This profession appeared relatively recently, but quickly gained great popularity among banking institutions. Today, there are practically no such financial organizations that would like to refuse the services of collectors. Debt collection has become very popular at the moment.
As early as the beginning of 2000, the first services providing such services began to appear. Initially, they were created directly by the banking organizations themselves. Their activities affected the interests of only one financial structure, which created them. In 2004, independent debt collection organizations began to appear - collection agencies.
Profession collector
The collector is a new profession that is rapidly gaining popularity. Workers for collection agencies do not undergo any special training, but some mandatory requirements are imposed in the recruitment process. The main and first advantage for the applicant is the presence of certain knowledge in banking.
The second important skill that the applicant must possess in order to get to the agency where the collectors work is the ability to quickly and in large volumes process information. The third thing that a future collector should be able to do is to have a good knowledge of psychology and to be sociable and sociable, as you will have to communicate a lot with people from different walks of life. The age of the reservoir usually ranges from 24-26 years.
In large collection agencies, trainings are held where they are taught specific work specifics. The collector receives a salary in the form of a percentage of the amount that he was able to recover from the debtor. Which banks work with collectors? This question is difficult to answer, because for this you need to see a loan agreement. It is easier to answer which ones do not work. If the loan agreement does not specify a clause on the possibility of transferring the loan to third parties, then the bank does not work with collectors.
Professional and dishonest agencies
Collection services today are highly demanded, a large number of banks and financial institutions turn to such agencies, because the debts of the population are only growing. Not all such agencies operate professionally and within the law. A large number of collection agencies go beyond the limits and use prohibited methods of debt collection.
To deal with such companies in Russia, they created the National Association of Professional Collection Agencies, it includes 32 companies that use only a professional approach to debt collection and do not violate the rights of citizens. Their pre-trial activities include:
- Search and contact with a debtor.
- Negotiating via SMS.
- Sending emails with debt information.
- A personal meeting with debtors only in a strictly established manner.
- Detailed explanations of the consequences of non-payment of debt.
- An explanation of how to get out of this situation.
In the event that the issue of repayment of the debt has not been resolved, the case is referred to the courts, and the collection agency employees must accompany the entire trial and prepare lawsuits.
Unscrupulous agencies do not adhere to such rules and may resort to the use of actions prohibited by law, such as:
- Threats.
- Transfer of personal information to third parties.
- Arrival at the home of the debtor at any time of the day.
Such actions cause distrust of all such collection organizations.
How collectors work with debtors: basic methods of exposure
Interaction with a person in debt is divided into three types:
- Soft.
- Tough.
- Legal (judicial).
The first type of pressure involves a lot of phone calls and SMS messages, in which there will be requests to resolve the current situation without conflict.
In the event that the situation has not changed, the collectors proceed to the next stage of pressure on the debtor. How do collectors work in this case? They begin to meet in person and come home, to work or study, and can also contact relatives and friends. They try to explain to the debtor that the debt must be repaid.
Basically, collectors use psychological pressure methods during conversations. The debtor may feel uncomfortable and make a decision on paying off the debt.
How do collectors work if such events do not help? They go to trial. The debtor will have to hire a lawyer, which implies financial expenses, and also a large amount of time is spent on litigation.
New law
It was possible to carry out the methods of collecting from the debtors described above until 07/03/2016. After this period, a new law is in force, which clearly spells out all the actions of collectors and the debtor. How should the collector work now? Its regulation involves only two telephone conversations and one personal meeting with the debtor during the week. Phone calls are clearly regulated in time from 8-22 hours on weekdays, and from 9-20 hours on weekends.
The important thing is that now, so that collectors can communicate with relatives, acquaintances or colleagues, they must obtain the consent of the debtor. If he does not give such permission, then their actions will be considered illegal.
The nuances of the work of collectors
Collector services have become very popular, and because of this, a huge number of such offices have appeared. The services of such agencies can be used not only by banking institutions, but also, for example, such enterprises as housing and communal services. How do collectors work? Their work is carried out in two directions, they can work for a fee or buy bank debts.
If we consider the first case, then the banks want the debtor to receive a refund without going to court. The collector receives a fee of 30% of the amount owed. The second case is different in that the banks want to receive a refund at least in a small amount, and sell such a loan to a collection company. The payment for such a debt obligation is only 15%.
The risk of collectors when buying a problem loan
A collection agency that bought an unpaid loan from a bank risks not getting any profit from an unscrupulous borrower. If he does not pay the debt, then only a court can decide this situation. But it may turn out that the debtor will win it after the expiration of the statute of limitations of the loan. In this case, the loan will be canceled. Collectors work in such conditions starting from the fact that they sign an agreement with the bank, and in the future a collection agency will act on behalf of this institution.
They begin to study the debtor and what incomes it has. After this comes the stage of sending emails and regular letters, in which collectors recommend paying off the debt. First, they begin to conduct explanatory telephone conversations that the life of the borrower will be complicated when the loan is not repaid. After that, if the conversations did not bring a positive result, the collectors begin to call relatives and friends, as well as the authorities. Often such conversations help to influence the debtor, and he pays the loan. If this does not help, then the agency files a lawsuit.
If the collectors called
There is only one way to avoid communicating with these people - to pay the required amount on time, because collectors work under an agreement with the bank. If circumstances so happened that you had to face the collector, you need to study your rights and be able to conduct a conversation. When the call rang and the man introduced himself as an employee of the agency in question, the first thing to do is find out the reason for his call. Find out if he has documents on the transfer of debt by the bank to a collection company. The most important thing is not to panic and not to go into conflict with the collector, but to have a calm conversation. Calling at night, as well as threats are illegal, and if you record a conversation, you can contact the prosecutor.
What collectors are not allowed to do
In cases where collectors violate the law, you can and should contact the law enforcement agencies. To do this, you need to know that such people do not have the right:
- Submitted on behalf of the judiciary.
- Speak or write threats about property confiscation.
- Insult the debtor.
- Share personal information with third parties.
- Twist the information on the debt obligation and present unreasonable claims.
- Talk threats towards relatives about collecting a debt from them.
- Make an inventory of property.
If such threats occur, then the citizen has every right to contact the police and prosecutors with a complaint about the collection company.
How to protect yourself from dishonest collectors
So that it does not happen that instead of collectors a fraudster or unscrupulous employee communicates with you, you need to follow some rules:
- Record conversations on the recorder, before warning the collector.
- Find out his surname, name, patronymic.
- Ask the collector to provide information about the company that he represents.
- At the meeting, require a document proving his identity, as well as the authority given to him.
If no such information was provided by a person who identified himself as a collector, it is necessary to safely file a statement with the police. In addition, the debtor has the right to send his lawyer for a personal meeting with him.
How does the exit group of collectors
Usually such an action is not stretched for a long time. It is enough for 1 to 3 months to pass, and a “mobile group” of 3-6 people will go to the debtor. Such trips are often practiced not only after the start of the trial, but before it, or even in its absence. After all, the trial lasts a long time, costly in finance, and the debtor can even win it. For this reason, a group of not-so-nice people goes to the debtor in order to scare him with the hope that he will take and copy the collateral property at his own request to the office presented by the collectors.
It happens like this: strong people knock on the door, trying to enter, they behave very impudently, in every possible way showing the debtor that if he does not return the debt, it will end badly. But such people should not be scared, usually they are immediately lost, you just have to threaten them with a police call, and it’s better not just to threaten, but to call.