What:

American Recovery Association, Inc. (ARA), the world’s largest association of recovery and remarketing professionals, is excited to announce Mike Goins, center manager at TD Auto Finance will keynote its premier annual industry event, the 4th Annual North American Repossesssors Summit (NARS). In addition, for the first time in industry history, representatives from five major industry associations – Time Finance Adjusters, National Finance Adjusters, Recovery Specialist Insurance Group, Allied Finance Adjusters and ARA – will be featured on two panels Acting on the Challenges of Our Industry – From Talk to Action on Friday (for recovery agents only) and What Should You Expect from An Association? on Saturday.

NARS provides attendees with a full program of insightful, forward-looking and industry-impacting discussions lead by key industry leaders. Recovery and remarketing professionals from around the country, clients from lending companies, and many other industry leaders will attend and participate at NARS 2012. Featured speakers include: Michael Dougherty, partner at Weltman, Weinberg & Reis; Jack Tracey from the National Automotive Finance Association; Bill Butterfield from TD Auto Finance; Steve Norwood of Consolidated Asset Recovery Systems Inc. and many more.

Session topics include: Direct, Forwarding and Facilitation Models: Know, Understand, Educate and Adapt; Additional Revenue Opportunities; The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) – Is It A Legal Mine Field?; Raising the Bar to Out Maneuver Your Competition; and Spotlight Focus: Clients and Vendors. In addition to the panel, Acting on the Challenges of Our Industry – From Talk to Action on Friday, there will also be two additional sessions and another panel including: Technology Innovation and Opportunities; Introduction to ARMS; and RISC/RSIG: Why It’s Crucial to Your Business.

To view a full agenda with speakers and to register, visit: www.reposummit.com.

Why:

The mission of NARS is to unite the collateral recovery industry by providing an open, collaborative environment for all people in the recovery and lending communities to come together to address and improve the industry’s challenges and complexities. This year’s NARS, with the goal of Adapt to Survive in a Changing Industry, aims to provide professionals with the tools and knowledge they need to survive and succeed.

Who:

All collateral recovery and remarketing professionals and members of the lending community are welcome.

When:

• Friday, March 23 at 1:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. (sessions and panels) and the DRN Cocktail Reception at 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• Saturday, March 24 at 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. (summit)

What Else:

The Network Room, a completely separate room from the speakers where breakfast, lunch and snacks will be served, will be filled with dozens of exhibitors and sponsors including: DRN; OPENLANE; RDN; MVTRAC; MasterFiles; ARA; ARMS; Time Finance Adjusters; MasterQueue; RSIG; RISC; Beacon Funding; Haylor, Freyer & Coon; National Finance Adjusters (NFA); PAR North America; PRA Location Services, LLC; Recovery Compliance Solutions; Recovery Manager Pro; SmartAuction; TransAmerica Adjusters; W.P. Geoghan Agency, Inc.; and more. To see a full list of exhibitors and sponsors, please visit the NARS website. The room will be open all day for attendees to visit and network.

Where:

Omni Mandalay Las Colinas at Las Colinas

221 East Las Colinas Boulevard

Irving, TX 75039

(972) 556-0800

Cost:

$179.00 (Saturday registration only)

About American Recovery Association, Inc.

American Recovery Association (ARA) is the world’s largest association of recovery and remarketing professionals. ARA members specialize in locating and repossessing collateral on behalf of lending institutions including banks, savings institutions, finance companies, credit unions, rental/leasing companies, and auto, truck and equipment dealers. A non-profit association, ARA members serve 27,000 national and international cities. All members are certified independent business operators. For more information, call 972.755.4755 or visit the website at www.repo.org.

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Q:  Tell us about you.

A:  I am a graduate of New York University’s Leonard H. Stern School of Business and have a strong background in the data and analytics industry.  My roots are grounded in taking technology solutions and driving business value and impact to organizations and creating value for people.  I currently live in New York where I was born and raised, surrounded by a big Italian and Greek family that keeps me grounded.  I’ve been married 28 years and have two grown daughters, ages 20 and 22.  For fun, I enjoy music and have played bass in a rock band called Rock Steady for five years.  I also have a collection of 15 guitars.

Q:  Why did you decide to join the DRN team?

