A Step Toward Safer Repossessions: PAR’s Field Protection Program

Offering Full Involuntary Repo Fee Payment if a Threat of Violence Involving a Weapon Occurs During a Repossession Attempt

A Step Toward Safer Repossessions: PAR’s Field Protection Program

For years, many in the industry have complained about contingency fee programs that leave agents and companies unpaid when wisely and safely backing out of dangerous confrontations with borrowers. On Monday, agencies in PAR’s network received a memo announcing their launch of a new program focused on improving an old problem, agent safety. This really needs to be adopted by the entire industry.

Below is a copy of the email sent to PAR’s agent network.

Good Afternoon, 

We are excited to announce the PAR Field Protection Program (FPP). This program is designed to support and protect the professionals who face unpredictable situations every day in the repossession industry.

At PAR, we recognize that safety must always come first. The Field Protection Program was created to provide an added layer of protection for both recovery agencies and collateral recovery vendors working in the field.

Under this program, if a threat of violence involving a weapon occurs during a repossession attempt, PAR will authorize and pay an involuntary repossession fee. This ensures vendors can prioritize their safety and disengage from dangerous situations without concern about financial impact.

Incident Reporting Requirements

Please report all incidents to [email protected] and include the following details:

• Date and time of the recovery or attempted recovery
• Address where the incident occurred
• If a weapon was brandished, include the type of weapon and a summary of the incident
• The police department the incident was reported to, along with the event/case number
• Specify whether you have video evidence or photos of the incident
• If the collateral was not recovered, please indicate whether your agency is still willing to continue working the assignment

Program Qualification Requirement

Please note that qualification for the Field Protection Program includes filing a police report with your local law enforcement agency. Filing a police report not only documents the incident but also helps protect recovery agencies and vendors nationwide by ensuring threats and violent encounters are properly recorded.

The PAR Field Protection Program reflects our continued commitment to the safety, professionalism, and well-being of the recovery vendors and agencies who work hard every day to serve the industry.

Please let me know if you have any questions. 

Program is subject to change without notice and at PAR’s sole discretion

Thank you, 

Obvious Benefits

Why this isn’t a 100% industry standard by now is a mystery to me. The benefits serve all.

• Payment of an “involuntary repossession fee”:
  This acts as compensation for the attempted (but unsuccessful due to safety concerns) recovery. It removes the financial penalty that agents/agencies might otherwise face—such as getting no payment at all for an aborted job—encouraging them to disengage immediately when danger arises, rather than pressing on and risking injury or worse.
• Encourages safety-first decisions:
  Work in the field is unpredictable and can turn dangerous quickly. Without such a program, agents might feel pressured to complete the job to earn their fee, potentially escalating situations. The FPP removes that financial disincentive, allowing professionals to walk away safely, report the incident, and still get compensated for their time/effort/risk.
• Supports agencies and vendors overall:
  Recovery agencies benefit because their vendors are protected from uncompensated high-risk attempts. This can improve vendor retention, morale, and professionalism in the industry.

An Overdue Industry Standard

If this program looks familiar, that is because it is. Back in May of 2024, American Recovery Service (ARS), under Dave Baker as their Chief Operations Officer, launched an identical program. Now that Dave is at PAR, he’s helping expand it to yet another forwarding company.

Giving credit to all who support agent safety, ARS’s announcement was only a couple of weeks behind a very similar program announced by Credit Acceptance Corp. (CAC).

The only logical reason why this is not an industry standard by now can only be due to greed. Denying agents pay for demonstrating the peak of professionalism by retreating in the face of possible or probable death or injury is a foul practice that must end. It deserves reward.

It is long past time that ALL lenders and forwarders adopt this policy.

I think we all owe Dave Baker, PAR, ARS and CAC some gratitude for these programs. We will never know how many lives were saved or how many injuries were avoided already. This seriously needs to be the new industry standard for all.

Kevin Armstrong

Publisher

Related Articles:

ARS Takes the Next Step in Dedication to Repossession Safety

Credit Acceptance Corp. Takes the Lead in Repossession Safety

State Associations Recognize Credit Acceptance Corporation’s Commitment to Agent Safety

A Step Toward Safer Repossessions: PAR’s Field Protection Program – A Step Toward Safer Repossessions: PAR’s Field Protection Program – A Step Toward Safer Repossessions: PAR’s Field Protection Program

A Step Toward Safer Repossessions: PAR’s Field Protection Program – Training – Compliance – Forwarder – Repossession Violence – Repossession History – Repossession – Repossess – Repossession – Repossession Agency – Repossessor