Setting the Record Straight: ARA’s Commitment to Accuracy in Compliance Guidance

By Vaughn Clemmons, President, American Recovery Association

The American Recovery Association (ARA) recently published a message to the industry titled: “Compliance check: Are you inadvertently crossing lines you didn’t know existed?”

In that release, we highlighted five practices that are never acceptable in repossession work and emphasized that these aren’t merely “best practices”, they are legal requirements that protect both professionals and the industry.

Shortly after the publication, we received valuable feedback from several respected colleagues and industry experts, Ron Brown, George Badeen, and Mark Lacek. Their observations drew attention to inaccuracies in two of the original bullet points.

First, let me say thank you to these three for bringing this error to light. This type of collaboration strengthens our industry, and as President of ARA, I welcome thoughtful critique and correction. While a full retraction is not necessary, a correction is appropriate, and transparency requires that we share it openly.

The Corrected Compliance Reminder

❌ Entering locked garages or secured areas

❌ Using or threatening physical force

❌ Breaking into vehicles causing damage to recover them

❌ Taking (stealing) personal property from a vehicle rather than inventorying it

❌ Misrepresenting yourself or your authority

Why This Matters

As the world’s largest association of recovery professionals, The American Recovery Association takes great strides to ensure accuracy and integrity in every publication we release. We recognize that even small errors, when memorialized in public forums, can have unintended consequences for recovery professionals facing legal scrutiny.

That is why we are committed not only to correcting mistakes quickly, but also to tightening our review process going forward to minimize the likelihood of errors in future communications.

Moving Forward

Our goal has always been and will continue to be, providing leadership, clarity, and professional guidance to the repossession industry. Accuracy matters. Integrity matters. And together, we must always strive to protect the credibility of our work and the livelihoods of those who serve in this difficult profession.

On behalf of the ARA Board of Directors, thank you again to our colleagues for calling this to our attention, and thank you to the entire recovery community for holding one another accountable to the highest standards.