Judge Rules on Competing Summary Judgment Motions in FDCPA Case
- For two years, a collector mailed letters promising it was enclosing “validation” of an $800 apartment debt. Its own internal notes told a different story: the original creditor had never provided proof the debt existed. When a Washington federal judge took up dueling summary judgment motions, one word the collector never once used in its briefs proved decisive, and the evidence it did produce did not survive either. What the judge let proceed to trial may matter even more.
- More details here
Appeals Court: Four-Year Delay Sank Bid to Compel Arbitration
- A telemarketing defendant spent more than four years fighting a TCPA class action on the merits, at one point arguing that roughly 70% of the class had already signed away their right to sue. Then, with a 66,682-member class certified and summary judgment looming, it suddenly wanted arbitration, pointing this time to just over 1,000 members. The Seventh Circuit explained why the timing, and one particular excuse involving newly hired counsel, decided the outcome, and used the case to rebuild rules it admitted were a mess.
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Six in 10 Credit Card Customers Now Financially Unhealthy, J.D. Power Finds
- The share of cardholders judged financially unhealthy climbed again this year, but the sharper story is the widening split beneath the average. As debt-free rewards hunters pull more value from their cards, strained customers are walking away from purchases at checkout, rethinking whether to carry a balance, and losing faith that their card can protect them. J.D. Power spells out what issuers stand to lose if they misjudge where their customers actually sit, and which one factor it says customers won’t tolerate before leaving.
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Cancer Patients in High-Medical-Debt Counties Diagnosed Later, Study Finds
- An American Cancer Society analysis of more than 7.5 million patients found that a community’s medical debt load tracks with something stark: how late cancer is caught there, and how many patients survive it. The relationship held across cancer types and grew stronger as county debt rose. The findings arrive as federal policy on whether medical debt belongs on credit reports has reversed course, twice.
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AI in CX Report: Adoption Nears 70%, but Only 2% Reach the Value Threshold
- Nearly 70% of customer experience operations now run on some form of AI, yet almost none clear the bar separating measurable value from experimentation. The report from Forethought by Zendesk traces the divide to what the AI actually does rather than whether it exists, and pinpoints where deployments still break down most, including one support channel most organizations offer but few have automated.
- More details here
Where Did Debit Dollars Go in the Second Quarter? Toward Gas, Travel and Saved Cards
- Debit spending rose in every category SoFi tracked last quarter, but the mix points squarely at value-hunting: more grocery trips for fewer dollars each, and fuel muscling past staples in the essentials basket. One way of paying also claimed the largest share in the index’s history for the first time, a shift in consumer behavior that outlasts any single quarter.
- More details here
39 Companies Seeking Collection Talent
- This week’s roundup of openings across the accounts receivable management industry runs from litigation and compliance attorneys to collectors, bankruptcy paralegals, and engineering and analytics roles, with a heavy share of them remote. The full list of who’s hiring, and where, is inside.
- More details here
WORTH NOTING: A list of 11 things you should never buy at Walmart … Customer satisfaction is nearly at its lowest point this century … A look at how couples navigate financial independence, disputes, and shared responsibilities … Costly mistakes to avoid when buying a new car … Most parents have not named a legal guardian for their kids … More young adults are worried that AI is going to take their jobs … A lot of people prioritize their pet’s diet over their own, which might explain why so many of them are willing to eat their dog’s food … Columbia House is going out of business next month.
Wisdom Wednesday, part I
Wisdom Wednesday, part II
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