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Grand Rapids, MI (August 15, 2011) – The following statistics are provided to the ARM industry courtesy of WebRecon LLC.  

FDCPA and Other Consumer Lawsuit Statistics, July 16-31, 2011
 
There were about 539 lawsuits filed under consumer statutes in the second half of July 2011. Here is an approximate breakdown:

• 464 FDCPA
• 71 FCRA
• 34 TILA
• 12 TCPA

Summary:
 

• Of those cases, there were about 564 unique plaintiffs (including multiple plaintiffs in one suit).
• Of those plaintiffs, about 186 had sued under consumer statutes before.
• Combined, those plaintiffs have filed about 1042 lawsuits since 2001
• Actions were filed in 115 different US District Court branches.
• About 563 different collection firms and creditors were sued.

The top courts where lawsuits were filed:
 

• 36 Lawsuits: California Central District Court – Western Division – Los Angeles
• 34 Lawsuits: New Jersey District Court – Newark
• 31 Lawsuits: Illinois Northern District Court – Chicago
• 27 Lawsuits: Minnesota District Court – Dmn
• 24 Lawsuits: Colorado District Court – Denver
• 22 Lawsuits: Pennsylvania Eastern District Court – Philadelphia
• 15 Lawsuits: New York Eastern District Court – Brooklyn
• 14 Lawsuits: Georgia Northern District Court – Atlanta
• 11 Lawsuits: Michigan Western District Court – Southern Division
• 10 Lawsuits: Connecticut District Court – New Haven

The most active consumer attorneys were:
 

• Representing 20 Consumers: Sergei Lemberg
• Representing 16 Consumers: Darin Shaw
• Representing 15 Consumers: Yaakov Saks
• Representing 14 Consumers: Earl Price Underwood, Jr.
• Representing 13 Consumers: Michael S. Agruss
• Representing 13 Consumers: David Michael Larson
• Representing 12 Consumers: Mark L Vavreck
• Representing 11 Consumers: Shireen Hormozdi
• Representing 11 Consumers: Adam Jon Fishbein
• Representing 11 Consumers: Amy Lynn Bennecoff

Statistics Year to Date: 7431 total lawsuits for 2011, including:
 

• 6809 FDCPA
• 764 FCRA
• 679 TILA
• 240 TCPA

Number of Unique Plaintiffs: 7456 (including multiple plaintiffs in one suit)
 
The most active consumer attorneys of the year:
 

• Representing 211 Consumers: David Michael Larson
• Representing 192 Consumers: Craig Thor Kimmel
• Representing 164 Consumers: Jack Dennis Card, Jr.
• Representing 131 Consumers: Darin Shaw
• Representing 126 Consumers: Andrew I Glenn

About WebRecon LLC: Creditors and collection firms use WebRecon’s services to easily segregate predictably litigious consumers from their databases. A significant percentage of consumer litigation is initiated by the same consumers over and over again, and screening them out of the general population can reduce lawsuits by as much as a third.

For more information, please contact:
Jack Gordon, CEO
WebRecon LLC, The FDCPA Litigant Alert
Web: www.WebRecon.com
Email: admin@webrecon.net
Phone: (616) 682-5327

This week’s quote:

There is more to life than increasing its speed.”

~Mahatma Ghandi

Question:

In our hyper-competitive society with our heavily over-scheduled lifestyles, how do you slow down?

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Teamwork. We all talk about it. We know we need it. But is our team this good?

Question: How do you keep your team performing at its best?

We are pleased to announce our newest Virtual Learning Lab™: Listen Up! – Improving Collection Results With Effective Listening Skills.

This is a 180-minute assessment-based online learning event aimed at helping collectors improve their collection results by gaining a deeper understanding of effective listening skills.

Listening is one of the main duties of a collector. It is through effective listening that a collector can gain the information needed to negotiate most successfully. But, while we like to think of ourselves as good listeners, research suggests that practically everyone can benefit from improved listening skills.

Listen Up! is intended to help participants increase their awareness of behaviors that contribute to and detract from effective listening, in addition to providing practical advice within an easy-to-understand framework.

DATE/TIME

Part 1: August 26, 2011 | 11:00 am – 12:30 pm CT

Part 2: August 26, 2011 | 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm CT

Can’t stay for the entire class? Don’t sweat it. The class will be available online for 30 days following the event.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

In this program attendees will learn about internal and external listening barriers, review challenging listening experiences, and explore three dimensions of listening. Armed with this knowledge individuals will be in a better position to improve their communication and negotiating skills.

ABOUT THE ASSESSMENT

Through a 30-question self-assessment individuals will identify the extent to which they practice behaviors that are associated with effective listening, as well as the extent to which they practice behaviors that contribute to a break down in listening. The assessment measures behavior in three areas:

1. Staying Focused
2. Capturing the Message
3. Helping the Speaker.

Each participant will receive a full-color interpretive report with supporting charts, additional details, and reflection exercises. If desired, the participant’s manager may also receive a copy of the results.

REGISTRATION DETAILS 

Cost for the 180-minute class is $157 per site and includes an assessment for one participant. Additional participant assessments are available for $25 each. 

Registration for each class closes 24 hours prior to the event. We look forward to seeing you there! 

You may register your team by downloading and returning a completed registration form.  

WHAT’S A VIRTUAL LEARNING LAB™?

