from minority sales to complete buyouts. Clients served include many middle market businesses as well as Fortune 500 companies and private equity firms. ... Read more »

Mike has been a keynote speaker at numerous association meetings and conventions on industry issues such as "When is the right time to sell" and "The reshaping of the collections industry." He is a member of the board of the Institute of Merger and Acquisition Professionals (IMAP), and also holds membership in the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), and the American Collectors Association (ACA). Widely regarded as an industry expert, Mike has been interviewed by media sources such as NBC Nightly News, The Economist, Business Week, and The Washington Post. Mike also serves as an expert witness, and sits on the advisory boards of several industry associations and publications.

Title of Session:
Extended Enterprises (Debate)

About John Griggs:
For the past five and a half years, John has been the Managing Vice President of Loan Servicing at Capital One Auto Finance, based in Dallas, Texas. In that role, he is responsible for leading all of the customer service, collections, repossession, vehicle remarketing, recoveries, document management, and payment processing activities for their $21 billion auto portfolio. ... Read more »

Prior to joining Capital One, John’s experience includes over twenty-three years with Citigroup, Household International and Bank One in both operations and financial roles, and he has worked in a wide variety of financial services segments, including auto, sub-prime auto, home equity, sub-prime home equity, mortgages, private label credit cards, unsecured loans, and securities brokerage.

John is currently on the Board of Directors of the National Automotive Finance Association. Previously, he has also served on the Boards of Directors and Executive Committees of the American Financial Services Association and the National Home Equity Mortgage Association. He was also one of the organizers and initial Board members of the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Chicago, now one of the largest consumer credit counseling services in the U.S., and served as its Chairman for two terms.

Title of Session:
Special New Product Announcement - Peace of Mind Portfolio Sales

About Dennis Hammond:
President, THE DEBT MARKETPLACE, INC. (1994 – Present)
Co-Founder and Executive Director, Debt Buyers’ Association, Inc. (1996 – Present)
Vice President, Resource Management Services, Inc. (1986 – Present)
... Read more »

Mr. Hammond is President of THE DEBT MARKETPLACE, INC., formed in 1994 to provide consulting services on risk issues affecting creditors and purchasers in this dynamic and evolutionary market of delinquent debt sales. He is responsible for consulting on more than $15 billion in delinquent debt portfolio sales. A large number of the portfolios he has brought to market were the first of their kind in the industry. Additionally, he leads an educational seminar, Buyers/Seller 101©, to assist first time buyers and sellers enter the market.

He is co-founder and Executive Director of the Debt Buyers’ Association, Inc. He is responsible for the development and growth of this eight year-old, non-profit trade association. The Debt Buyers’ Association is committed to “Building a Foundation for Industry Standards.”

He is also co-founder and Vice President of Resource Management Services, Inc., an eighteen-year old consulting firm to the collection industry.

He has been a featured speaker at several industry conferences. These domestic and international events have been organized by Thompson Financial Conferences, Institute for International Research and Credit Today, to name a few.

He has also been quoted in many industry publications including Collections and Credit Risk, Credit Today, Forbes, The Nilson Report and more.

Moderator:
Creditor Strategies & Processes Track

About Michael Hernandez:
Mike is a seasoned Finance professional in the Credit Risk, Receivables Management and Call Center industry with proven leadership skills and expertise in risk management, strategic development and DSO improvement. His background includes proficiency in global Call Center Operations, Service, Support, Accounts Receivable and Collections. Mike has spent several years working with both AT&T and Oracle. With Oracle he centralized North American collections operations to Bangalore, India. ... Read more »

Mike is currently with EDFUND, one of the nation's leading providers of student loan services under the Federal Family Education Loan Program. EDFUND processes $7.8 billion a year in federal student loans and administers an outstanding loan portfolio worth more than $26 billion.

