Sacramento, CA, March 27, 2015 – DBA International’s Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Tim Sullivan (HS Financial Group, LLC) to the eleven-member DBA Certification Council. Sullivan was appointed to represent the interests of third party collection agencies.

The Board also reappointed Mike Cushing (Fourscore Resource Capital), Steve Dostal (Wells Fargo Bank), Glenn Vician (American Acceptance Company), and Todd Zywicki (George Mason University School of Law) to the Council for another two-year term.

These appointees join Amy Anuk (Encore Capital Group), Michael Bendickson (Absolute Resolutions Corporation), Brett Soldevila (Security Credit Services), Jeff Schreiber (Waterfront Capital), G. Reynolds Sims (G. Reynolds Sims & Associates), and Trudy Weiss-Craig (Unifund) to comprise the 2015-16 Certification Council.

Members of the Certification Council represent ARM industry participant companies— from small, medium, and large scale purchasers and financial institutions to law firms, third party agencies, certified individual members, and a consumer representative. The 11-member Certification Council is responsible for the administration of DBA International’s highly regarded and well received Receivables Management Certification Program.

During the March 9, 2015 meeting, DBA International’s Certification Council reelected Amy Anuk as Chair. Ms. Anuk served on the inaugural 2012 task force responsible for the creation and launch of the Receivables Management Certification Program. She then served as Chair of the Standards Committee and is now uniquely prepared to continue leading the Council during this pivotal year.

“We are pleased to have the leadership and commitment of this very talented group to guide the important efforts of the Certification Council during this year of accountability,” said Kaye Dreifuerst, President of the Board of Directors for DBA International. “Under the direction of the Council, the entire association is committed to providing the resources and support necessary to help our members achieve their certification goals in 2015.”

Debt Buying Member Companies Have until March 1, 2016 to Become Certified

DBA International’s debt buying member companies have until March 1, 2016 to meet the certification requirements. DBA International is offering various programs and outreach to help members achieve this goal including:

  • Complimentary six-week certification webinar series walking companies through the policy and procedure requirements.
  • Mentor program pairing companies with similar organizations who have completed the certification process.
  • Robust information on the new DBA International website.
  • DBA staff support available by phone (916-482-2462) and email (cert@dbainternational.org).

By becoming a Certified Professional Receivables Company (CPRC), DBA members demonstrate to the financial services industry, regulators, and consumers they comply with the highest ethical standards. Company certifications are granted to debt buying companies, as well as law firms and collection agencies, that comply with the uniform certification standards based on industry best practices including consumer complaint and dispute resolutions, data security, statute of limitations, registering with the CFPB, employee background checks, etc. Debt buying companies holding the CPRC designation are required to submit to three distinct compliance audits, including audits performed by independent third-party auditors in order to maintain their certified status.