Debt Collectors Struggling; Bartmann Prowling; CFPB! The Week in Opinion

After a busy couple of weeks of news on insideARM.com, our various Opinion writers had a bit of a field day with their analysis this week. Here are the top Opinion articles of the week, including the destruction of commonly held myths about debt collectors, more Bill Bartmann stud, and the CFPB two ways.

The Myth of the Debt Collection Boom – Reading some recent headlines on the debt collection industry would leave some with the impression that the business is booming. But just as with most businesses in the U.S., debt collectors have been hit with declining margins since 2008 and have been forced to make cuts in their workforce. – Patrick Lunsford on Forbes.com.

When People Ask Me What It’s Like to Be a Debt Collector, I Tell Them… - check out this totally sweet piece of art we did. – Jeff Hearn

Can the CFPB Make Debt Collectors Reveal their Privileged Documents? - Does the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) have the power to tell debt collectors to turn over their attorney-client privileged communications?  The answer may depend on who you ask. – Tomio Narita

Bartmann Ethical Debt Collection Practices Act: Amusement and Concern - I read the recent story on Bill Bartmann with mixed feelings of amusement and concern. Amused, because I find it ironic that Bill Bartmann, arguably one of the most notorious members of the accounts receivable management (ARM) industry, would be able to have his name next to the word “Ethical” in any sentence, much less one associated with a proposed state collection law. Concerned, because he was able to convince a state senator in Oklahoma to file it. – Mark Russell

How the CFPB Should Handle Collection Agencies – How do you think the CFPB should approach their supervision of large debt collection agencies. – Mike Bevel

A Hatchet Job on Debt Collectors – George Washington may have been a bad liar, but America has a creepy, co-dependent love affair with tall-tales about the debt collection industry – Michael Klozotsky

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