February 7, 2018 (Sacramento, CA) – Receivables Management Association International (RMA) kicked off its 21st Annual Conference—Play Your Best Hand—this week in Las Vegas, Nevada. Michael T. Hill of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) delivered the keynote address today to approximately 1,000 conference attendees in the receivables management industry.
Mr. Hill presented information and statistics on cyber security and mitigating data-breach risks. In his presentation, Mr. Hill identified financial-services companies as the most targeted industry for cyber attacks, as they are holders of key Personally Identifiable Information: birth dates, social security numbers, credit card information, and so on. At a time when data breaches are increasing in frequency and level of risk, receivables management companies cannot be too careful to protect consumer data.
While Mr. Hill discussed various ways attackers may illegally gain access to a business’ server, database, or other information technology, phishing attacks and human error stood out as especially dangerous: a company may put into place several methods of data protection, but with a simple lack of staff training or diligence, those protections remain unsupported. Florida is the state with the highest rate of data breaches, as older populations are generally most susceptible.
The conference continued with 13 other education sessions Wednesday, covering topics on compliance, operations best practices, technology, regulation, and more. Panels of speakers, consisting of experts in the field, provided a variety of perspectives for attendees to gain deeper insight into pressing issues.
The night concluded with a reception in Solution Central, abuzz with the excitement of the Silent Auction, which brought in over $13,000 in funding for the RMA Legislative Fund. The conference will continue Thursday with another five high-quality education sessions and networking opportunities.
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About Receivables Management Association International
Receivables Management Association International (RMA) is the nonprofit trade association that represents more than 550 companies that purchase or support the purchase of performing and nonperforming receivables on the secondary market. The Receivables Management Certification Program and Code of Ethics set the global standard within the receivables industry due to its rigorous uniform industry standards of best practice which focus on the protection of the consumer. RMA provides its members with extensive networking, educational, and business development opportunities in asset classes that span numerous industries. The association continually sets the standard in the receivables management industry through its highly effective grassroots advocacy, conferences, committees, task forces, publications, webinars, teleconferences, and breaking news alerts. Founded in 1997 as the Debt Buyers Association, RMA is headquartered in Sacramento, California.