A:  I loved what I did at Lexis Nexis and the data and analytics space.  Data and analytics help make companies more productive and generate impact like they have never seen before.  I realized that DRN’s Value Network is proven, self-fueling, and impactful in many ways.  I knew I could capitalize on it by making it bigger, stronger, and enhance its value to all.  A lot of Affiliates think DRN is in the camera business; we are not.  We are in the data and analytics business and operate a Value Network that fuels the ability of repossession agents and auto finance clients to drive more revenue.  In my short time here I am amazed hearing from Affiliates how our solutions improve productivity by up to 40 percent and how our data helps Affiliates intelligently look for targeted vehicles.  I truly believe the opportunity for DRN is to use our Value Network to increase the revenue opportunity for Affiliates and expand the volume of business we can capture from automotive finance clients.  Once we accomplish this, you’ll see DRN expand into other markets with new and innovative data solutions.

Q:  In your opinion, what are the main issues with DRN/LPR technology?

A:  Our industry leading LPR data solution captures images of license plates; cleanses and resolves those images into useful data points that are maintained in the world’s largest database of vehicle image data.  We’ve created a system that matches open assignments to this database and alerts Affiliates or lenders when targeted vehicles have been located.  This drives intensity and productivity for commerce in the repossession industry.  As part of this solution we drive extreme value by giving back to productive Affiliates a way to make money by contributing data to the DRN network in the form of our LPR^2.0 solutions.  The benefit of being in the DRN network is one of the biggest advantages of using our solutions.  I had one of our Affiliates come to my office in Texas and tell me how happy he was to get the checks we send him.  And with more and more lenders using LPR^2.0 in conjunction with their direct assignments we see this benefit growing to the point where no other LPR technology provider can compete with DRN and the value we bring to both Affiliates and automotive finance companies.  We are also seeing this benefit being recognized by lenders as well.  Yesterday I was with a major customer who told me that he only wants to do business with agents that use our technology simply because of the size of our network (over 700 million scans) and the value of how our LPR technology drives the network effect he needs to bring back the value of his assets.

I’ve heard the complaints we’ve received from people telling me the cameras don’t work; they can’t make their money from the solutions we sold them, etc., etc., etc.  So I decided to dig into the problems and look at where the problems really are.  We learned from our statistical information that we know the cameras are working.  We know the exact failure rates and we completely understand the possible error factors, such as how the camera is positioned on a truck or spotter car, camera misuse or poor installation, and some cases (especially with those cameras purchased where we first started this business) issues around using first generation technology.  To fix these problems we are making serious investments.  First, we’ve come out with a new camera design that eliminates the challenges of all previous generation devices with improved distance and resolution functions.  We’ve expanded our support offerings to provide Affiliates better service levels.  I’ve made substantial investments in our IT infrastructure and by beginning of Q2, we will be releasing a new, free software upload to correct many of the synch and uploading challenges we’ve heard about.  And we’ve come up with a completely new hardware bundle that is shock resistant for easy installation.  We’ve really listened to our Affiliates and in a very short time we are on track to see exponential improvement that reinforces our leadership position in this market.

Q:  What plans does DRN have to address these issues?

A:  We’re expanding and making substantial investments in the first and second quarters of this year.  We’ve already worked on synchronization issues, invested in new systems and hired new programming staff in the few weeks I’ve been here.  We have 58 new projects scheduled and will continue to make investments to improve our software platform and systems.  Moreover, we are not taking the ideas from our Affiliates for granted.  When I first got to DRN, one of our Affiliates in California told me how he needed to use our historical data to assist him with the analytics and optimization of his business.  This capability is now formally on our enhancement roadmap with a schedule for release.

Another big initiative I’ve implemented is one of management.  I feel it’s important to have those who are closest to the customer make decisions and take ownership for the issues they need to drive the business.  With this, all our Affiliates will see both Bruce Cummings and Brett Balint with the decision-making and action-taking authority to streamline how we do business, but more importantly, take those good ideas back into the company, with the right business case, and get things done.  We simply will start listening and taking action better.

We’re making other improvements as well.  We’ve installed a new phone system to help Affiliates reach the right person when they call; we’re improving our customer response rate; we’re expanding our marketing, finance, IT and support departments to reinforce the value of what we do. We want to provide Affiliates and clients with more support and focus on business issues.

And you’ll be hearing from us more often.  We have five values we’re focusing on this year to help our affiliates:

• Increase productivity and impact on profitability
• New revenue and expand revenue streams (LPR^2.0)
• Operational efficiency and lowered costs
• Significant ROI with clear business impact and sustainable gains
• Clear competitive edge for Affiliates because their clients are demanding it

Q: What should Affiliates expect in the future? Short term? Long term?

