ARM Industry Well-Represented at FTC Debt Collection Technology Workshop

The Federal Trade Commission has published a draft agenda for its upcoming workshop, “Debt Collection 2.0: Protecting Consumers as Technologies Change.” The six planning panels include participants from debt collection industry companies, trade groups, consumer protection representatives, and legal experts from both the private and public sectors.

The FTC bills the event, to be held April 28 in Washington, as “a day-long public workshop to consider the impact of technological advances on the consumer debt collection system.” Technologies to be discussed include mobile telephones, email, social media, information gathering tools, and the software platforms that collectors use, including auto-dialers, databases, and payment portals.

When the workshop was announced, the FTC noted that it was open for solicitations from interested parties to participate in discussions. The agency recently issued a draft agenda with planned panels and the panelists that are expected to address the topics.

The ARM industry is well-represented on the panels. For example, on the first panel – Obtaining Information About Persons: Skip-Tracing and Beyond – a representative from ARM training and analytics firm The Intelitech Group, the general counsel for probate-focused data provider Forte, LLC, and a VP from TransUnion join an academic electronic data privacy advocate and an attorney that specializes in consumer plaintiff representation.

The workshop will be held at the FTC’s conference center at 601 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC from 8:30am to 5:30pm April 28. The FTC will be accepting public comments on the workshop until May 27, 2011.

Representatives from ACA International and DBA International will be on various panels, in addition to executives from major collection agencies, law firms, and technology vendors. Below is a list of all of the proposed panels with planned participants:

Obtaining Information About Persons: Skip-Tracing and Beyond

• Joseph S. Beekman, Associate Partner, Sales and Client Development, The Intelitech Group
• Leonard A. Bennett, Board of Directors, National Association of Consumer Advocates; Founding Partner, Consumer Litigation Associates, PC
• Angela Horn, General Counsel, Forte LLC
• Denise A. Norgle, Vice President and General Counsel, USIS Division, TransUnion LLC
• Conor Kennedy, Fellow, Electronic Privacy Information Center

Telephone Technologies: Dialing, Talking, and Texting, in an Age of Enhanced Mobility

• Brian Cutler, Senior Director for Project Management, Ontario Systems
• Cary L. Flitter, Esq., Consumer Rights Lawyer, Lundy, Flitter, Beldecos & Berger, PC
• David M. Schultz, Partner, Hinshaw & Culbertson, LLP
• John Watson, COO, ARS National Services, Inc.
• Donald Yarbrough, Principal, Law Offices of Donald Yarbrough

Managing the Flow of Information: The Intersection of Collector Software, Information Systems, and Compliance

• James R. Adamson, Chief Technology Officer, Columbia Ultimate
• Chad W. Benson, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, CBE Group
• Michael D. Kinkley, Principal, Michael D. Kinkley, PS
• Gary Portney, President, Convoke Systems
• Laura E. Udis, First Assistant Attorney General for Consumer Credit, Colorado Attorney General’s Office

Communication by Email: Boon or Bane to Collector-Consumer Relations?

• Zafar Khan, Chairman and CEO, RPost U.S., Inc.
• Robert W. Murphy, Secretary, National Association of Consumer Advocates
• David Rainey, President and CFO, Debt Resolve, Inc.
• Barbara A. Sinsley, General Counsel, DBA International
• Rich Turner, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, DANTOM Systems, Inc.

Using Social Media for Debt Collection: Consumer Information, Collector Communications and Privacy Issues

• John H. Bedard, Jr., Principal, Bedard Law Group, PC
• Daniel A. Edelman, Principal, Edelman, Combs, Latturner & Goodwin, LLC
• Susan Grant, Director of Consumer Protection, Consumer Federation of America
• William “Billy” Peerce Howard, Head of Consumer Protection Department, Morgan & Morgan, PA
• Vytas Kisielius, CEO, Collections Marketing Center, Inc.
• Dr. Christine Schiwietz, Professor of Sociology, Georgetown University

Future Directions: Looming Issues and the Regulatory Landscape

• Valerie Hayes, General Counsel and Vice President of Legal and Government Affairs, ACA International
• Robert M. Hunt, Vice President and Director of the Payment Cards Center, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
• Manuel H. Newburger, Principal, Barron, Newburger & Sinsley, PLLC
• Suzanne Martindale, Staff Attorney, Consumers Union
• Marla Tepper, General Counsel and Deputy Commissioner, New York City Department of Consumer Affairs
• Laura E. Udis, First Assistant Attorney General for Consumer Credit, Colorado Attorney General’s Office