Great question! We like to think of our Virtual Learning Labs™ as webinars on steroids. Our Virtual Learning Labs™ are an intensive learning experience that includes pre-work, self-assessments, in-session quizzes, polls, and Q&A, as well as post-session testing. Individuals scoring 90% or better on the 20-question test are eligible to receive a certificate of completion.

If you’ve downloaded and thumbed through my ebook, Beyond the Headset, then you are probably aware that I’m a big fan of “upward feedback.”   

If you’re not familiar with the concept of upward feedback, it can be summed up as a method for having your employees provide you with input on your effectiveness as they see it. That’s right — you’re employees tell you how well you’re doing your job.   

I firmly believe that upward feedback is a valuable process for helping to assess the health of a team’s heart (i.e., the team’s leader).   

I recently had the opportunity to write about upward feedback in an article for insideARM.com’s newsletter, The Talented Collector. A portion of the article appears below along with a link to the full story.    

Our heart is the most important part of our body. It pumps blood throughout our system to supply energy for everything that we do. If a team were a body, the supervisor would be the heart. He or she would be responsible for pumping vital motivation, feedback, and inspiration throughout the team.  

One of a supervisor’s secret weapons for fighting employee disengagement is an employee feedback survey. Not just the run of the mill, do-you-like-your-paycheck variety. Something better. Something deeper. Something that allows employees to measure their supervisor’s effectiveness. This “upward feedback” can be a catalyst that helps companies improve employee engagement as it can help to pinpoint areas of strength and weakness within the heart.    

To continue reading the story, please visit “Are You Measuring the Health of Your Team’s Heart? You Should Be.“   

Question: Do you use upward feedback in your organization?   

Please share your thoughts in the comments section.

THE LESSON

This week’s challenge is inspired by an article that was recently forwarded to me by Dennis DeSantis, Chancellor of Pittsburgh University.

The gist of the article, titled “Packing Parachutes,” is this: During a combat mission over North Vietnam, Navy Pilot Charlie Plumb’s plane was shot down. Plumb parachuted into enemy territory, got captured, and was held for nearly six years as a Prisoner Of War. Many years later, Plumb found himself sitting in a restaurant when another patron recognized him and made an introduction. Turns out the man who introduced himself to Plumb was the person responsible for packing his parachute on the day he was shot down. Had that chute been packed incorrectly there is no telling what would have happened, but as you can probably imagine, it would have been a rather rough landing.

At the end of the article Plumb puts a philosophical twist on what it means to pack parachutes when he asks,

… who are the special people in your life who provide you the encouragement you need when the chips are down? Perhaps it’s time right now to give those people a call and thank them for packing your parachute.”

In this video version, Plumb adds a business twist. Take a peek:

Quite an interesting way to look at packing parachutes, if you ask me.

While reading the article I began reflecting on all the great managers, mentors, trainers, and supervisors that have packed my “corporate parachute” over the years. Whether it was advice for dealing with difficult employees or tips for delivering effective training programs, their skilled hands helped me to land safely time and time again. And it’s because of those great people that I found the motivation and inspiration to become a parachute packer myself.

In fact, this week we wrap up the fourth and final session of ARM Summer School. It’s been a great event. I’ve had the pleasure to serve beside some incredible co-facilitators and together we’ve had the honor of packing parachutes for some very dedicated members of the credit and collection industry. I’m quite confident that their parachutes will function correctly every day they jump out of bed and into action on the call center frontline. The parachutes have certainly been packed with care.

You might not realize it, but you, too, are surrounded by parachute packers. Maybe it’s a trainer helping you jump to safely on a collection call or a supervisor offering a few words of encouragement to get you through the day. Just look around and you realize parachute packers can be found everywhere.

THE CHALLENGE

This week your challenge is to honor Captain Plumb’s call to action:

Give those people a call and thank them for packing your parachute.”

You might be tempted to send an email, post an update on their Facebook wall, or send them a text message, but resist the urge to do so. Actually pick up the phone and call. Your thank you will be much more sincere, and appreciated, if you do.

THE REFLECTION

Question: Who has had the biggest impact on your career? How/why?

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Gary Jensen
Editor | collector mentor

To download companion worksheets to use with The collector mentor Challenge, please visit www.collectormentor.com/thechallenge.

© 2011 collector mentor  All rights reserved.

photo on flickr c/o sheba_also

This week’s quote:

The problem with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.”

~Bill Copeland

Question:

What are your secrets to setting effective goals?

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

This week’s quote:

He who does not trust enough, will not be trusted.” 

~Lao Tzu

Question:

How do you work to establish trust with employee?

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

This week’s quote:

To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” 

~Steve Prefontaine, US Olympian

Question:

How do you get unstuck when you find yourself giving less than your best? 

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

The latest issue of collector mentor Magazine is now available for download.

In this issue:

• Is Your Parachute Open?
• The Real Frontline: One Agency’s Storey
• Who signed the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act into law?
• Bookshelf: Getting to YES
• The cm Challenge: Remember: It’s not a debate!
• Rozanne M. Andersen’s 30-Day Forecast: Sunny, Clear, No Chance of Overshadowing
• Trust: Can Anything Else Have a Bigger Impact on Workplace Performance
• 4 Ways to Sink Your Career With Facebook
• Attorney Connell Loftus answers the question: What Happens Once an Account Has Been Referred to an Attorney?
• Networking and Learning Opportunities
• The 10 Commandments of Professionalism
• Plus more!

To access the issue please log in.