A: We’re in a unique position as a technology solutions provider to have different conversations with those in the finance industry. We’ve become the fulcrum to elicit change, and we will have new conversations with people in the automotive finance market to drive better productivity and more business. My goal is to get automotive finance customers to realize how our LPR^2.0 solutions drive a “Network Effect” that allows them to realize an increased return on their assets that improves profitability, lowers operating expenditures, and drives a healthier balance sheet.  I’ve already started these conversations with senior executives in the automotive finance space and my goal is that we will do business with the majority of them.

DRN is in the business of making money and Affiliates should expect conversations about business impact and revenue.  Past conversations have been centered on problems, but future conversations will be about opportunity and revenue.  We will engage in conversations with Affiliates that are focused on these topics.  Some won’t like it (because they want to remain in the past), but the ones that understand business and want to prosper will.

We will target revenue, change conversations, look to bring more technology solutions (skip-tracing tools, etc.) to Affiliates to increase their productivity.  We want to help the industry be more intelligent on how they gain insight and take action.  This industry is reluctant to change, but it’s ripe for change.  The more Affiliates use data and technology to take action, the more it will change the mindsets of clients.  We want to benefit Affiliates with productivity while we benefit clients through success of assignments.

Q: What has surprised you most about the recovery industry?

A: In the past, I’ve been able to easily assimilate and understand businesses, and this is the approach I have taken with the automotive finance industry.  I have been willing to dig in to learn as much as I can and experience it from the perspective of the Affiliate.  I even went out in a wrecker one night to experience it.  It was important to me to understand the mechanisms of people in the value network.

I’ve been surprised how mired in legacy the client side of this business is and how clients are stuck in an old way of doing business even when they have the power to make changes to improve their results.  For example, the current process where clients are giving the same assignments to different people two weeks apart (with the same addresses) is not efficient and not all qualified assignments are given to qualified people.  Many of the checks and balances used are arcane and limit a client’s ability to capture revenue and improve their bottom line.  The smart automotive finance companies are taking advantage of LPR^2.0 technology.  We’re even seeing it used on the front side of the business despite all the “price” concerns in the market.  I think if all of us push the value of using technology to expand and complement the efforts of this business, we’ll start seeing the volume of business shift to those who embrace this way of doing business.

Also, there are people doing less than honorable things with our technology, including clients, partners, and Affiliates.  We will put a stop to it because we have made a considerable investment in the technology and because it diminishes the value of our network for those who should be deriving benefit from it.

Q: Anything else you would like to add?

A: I’ve only been here a short time, but I’m very excited about this industry.  The people are great and I look forward to having conversations about business, and revenue opportunities that will empower people to make better decisions that impact those they serve.

DALLAS, Jan. 25, 2012 – American Recovery Association, Inc. (ARA), the world’s largest association of recovery and remarketing professionals, today announced the creation of ARMS (American Recovery Management Solutions), a member-owned contract and billing organization. The assignment facilitation model is focused on bringing the benefits of a direct relationship back to the lender and the recovery agent; while offering the single contact and indemnification benefits that the client wants.

ARMS was created to improve the recovery industry by meeting the needs of the lending community as well as the recovery agents. Brand protection, loss mitigation, quality work and higher success rates for lenders are the main focus of the organization. To enhance service, security, and prevent lawsuits and mishaps, ARMS was formed to protect a client’s brand by providing professionals who meet the highest standards in the recovery industry who can do the job efficiently and effectively. By using ARMS, lenders have a nationwide network of quality recovery agents to work with who are insured and properly trained. ARMS also benefits recovery agents. As a not-for-profit entity ARMS will be paying the highest percentage of the fees to ARA members than anyone in the industry. This performance-based solution has set new benchmarks and standards for the industry.

“The ARA Board of Directors is incredibly optimistic about the future of this exciting new company where all ARA members will be offered a fair and equitable opportunity to participate,” said Mary Jane Hogan, president of ARA. “We made sure all ARA members would benefit from the ARMS program, which is inline with our no member left behind philosophy.”

The affiliates in the ARMS network are among the most professional in the industry. The core of the affiliate program will be the ARA membership.  ARA members are subjected to a rigorous application process involving an extensive background check, an on-site inspection, applicant credit check, financial statements, investigation of business references and more. ARA also provides a $5,000,000 client protection bond for each member and training sessions and resources throughout the year for members to stay updated with best business practices and new technologies.

