GUEST EDITORIAL
As an expert witness on Wrongful Repossession, Breach of Peace, and UDAAP, when working with attorneys on either side, one of the first questions asked at a deposition is, “How was your field agent trained?”
In many cases the reply is, “I just could not afford to train my field agents”, or “I have a lot of employees and the cost of training each employee was prohibitive”, and “The industry training programs are too expensive for a small recovery agency”, and even “I did not know that field agent training programs were available”.
These are the answers I have heard from repossession agency owners, managers and field agents during the cases I have consulted on as an expert witness. Many of these cases were related to a “Breach of Peace” violation and several involved consumer injuries and even death.
Today these excuses will no longer hold up in court as besides the numerous excellent training programs available through various sources such as RSIG, CARS and RISC there is the EAGLE GROUP XX Field Agent Compliance Training (FACT) designed specifically for the agents in the field and the Support Employee Compliance Training (SECT) designed for office and lot personnel available to anyone in the industry at no charge.
When it was formed 11 years ago in2020, one of the primary goals of EAGLE GROUP XX was to advance their compliance training far beyond that of any other organization in the recovery industry and become recognized as innovative leaders, building on knowledge and full statutory compliance. This lofty ambition was demonstrated by their motto “DIA MATHESEOS DYNAMIS”, translated as “Through Knowledge, Power”
The EAGLE GROUP XX FACT and SECT training was developed based on individual member input and through the combined effort of all members an innovative training and credentialing program was developed which covered all aspects of not only compliance but also general recovery procedures to avoid Breach of Peace violations.
The programs are provided at absolutely NO COST to the agency or individual field agent. Should the employee desire to obtain the EAGLE GROUP XX Credential CFA (Credentialed Field Agent) or CSE (Credentialed Support Employee) it may be earned by making a satisfactory grade on a 50-question test and maintained by a required 6 hours of annual continued education which is included with the training program. The cost for the credentialing program and continuing education programs annually is only $19.00 per year. Designed to be affordable for anyone in the recovery industry.
The EAGLE GROUP XX TRAINING PROGRAMS are constantly updated and managed by a recognized industry knowledgeable facilitator, Ron Brown, a credentialed Credit &Collection Compliance Officer (CCCO) and Certified Instructor through ACA International. The members of the group constantly work to establish educational and service benchmarks while developing the continuing education programs.
The scope of the training program for all employees has been divided into four basic sections, pre-contact preparation, on site awareness, personal contact and post recovery activities.
Within these four major sections there are subsections related to repossession laws, which include FDCPA, GLBA, HIPAA, SCRA, FRCA, and FACTA, proper appearance, attitude, voluntary and self-help recovery, confrontational avoidance, dealing with irate consumers, trespass and breach of peace. Continuing Education Training Sessions for agents related to subjects such as Breach of Peace, Third Party Disclosure, Repossession on Reservations and other timely compliance subjects are conducted on a regular basis or as dictated by management with 6 hours annually of continuing education being a mandatory requirement. It is Eagle Group XX policy that for a recovery agent to maintain the FACT Credential the agent is required to participate in the CE programs and complete the accompanying tests with a satisfactory grade.
It is through this unprecedented collaborative effort by the 20 members of EAGLE GROUP XX that their standardized training programs are recognized by most major lenders, Industry Insurance Carriers, Allied Finance Adjusters, the American Recovery Association, NCUA, CUNA and State Asset Recovery Agency Associations.
The Eagle Group XX has their own web presence at www.EAGLEGROUPXX.com. Should any member of the asset recovery industry desire to receive the training material at NO COST or OBLIGATION contact Ron Brown at Rbrown2150@aol.com or by telephone at the EAGLE GROUP XX 24/7 toll free telephone number, 800-411-1844.
Do not place yourself in a position of having to tell a judge and jury that you did not have an industry recognized training program for your employees… NO COST or OBLIGATION… YOURS FOR THE ASKING…
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