Title of Session:
Small Claims & Garnishments

Session Description:
This presentation will be highlighting on the opportunities creditors have in the collections of small balance accounts and how this collection option could be the best tool in the box. Creditor initiated small claims and garnishments of debt can be a very effective collection strategy. Mr. McCoy will discuss various strategies and options to consider in deciding to start the small claims process as well as the collecting post judgment debt while outlining the potential results.

About Paul McCoy:
As Vice President of Collections at Columbia Credit Union, Paul McCoy's efforts and expertise in assisting members in difficult situations have been phenomenal since joining Columbia in 1997. Responsible for reviewing and forecasting delinquencies and loan losses for Columbia's entire lending portfolio, Paul's team has achieved the lowest level of loan delinquencies ever experienced at Columbia. ... Read more »

Paul holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management from Oregon State University with a minor in Behavioral Sciences. An avid Salmon and Steelhead fisherman, his family includes his wife, June, their three children, Megan and twins, Haley and Rachel, and their two dogs, Maxx and Milo.

Along with his motivation to immerse himself in performing his job, Paul is committed to serving the community where he lives and works. Currently serving on the Board of Directors as President-elect for the Credit Association of Portland, his passion to serve others is demonstrated in his volunteer work for the Blind Olympics, Red Cross, plus other community organizations and local fundraising events.

Title of Session:
Arbitration Pro & Con (Debate)

About Harvey Moore:
Harvey Moore is a principal of Bidna & Keys, APLC, a business and business litigation law firm which represents a broad spectrum of individual, business and institutional clients in fields such as retail and commercial credit, technology, insurance, manufacturing and health care. ... Read more »

Mr. Moore and his firm represent clients in local, regional, national and international matters, including (as both plaintiffs and defendants), litigation in State, Federal and Bankruptcy Courts, arbitration and mediation in matters such as creditors’ rights, contract disputes, unfair competition, trade secrets, trust and estate disputes, fraudulent conveyances, non-dischargeability, and fraud.

Mr. Moore advises a number of institutional and banking clients on debt collection related issues including compliance with the FDCPA, the FCRA (and their California equivalents), and defends lawsuits brought under those acts. He assists clients in special projects relating to debt management and collection, including responses to accord and satisfaction claims.

Mr. Moore also manages and actively participates in the firm’s consumer, commercial and merchant collections practice group.

Mr. Moore is a member of the National Association of Retail Collection Attorneys, the Commercial Law League of America, the ACA International Members’ Attorney Program and the Debt Buyers’ Association. Mr. Moore is presently serving a two year term as a Board Member of NARCA, chairs its Grievance Committee, co-chairs its Laws and Legislation Committee and chairs its Task Force on Debtor/Consolidator Scams and Fraud. Mr. Moore is a member of the NARCA Education Committee. He is also a Founding Member, President-Elect and Member of the Board of Directors of the California Creditors Bar Association.

Mr. Moore has spoken to numerous conferences and groups throughout the country on a variety of topics including Debtor and Consolidator Scams and the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Title of Session:
Collection Complaints & Creditor Responsibility

Session Description:
A growing number of suits are seeking to establish creditor liability for the actions of collection agencies and attorneys. This session will look at a few of the more notorious cases and provide suggestions for dealing with the exposure created by attorneys and agencies.

Title of Session:
Consequences & Impacts of a Government Investigation

Session Description:
Mr. Newburger will walk the audience through a Federal Trade Commission subpoena, discussing: (a) the types of information likely to be sought in a regulatory investigation; (b) some of the management issues created by FTC and Attorney General subpoenas; (c) ways to anticipate and reduce the cost of responding to such subpoenas.

About Manny Newburger:
Manuel H. (Manny) Newburger is presently Vice-President of Barron & Newburger, P.C., a law firm having its principal place of business in Austin, Texas. He has been with the firm (and its predecessor entities) since August 1983. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Texas School of Law, where he teaches consumer protection law. ... Read more »

Mr. Newburger is a past Chair of the Consumer Law Section of the State Bar of Texas, and is current Chair of the State Bar’s Advisory Commission on board certification in consumer law. He is also a member of the Commercial Law League of America, where he served four years as Chairman of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act Committee of that organization, and he is presently the Advisor to that Committee.. He testified as the League’s representative before a United States Congressional Subcommittee regarding the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act at the last Oversight Hearing held on the Act.