“ARMS will not interfere with the direct relationship clients have with our members,” said Mary Jane Hogan. “Although we support a direct to agent model, we think anyone looking at other models will discover that ARMS is, by far, the superior choice.”

“We are very excited to announce ARMS because it brings many opportunities to the recovery industry,” said Ray Radford, president of ARMS. “ARMS will increase the standards in the industry, help businesses succeed and improve the quality of work in the industry.”

The 2011-2012 ARMS board is comprised of elite professionals in the recovery industry including: Mary Jane Hogan, CEO; Ray Radford, President; Mark Sloan, Vice President; Art Christensen, Secretary & Treasurer; Pat Stone; Dave Handschin; and Pepe Rivera.

For more information about ARMS, please visit www.ara-arms.com or call 855-ARA-ARMS (855-272-2767).

About American Recovery Association
American Recovery Association, Inc. (ARA) is the world’s largest organization of professional finance adjusters and certified recovery specialists. ARA members specialize in locating and repossessing collateral on behalf of lending institutions including banks, savings institutions, finance companies, credit unions, rental/leasing companies, and auto, truck and equipment dealers. ARA members serve 27,000 national and international cities. All members are certified, independent business operators. For more information, call 972-755-4755 or go to www.repo.org.

About ARMS (American Recovery Management Solutions)
ARMS is a wholly owned subsidiary of the American Recovery Association (ARA). This member-owned facilitation company, focuses on bringing the direct relationship back between the lender and the recovery agent. ARMS was created to improve the recovery industry by meeting the needs of lending community and the recovery agents. ARMS was formed to protect a client’s brand by providing professionals who meet the highest standards in the recovery industry who can do the job efficiently and effectively. For more information, go to www.ara-arms.com or call 855-ARA-ARMS (855-272-2767).

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We want to be very clear on how the billing section of the resource page works. From our discussions with companies willing to arrange a special discount program for our members, a single source billing model is the best option to provide the largest discounts for our members. With this feedback, we developed a secure tool for our members. It will work similarly to the RDN and iRepo models: you will buy credits and use them with the providers with whom you want to do business. In addition, these providers will offer the ARA membership an extra discount. We are negotiating discounts that will give you a very beneficial price break after the ARA’s costs are considered. For example, if a vendor offers a 10% discount to our members and the cost for card processing is 1.8%, you will realize a net saving to your company of 8.2%.

We are talking to fuel card companies, tire companies, and other businesses you do business with everyday. If any of you have a suggestion or a contact with one of these types of companies, please contact Home Office at 972.755.4755 or homeoffice@americanrecoveryassn.org with that information and we will reach out to them.

The Board’s intention is to create the maximum return on your investment dollar in this association, and we thank you very much for your support of the ARA.

We wish all of you a very safe and joyous holiday season!

Dallas, TX – November 30, 2011, American Recovery Association, Inc. (ARA), the world’s largest association of recovery and remarketing professionals, is proud to announce CU Collections, a national credit union service organization, has chosen the association with its recovery management software as their vendor of choice.

CU Collections, headquartered in Manassas, Virginia, helps credit unions create efficient and affordable collections programs to help credit unions reduce or eliminate the costs of in-house collection efforts. The company currently has 20 clients and will begin assigning accounts to ARA members.

“CU Collections recognizes the professionalism of ARA and we are excited about this partnership,” said Ken deMello, CEO of CU Collections. “We look forward to using ARA members in our program.”

ARA is the only association in the recovery industry with its own recovery software. The integrated recovery management software links lenders with recovery agents through the Internet for real-time communication and allows clients a way to improve how they communicate and conduct business. Clients can utilize this technology to send assignments and view updates, condition reports and invoices on all accounts directly through ARA’s website.

“ARA and its members are honored to be chosen by CU Collections,” said Mary Jane Hogan, President of ARA. “Our members strive for the highest integrity and with our recovery management software, we are eager to provide outstanding work for CU Collections.”

About American Recovery Association

American Recovery Association, Inc. (ARA) is the world’s largest organization of professional finance adjusters and certified recovery specialists. ARA members specialize in locating and repossessing collateral on behalf of lending institutions including banks, savings institutions, finance companies, credit unions, rental/leasing companies, and auto, truck and equipment dealers. ARA members serve 27,000 national and international cities. All members are certified, independent business operators. For more information, call 972.755.4755 or go to www.repo.org.

