The importance of keeping abreast of new developments in regulation, technology and collection techniques cannot be overstated. The following Collection Education Exam is a quick way of reviewing the information covered in the March/April 2018 issue of Collection Advisor. The answer key is available at the end of this exam. However, if a question has you stumped, it is a good idea to go back to review the issue and to make sure you do not miss any valuable information.
1. According to columnist Sam Eidson, what can make the difference between a cohesive collection floor versus one that is dysfunctional?
A. Creating the right culture and managing personalities
B. A well-calibrated compensation structure
C. Making sure upper management development does not interfere with the collection floor
D. An assigned compliance officer
2. According to columnist Sam Eidson, collection managers should look out for what problem caused by dialer systems?
A. Attendance-challenged
B. Prima donnas
C. Dialer zombies
D. Headset potatoes
3. According to columnist Fred Blitt, what is a tactic dubious consumer law firms practice to generate FDCPA violations?
A. Baiting A/R professionals on the phone
B. Switching names
C. Coaching consumers
D. Both A and C
4. According to columnist Fred Blitt, a predatory consumer firm tactic involves trading out the term “dispute” with _________ in form letters?
A. Disagreement
B. Amount discrepancy
C. Balance not accurate
D. Conflict
5. According to columnist Ron Brown, what is a type of location tool, which allows a network administrator or Internet service provider to differentiate one computer from another?
A. MX record
B. IP address
C. ISP
D. I/O address
6. According to columnist Ron Brown, you can ping an ________ to check its validity.
A. MX record
B. IP address
C. ISP
D. I/O address
7. According to columnist Nick Jarman, what factor must a A/R professional consider when deciding between manual and batch skip tracing?
A. Small balance
B. Low score
C. Bad demographic
D. All of the above
8. According to the Who’s Who in Compliance 2018, which of the following is not something described as an aspect of compliance accounts receivable professionals should act on in 2018?
A. Data Security
B. Awareness training
C. Compliance checklist
D. Risk assessments
9. According to columnist Debra Ciskey, what was a major cause for lawsuits in 2017?
A. Interest accrual disclosure
B. Bar codes
C. Exposing confidential information
D. Mini-Miranda disclosure
10. According to columnist Debra Ciskey, the recent Avila v. Riexinger & Associates case suggested A/R professionals are safe so long as:
A. Letter language is not “bizarre or idiosyncratic”
B. It is stated that the balance in the consumer’s letter will increase over time
C. The balance of the account is not specifically stated in the letter
D. None of the above
11. According to columnist Debra Ciskey, letters must be closely examined to avoid words that could be misinterpreted. Which of the following is not a listed phrase to be avoided?
A. Balance due
B. Principal balance
C. Current balance
D. All are listed
12. What percentage of surveyed parents paid their children’s student loan debt?
A. 10%
B. 14%
C. 18%
D. 20%
13. According to Jason Horsley, what should an A/R professional do when working a batch of account contact info to remain focused on quality data and avoid getting bogged down by progressively worse data?
A. Avoid de-duping
B. Ask consumers for alternative contact info
C. Confirm over the phone the appropriate contact has been made
D. Develop your waterfall technique
14. According to Jason Horsley, how can an accounts receivable professional optimize the use of his or her predictive analytics in skip tracing?
A. Prioritizing portfolios using contactability scores
B. Prioritizing portfolios using recoverability scores
C. Utilize predictive analytics to rank phone numbers
D. All of the above
15. According to Jason Horsley, what regulation should an A/R professional keep in mind when deciding how to use certain types of consumer contact information?
A. TCPA
B. FDCPA
C. HIPAA
D. FCRA
Answer Key
1. A
2. C
3. B
4. C
5. B
6. B
7. D
8. C
9. A
10. B
11. A
12. D
13. A
14. D
15. C