A frequent speaker at Continuing Legal Education Programs around the United States, Mr. Newburger has a nationally based consumer law practice in the area of fair debt collection practices. Mr. Newburger has been quoted in articles on FDCPA issues in the National Law Journal, Lawyers Weekly USA and the Texas Lawyer; and in 1995, he represented the Commercial Law League of America as an amicus curiae in Heintz v. Jenkins, 514 U.S. 291, 115 S.Ct. 1489 (1995) White v. Goodman, 200 F.3d 1016 (7th Cir. 2000), and Riviere v. Banner Chevrolet, Inc., 184 F.3d 457 (5th Cir. 1999). He is the co-author of M. Newburger and B. Barron, The Guide to Fair Debt Collection Practices Law in the United States (Faulkner & gray 2000), as well as a number of published articles on consumer law.

Mr. Newburger received a B.A. in history from Trinity University in 1980 and his J.D. in 1983 from the University of Texas School of Law. He has been licensed to practice law in the state of Texas since November 4, 1983, and is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Courts of Appeals for the fifth and Seventh Circuits, and all United States District courts in Texas. He has been certified as a specialist in consumer law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Mr. Newburger was a recipient of the State Bar of Texas 1999 Frank J. Scurlock Award for voluntary legal services to the poor.

Title of Session:
Best Practices in Collection Staff Training

Session Description:
Training is a natural motivator and improves collector retention. Today there are many options to improve collectors’ skills: Instructor-led seminars and workshops, Train-the-Trainer programs and E-Learning. In this session you will learn the benefits and opportunities of different training options as well as the importance of in-language training for your multilingual collection efforts.

Title of Session:
Collection Training for Creditors

Session Description:
Learn how collection supervisors use the 3 M’s, Monitoring, Measuring and Motivating, and the 3 R’s, Recruiting, Retention and Recognition, to get the best performance from their collection teams. In this session participants will learn how these supervisory tools, together with Inter-rater Reliability Programs, provide opportunities to calibrate subjective and objective evaluation and feedback criteria.

About Astrid Rial:
Astrid Rial is President and Founder of Arial International, a multilingual, multicultural consulting and training firm. Arial International, founded in 1992, has worked with clients in 30 countries on six continents and over 20,000 professionals have participated in their seminars. Ms. Rial, a 25 year veteran in financial services
... Read More » industries, is the author of the book Best Practice in Consumer Collections sponsored by Visa International and is published in English and Spanish. She currently serves on the Board of Advisors for Collections and Credit Risk magazine. She has lectured at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de Mexico (ITAM), one of the most prestigious private universities in Mexico, spoken on television and radio talk shows and served on the Board of Directors for Consumer Credit Counseling Services of San Francisco and Mexico City.

Ms. Rial is frequently interviewed, quoted and has been published in The New York Times, Entrepreneur, Credit Card Management, Collections and Credit Risk, Collector's Ink, Business Mexico, El Financiero and many others. She is a sought after speaker who participates in conferences throughout the world and has spoken on radio and television and is bilingual in Spanish and English. She is a graduate of the University of Washington in Seattle. Prior to founding the firm, she held management positions for Nordstrom and Citicorp.

"To view the PDF version brochure on Ms. Rial's publication, Best Practice in Consumer Collections, please click here."