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Whether the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) will be a rules-based or enforcement-based agency will impact its relationship with the entities it regulates and its role in the marketplace. Financial institutions are accustomed to the rules-based policies that are common among federal banking agencies, which consist of formal administrative rulemaking with the opportunity for public comment and strict standards regarding how the agency analyzes and evaluates public input. In the final regulation, the agency is required to explain their final positions in a statement of basis and purpose. Final regulations are then subject to a challenge in federal court, which can be brought by a wide array of parties, such as trade associations. On the other hand, enforcement-based agencies create de facto rules through targeted enforcement actions or litigation actions that do not need to be based on previously publicized rules. While they are also subject to challenge in federal court, mounting a challenge can be more complex because of the continuing impact they may have on the reputation of the financial institution involved, the greater legal hurdles that must be met to set aside formal enforcement and litigation actions, and the fact that legal challenges may only be brought by the financial institution that is the target of the enforcement action. This results in most cases being settled before a court decision is made and in effect establishing the agency’s view of the law as the standard.

The approach the CFPB takes to defining “unfair, deceptive or abusive practices” under the Dodd-Frank Act will be particularly important. If the CFPB promulgates formal administrative rules to define such practices, it will be subject to limitations not generally imposed on other federal bank regulatory agencies. For example, the CFPB is required to balance the costs and benefits to financial service providers and consumers, “including the potential reduction of access by customers to consumer financial services,” and is also required to consult with the appropriate prudential federal regulators. However, taking the enforcement route, which does not require these checks and balances, could create an internal agency bias in certain circumstances.

Dallas, TX – November 1, 2011, American Recovery Association, Inc. (ARA), the world’s largest association of recovery and remarketing professionals, is excited to announce its premier fourth annual industry event, the North American Repossessors Summit (NARS), is open for registration.

NARS is the leading event for professionals across the U.S. in the collateral recovery and remarketing industries and will be held in Dallas, Texas at the Omni Mandalay Hotel at Las Colinas on March 24, 2012. This year’s event, themed as NARS 2012 Boot Camp, will provide attendees with a packed program of insightful, forward-looking topics, which will prepare attendees to adapt in the changing industry. Lead by key industry leaders, NARS encourages open and collaborative discussion to address and improve the industry’s challenges and complexities.

“We’re looking forward to an industry-impacting NARS 2012,” said Mary Jane Hogan, president of ARA. “NARS is an important meeting of the minds and we have an another excellent program in the works.”

On the Friday, March 23, preceding NARS, ARA will host its Collateral Recovery and Remarketing Certification and Training Program for lenders, ARA members and their employees. ARA partners with nationally recognized industry leaders to create an industry-recognized certification program that will feature the Certified Asset Recovery Specialist (CARS) program, the Collection Training Consultants program, classes covering industry topics such as business ethics, data security, skip tracing, online collateral remarketing, and a Best Practices session.

For more information about NARS, please visit www.reposummit.com.

About American Recovery Association, Inc.

American Recovery Association (ARA) is the world’s largest association of recovery and remarketing professionals. ARA members specialize in locating and repossessing collateral on behalf of lending institutions including banks, savings institutions, finance companies, credit unions, rental/leasing companies, and auto, truck and equipment dealers. A non-profit association, ARA members serve 27,000 national and international cities. All members are certified independent business operators. For more information, call 972.755.4755 or visit the website at www.repo.org.

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Early bird registration is now open for the 4th Annual North American Repossessors Summit (NARS) on March 23–24, 2012 in Dallas, Texas! NARS is the must-attend event in the recovery and remarketing industry and with a limited number of attendance spots available, now is the time to register!  Registration fees will increase after December 31, 2011.

NARS 2012 Boot Camp

This year’s theme: NARS 2012 Boot Camp will include sessions designed to help recovery agents adapt to survive in a changing industry. To see a full agenda, go to www.reposummit.com/2012-agenda. Check back for continual updates to the 2012 schedule on the NARS website.

All recovery agents and lenders are welcome to attend the full-day event where you can learn from and network with recovery and lending industry influencers, thought leaders and peers.

Calling All Sponsors and Exhibitors

Are you interested in sponsoring and/or exhibiting at NARS 2012? If so, go to www.reposummit.com/sponsorship to learn more.

Secure the Best Hotel Rate

Reserve your room at the Omni Mandalay at Las Colinas now for the best rate. Call 1.800.THE.OMNI (800.843.6664) and reference American Recovery Association when making your reservation. Online registration will be available so

Don’t wait. Register now!