ACA International

The American Collectors Association is the largest trade group representing collection agencies, creditors, debt buyers, collection attorneys and industry service providers. The organization was founded in 1939 and changed its name to ACA International in 2001. ACA International is based in Minneapolis.

ACA's 3,500 collection agency members in the U.S. and 55 countries abroad collect delinquent debts from both consumers and businesses on behalf of the original creditors owed. Other membership divisions include creditors' internal collection staff, or "first-party collectors", and attorneys who represent ACA member companies in litigation or collect debt using the remedies of the legal system. The organization has a total of about 5,500 members.

Overview
Delinquent debts have been collected since the dawn of commerce but collection did not become a professional occupation in the United States until the late 19th century. The industry developed as creditors sought ways to recover bad debt more cost-effectively than collecting internally or through the court system.

Over the past decade the collection agency business model has evolved to encompass the complete lifecycle of receivables management. Today collection agencies commonly provide a diverse menu of services to their clients including billing, customer service, insurance verification, training, data clearinghouse services and debt purchasing.

The collection industry has grown rapidly since the 1980s as data processing and telecommunications technology contributed to gains in worker productivity. The democratization of credit, heavier consumer borrowing, the rise of debt buying and the outsourcing of back office functions by creditors are trends that contributed to 500% growth in industry revenues in the past 20 years, according to industry analysts.

An estimated 4,100 U.S. collection companies employed 150,000 people to pursue $180 billion in bad debt charged off by creditors in 2005. The industry successfully recovered $51 billion that year, returning USD$39.3 billion to creditors and retaining USD$12.1 billion as income, according to an economic impact study by ACA International and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

As the trade association representing these businesses, ACA International lobbies for public policy favorable to its members, provides training and credentialing resources, establishes ethical standards and articulates the value of the industry to businesses, policy makers and consumers.

ACA Code of Ethics
ACA enforces a code of ethics by which its members must abide as a condition of membership. The code is intended to establish standards of conduct for the industry.

The ACA code of ethics requires members to treat consumers with dignity and respect, to appoint an officer with sufficient authority to handle consumer complaints, and to resolve disputes brought to the company through ACA's ethics program.

External Links

• ACA International Web site
• Fair Debt Collection Practices Act - United States Federal Trade Commission