While no one will question the value of the national associations, it is at the state level that the associations can achieve the most meaningful change. This has brought about a resurgence of repossession agency owners uniting and creating new state level associations. In order to foster the growth and success of our sibling state associations, we are excited to announce that we have hosted our first Quarterly State Repossession Association symposium via a Zoom meeting on Wednesday, November 3, 2021, and below is the recap.
An Introduction from the Host TexasARP
Thank you to all of those that attended! We plan to host a meeting each quarter of 2022 and hope to see attendance and dialogue increase. We are looking at avenues to create a more organized approach for our meetings going forward, so we can accommodate even more attendees, and everyone will have the chance to have their voice be heard.
In case you were unable to attend, here is a recap of what was discussed and what is to come from each of the state associations:
ALLIANCE of ILLINOIS REPOSSESSORS
AIR is proud to announce a huge step forward for all Illinois repossession companies! The three former and separate groups have joined together in a new association, branded, Alliance of Illinois Repossessors (AIR).
AIR is a completely transparent group that is only looking for what all companies in Illinois want. A voice! This Alliance is a democracy, and AIR pledges that every agency that has an active repo license in Illinois will have their voice heard.
In concern of the ICRA, AIR held their first in-person meeting in Normal, IL on July 23rd and 24th, 2021. The organization invited all state agencies to attend, and the turnout signaled the dawn of a new era in which unity means something. Together, the attendees voted as a group for the changes they would like to see taken to the Senate floor by the Association’s lobbyists, to elicit those changes for our space.
We ask you all to join our fight because this will not be the end. There will be many more challenges we will have to face in the future. We are stronger together.
AIR is extending the offer for every active company to become a member until December 31st, 2021, at NO COST!!
Illinois has long struggled with providing a single unified association, but have faith that AIR, in alliance with all state agencies, are committed to continued progress.
Please contact AIR at allianceofilrepo@gmail.com to join, or for more information. AIR is currently working on a website.
CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF LICENSED REPOSSESSORS
ACR24 is a bill that CALR is monitoring. It is a threat for self-help to be eliminated in California all together. This is dangerous because when California passes legislation, other states tend to follow suit. You can support CALR in this fight by joining as a lobby member and attending the 57th Annual CALR convention.
CALR will be holding its 57th annual convention on Thursday evening December 2nd (Welcome Reception) through Friday, December 3rd. CALR will be honoring Mike Reiter of HAR for his years of service to CALR and the repossession industry. Mike is retiring this year. CALR will also be honoring Chuck Cowerd for his endless contributions to CALR and our industry. Michelle Stuart of Jag Investigations will be speaking on Friday.
The entire industry is welcome to attend including lenders. The registration is live on CALR’s website. The Repo Rodeo will immediately follow with a live action auction. All State Associations are welcome to attend and CALR will offer a booth at no charge for the states to host.
You can become a member of CALR for yearly dues of $595. If you are out of state, but would like to be an associate member, the yearly dues are $495. You can also support CALR by becoming a lobby member for $200. Join today at www.CALR.org.
FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF LICENSED REPOSSESSORS
FALR hit the ground running as soon as the formation of the association was announced. FALR held the first annual in-person event Friday, November 5th at the Hyatt Grand Cypress in Orlando. The event was a huge success! The members are excited to continue to grow the association and provide representation and unity to the Florida agencies.
FALR is currently working with Harding Brooks to create a program for association members to provide benefits to their employees at a discounted rate. FALR will continue to take on the issues that our industry faces and the issues in the Florida market.
FALR’s goal is to have every Florida Repossession Agency join and are currently offering membership dues at $300 per year. You can join at www.FALR.org.
GEORGIA ASSOCIATION OF LICENSED REPOSSESSORS
GALR has pledged to bring a culture of unity, Integrity, and compliance to Georgia.
GALR has been in talks with neighboring states such as Alabama, in hopes to rebrand and become a regional association to grow the state association footprint and body of membership.
You can join GALR as a member for the yearly dues of $500. GALR also accepts agent members that are employees of members for dues of $50 per employee per year. Join GALR today at www.GALR.org.
MASSACHUSETTS ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL RECOVERY AGENTS
MAPRA is thrilled to share that our association is the process of rebranding and becoming New England Association of Repossession Professionals. NEARP. This will enable us to extend membership to more agencies, and to increase the already rapidly growing footprint of the state associations.
