Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to Co-Host Roundtable on Data Integrity in Debt Collection

The Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will co-host a roundtable on June 6, 2013, to examine the flow of consumer data throughout the debt collection process. The event will bring together consumer advocates, credit issuers, collection industry members, state and federal regulators, and academics to exchange information on a range of issues. Topics will include:

• the amount of documentation and other information currently available to different types of collectors and at different points in the debt collection process;
• the information needed to verify and substantiate debts;
• the costs and benefits of providing consumers with additional disclosures about their debts and debt-related rights; and
•  information issues relating to pleading and judgment in debt collection litigation.

The roundtable is free and open to the public; it will be held at the FTC’s Satellite Building Conference Center, 601 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. and will also be streamed live online.  Information is available about attending the event, including directions to the FTC’s Conference Center, and details about disability accommodations, and nearby hotels and restaurants.

The agenda for the roundtable is as follows:

	Life of a Debt: Data Integrity in Debt Collection June 6, 2013, at the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C.
8:00-9:00 a.m.	Registration
9:00-9:30 a.m.	Welcoming Remarks Julie Brill, Commissioner, FTC Steven Antonakes, Acting Deputy Director, CFPB
9:30-10:10 a.m.	Presentation: “Understanding the Model: The Life Cycle of a Debt” Presenter:  Bob Hunt, Vice President & Director, Payment Cards Center, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
10:10-10:30 a.m.	Presentation: “How Information Flows Throughout the Collection Process” Presenter:  John Tonetti, Program Manager, Office of Deposits, Cash, Collections, and Reporting Markets, CFPB
10:30-10:45 a.m.	Break
10:45-11:05 a.m.	Presentation: Overview of the FTC’s Debt Buyer Study Presenter:  Heather Allen, Senior Attorney, Division of Financial Practices, FTC
11:05-12:15 p.m.	PANEL 1: Information Available to Debt Collectors at Time of Assignment or Sale Moderator:  Thomas Kane, Senior Attorney, Division of Financial Practices, FTC Panelists: Manoj Hastak, Professor of Marketing, Kogod School of Business, American University Loraine Lyons, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, FMA Alliance, Ltd. David Pauken, Chief Executive Officer, Convoke Systems Ira Rheingold, Executive Director, National Association of Consumer Advocates Larry Tewell, Senior Vice President, Consumer Credit Solutions Division, Wells Fargo
12:15-1:00 p.m.	Lunch
1:00-2:25 p.m.	PANEL 2: Verifying Disputed Debts Under the FDCPA and Investigating Disputed Debts Under the FCRA Moderator:  Corey Stone, Assistant Director, Office of Deposits, Cash, Collections, and Reporting Markets, CFPB Panelists: Chad Benson, President and Chief Operating Officer, CBE Group Ian Lyngklip, Partner, Lyngklip & Associates, Consumer Law Center, PLC Richard Munroe, President, Capital Financial Group, Inc. Manuel Newburger, Partner, Barron & Newburger, P.C. Denise Norgle, Vice President and Division General Counsel, TransUnion
2:25-2:45 p.m.	Presentation: Overview of the FTC’s collection litigation and arbitration report, “Repairing a Broken System,” and changes in the law since the report'’s issuance in 2010 Presenters: Bevin Murphy, Senior Attorney, Northeast Region, FTC; and Colin Hector, Attorney, Division of Financial Practices, FTC
2:45-3:00 p.m.	Break
3:00-4:20 p.m.	PANEL 3: Debt Collection Litigation Moderator:  Christopher Koegel, Assistant Director, Division of Financial Practices, FTC Panelists: Brandon Black, Consultant/Former Chief Executive Officer, Encore Capital Group, Inc. Peter Holland, Clinical Instructor, Consumer Protection Clinic, University of Maryland Carey School of Law W. Thomas Lawrie, Assistant Attorney General, Office of the Maryland Attorney General Joann Needleman, Vice President, Maurice & Needleman, P.C., and President-Elect, National Association of Retail Collection Attorneys (NARCA) Hon. Annette Rizzo, First Judicial District of PA, Philadelphia, Court of Common Pleas
4:20-5:10 p.m.	PANEL 4: Time-Barred Debts Moderator: Alice Hrdy, Deputy Assistant Director, Office of Supervision Policy, CFPB Panelists: Lawrence Costa, Executive Vice President of Business Development, Capital Management Services, LP Karen Meyers, Director, Consumer Protection Division, Office of the New Mexico Attorney General David Philipps, Senior Partner, Philipps & Philipps, Ltd. Tom Thurmond, Division President, Resurgent Capital Services
5:10-5:30 p.m.	Wrap-up Jessica Rich, Associate Director, Division of Financial Practices, FTC

The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC's online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s website provides free information on a variety of consumer topics.  Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.