Title of Session:
To Sell or To Place (Debate)

About Anne Sweeny:
Anne Sweeny joined Homecomings Financial Network (HFN), a GMAC corporation, in 1997 as director of Default Servicing. In 2001, Anne accepted the challenge of establishing HFN's Internal Recovery Department, which she continues to manage today. Having recovered, sold and outsourced non-performing assets, Anne has a holistic approach to Recovery.... Read More »

Prior to joining HFN, Anne worked for Savings and Loan institutions, RTC, FDIC and Mortgage Bankers. Anne has vast servicing experience, including Collections, Bankruptcy, Pre-foreclosures, Loss Mitigation, Foreclosure, Government Claims, Training, and originations. She has serviced Risk Retain, Loan Serviced for others, FNMA, FHLMC and government loans. Prior to mortgage servicing, Anne was a Manager in a Credit Department for consumer loans.

Title of Session:
Motivating Collectors

Session Description:
Today’s call center jobs tend to be monotonous, and employees are challenged to remain motivated. Employers have tried different strategies to address this concern (e.g., high bonus structures), but usually only a small percentage of the employee base is impacted by these initiatives. In this session you will learn how you can create more buzz and excitement in a call center without blowing the budget. Additionally, your employees will look forward to coming to work.

Reporting, Feedback and Employee Competition are three pillars that need to be continuously reviewed when your goal is to motivate employees. The call center manager must constantly ask “How engaged are my employees?” The more engaged an employee is at work, the more motivated they are to get the job done correctly, while those who are less engaged at work are less motivated.

A well developed strategy that involves good reporting, consistent and fair feedback mechanisms, and regular employee competitions can increase your group’s average engagement level tremendously, thus leading to better results with little or no cost increase.

About Chinh Vu:
Chinh Vu joined Hyundai Motor Finance Company (HMFC) in 2003 as the National Manager of Collections and Asset Remarketing. His position with HMFC followed approximately eleven years with VW Credit, Inc., Audi and Bentley Financial Services. During his fourteen years in the automotive captive financing industry, Chinh has held leadership positions in strategic enhancement, collections, recovery and asset remarketing.... Read More »

Prior to joining HMFC, Chinh held the position of Collections and Recovery Manager for VW Credit, Inc. where he was responsible for overseeing VW Credit’s Central and Western portfolios in Portland, OR.

Chinh earned a BS in Business Management from Western Illinois University.

Hyundai Motor Finance Company is located at the Hyundai Motor of America (HMA) Headquarters in Fountain Valley, California.

Title of Session:
Recovery Litigation

Session Description:
One of the many strategies in collection of delinquent accounts is litigation. Litigation process for a creditor involves much more than just deciding to litigate. This topic will detail the typical stages in a collection litigation case and will highlight the involvement of the creditor in that process. Mr. Weltman will cover issues such as preparing an account for litigation, documentation necessary to support a claim, the discovery process, and witness preparation and readiness.

About Scott Weltman:
Scott Weltman works in the Collection Services and Probate (Deceased Collections) departments in the Cleveland office of Weltman, Weinberg & Reis Co., L.P.A. Mr. Weltman received a B.S. magna cum laude from the University of Southern California in 1986 and a J.D. from the University of Southern California, The Law School in 1989. A member of the American, California, Ohio, and Cuyahoga County Bar Associations, Mr. Weltman is licensed in California and Ohio and is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court (Central District of CA), and the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Weltman is currently a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, Phi Kappa Phi and Order of the Coif. He is also involved with Friends of the IDF (Board Member), Menorah Federal Credit Union (Board Member) and Adult Guardianship Services (Board Member). ... Read More »

Weltman, Weinberg & Reis Co., L.P.A., currently celebrating its 75th anniversary, provides comprehensive collection and litigation services to creditors throughout the nation including major banks & financial institutions, mortgage & lending companies, commercial creditors, government entities, insurance companies, credit unions, service organizations, and utility companies. Practice areas include bankruptcy, collection services, foreclosure/evictions/REO, legal action recovery, litigation & defense, probate, subrogation and corporate & financial services. The firm has offices in Brooklyn Heights (OH), Burlington (NJ), Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Deerfield (IL), Detroit, Grove City (OH), Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.