Currently most repossession companies are down about 40% in volume. This is especially true in Massachusetts due to our strict private property regulations. MAPRA is working on changing the regulations in Massachusetts regarding the private property law.
MAPRA is also working on planning an in-person event after the beginning of the new year. We will announce the date soon!
Join MAPRA, soon to be NEARP, today! Membership dues are $250 per year for in state and out of state members. Associate memberships are available to employee of members for $25 per employee per year. www.MAPRA.org.
NEVADA ASSOCIATION OF LICENSED REPOSSESSORS
NALR is excited to announce that their board will be meeting with a couple Arizona based companies directly, to become the incorporators of an AZ association.
NALR is actively working on petitions for declaratory orders or advisory opinions. (NRS 648.030)
- An applicant or licensee may petition the Board for a declaratory order or advisory opinion concerning the interpretation or applicability of any provision of a statute or regulation or of any decision of the Board which directly affects the applicant or licensee in conducting activities required to be licensed by chapter 648 of NRS
- The petition must be in writing and signed by the petitioner.
- An original and five legible copies of the petition must be filed with the Executive Director.
- The petition must be submitted to the Board at its next regularly scheduled meeting.
- The Board will issue a declaratory order or advisory opinion within 30 days after its meeting.
NALR intends to submit for advisory opinions for, at least:
- At what point the repossession is deemed to have concluded in the field as it relates to debtor objection & Personal property storage limit at 60 instead of 90 days, as is the case with Nevada dealer sales
The first annual NALR membership meeting is November 30 where the board will be setting a December date for officer nominations & elections for 2022, and general membership discussion and decisions.
Membership dues for NALR are $500 per year. Associate members are $100 per year, and Affiliates can join for just $50 per year. NALR is working on a website, but you can get more information and join by contacting info@nalr.us or via the Facebook page www.NALR.us.
TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF REPOSSESSION PROFESSIONALS
TexasARP has still been hard at work on petitioning for access to Texas DMV record permissions to be returned to Texas agencies. We have had great progress in explaining to representatives there how vital this is for repossession agents in our state because it helps us to prevent wrongful repos due to lien losses. We are proud that our members, Lauren DeWitt and James Waldron have hit the ground running on this issue and hope that we can have a positive outcome for Texas agents soon.
TexasARP recently put out a press release with CU Collector and Repo Buzz defining Texas service tax for the repossession agencies and is working on setting up a meeting with the Texas Tax Group to further help agents understand this complex requirement.
TexasARP has also been working closely with Harding Brooks to review contracts and bring attention to clauses that can negatively impact repossession vendors. ARA, and AFA also offer these services. The Bassford Remele Law Firm has plans to release a white paper regarding this, so look for that in your email from ARA. TexasARP would like to remind all agencies to communicate cautiously and professionally regarding client contracts and issues.
TexasARP also plans to host their first in-person local event in 2022.
Membership dues for TexasARP are $350 per year for in-state or out of state agency owners. Associate memberships can be purchased for unlimited employees of members, with dues of $25 per year per employee. Join today at www.TexasARP.org.
Some takeaways from the open conversation:
George Badeen was kindly in attendance, as there is still a Michigan association. Many of their board members have retired, and the work there had stalled out, but Jennifer Liagre has stepped up to work with George and bring that association back to life. They will be meeting next month, on December 9th to put plans in place. George has also kindly invited the states to share their logos and any media with him to print in the National Repossessor magazine.
There was some discussion about secure websites. Please make sure your company and association websites are secure. Web Weaver can assist any associations to implement the back-office program utilized by CALR & TexasARP.
Agencies that are doing transport services for clients need to make sure their contracts make mention of the transport service so that they are covered by insurance. Be sure you have identified towing vs repossession services in your state.
When faced with client demands and inquiries, especially financial information requests, be sure to clarify what they are asking for. Audited financial statements are expensive and intrusive. A P&L in a minimized facet should be acceptable. When submitting a complaint log, only include the complaints for that client. Providing your entire complaint log is still a third-party disclosure.
There are several other states working on forming associations and we hope to be able to announce those soon.
Thank you again to all that attended our first zoom meeting. Thank you to all the state leaders for your hard work and dedication.
We invite all agencies in the country to attend our next meeting regardless of if you are a member of any association or not.
We encourage everyone to get involved!
Bryanna Cox,
Marketing Chair, TexasARP
State Repossession Associations Unite in Quarterly Update
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