DBA International Discusses Global Debt Buying Industry at UK Conference

At Credit Today’s Collections Debt Sale and Purchase Conference in Manchester, England on Thursday, November 20, DBA International discussed the debt buying market in the United State and Europe on a panel titled “International Collections and Debt Sales.” More than 200 people attended the panel discussion.

Panel participants included Jan Stieger, executive director of DBA International; Bryan Faliero, director of the Sherman Financial Group and president of DBA International; and Owen James, managing director of acquisitions and services for the UK and Ireland for Portfolio Recovery Associates and member of DBA International.

“Many of the themes that we are hearing at United States conferences are similar to discussions in the U.K.,” said Stieger. “This was a valuable opportunity to share on an international platform the work DBA International is doing on behalf of its members, discuss the benefits of our certification program and how the work we are doing benefits the overall industry.”

Key topics discussed at the conference included:

• New regulations and ongoing compliance within the industry, including the impact of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in the United States
• DBA International’s Debt Buyer’s Certification Program aimed to create a transparent, ethical and fair market for consumers with increased self-regulation
• Customer-centric U.K. regulations focused on customer service and the ethical treatment of consumers
• International credit risk activities and the purchasing of U.S. debt portfolios in Europe

Growing opportunities within the international debt buying industry continue to advance the discussion around offering consumers even greater protection and transparency for the fair collection of debt.

DBA International is the nonprofit trade association that represents public and private companies that purchase performing and nonperforming receivables on the secondary market. Founded in 1997 by a small group of companies to provide a forum to advance best practices within the industry, today DBA has grown to represent more than 550 companies. DBA provides its members with networking, educational, and legislative advocacy opportunities through an annual conference, an executive summit, regional seminars, state and regional committees, newsletters, webinars, teleconferences, and other media. DBA maintains a code of ethics and a national certification program that promote uniform industry standards of best practice which debt buying member companies must comply with in order to maintain membership. DBA is headquartered in Sacramento, California.