Tag: education

RISC updates its CARS Financial Client collateral recovery training program for lenders and national forwarders.

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TAMPA, FL 9/28/2020 – RISC, with support from the leading consumer financial law firm, Hudson Cook, LLP, have completed the 2020 update of the training certification program CARS Financial Client (CARS FC). The CARS FC certification program was created for financial clients, including national forwarding companies and lending institutions, to provide a comprehensive understanding of the state and federal laws that apply to self-help repossession. The course update aligns the content with current federal law and the addition of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA).

RISC developed this collateral recovery training curriculum in 2017 to support industry professionals who do not perform repossessions and is updated annually.  This online training program takes enrollees through all aspects of the repossession process, from government regulations to possible liability traps, and teaches best practices. The program covers topics such as:

  • CFPB Oversight
  • Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA)
  • Dodd-Frank prohibition on Unfair, Deceptive, and Abusive Acts and Practices (UDAAP)
  • Telephone Protection Act
  • Servicemembers Civil Relief Act
  • Contracts
  • Crimes and Torts
  • And much more

CARS FC is an online course administered on the RISC Educational Platform that allows for self-paced training. Over 5,000 people are certified annually with RISC’s CARS FC, CARS, and CARS Continuing Education programs. To learn how to train yourself or your employees, contact us at [email protected].

About RISC

RISC is an organization dedicated to providing compliance oversight and training services to the collateral recovery industry and beyond. RISC advocates on behalf of all practitioners within the industry. For more information, visit www.RISCus.com or call (813) 712-7535.

RISC launches a 2020 updated version of their CARS – Continuing Education Course 4 – The Recovery Process

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TAMPA, FL 4/21/2020 – RISC along with Hudson Cook, LLP, a law firm whose regulatory compliance practice includes work within the subject of automotive repossession, has updated RISC’s most popular CARS Continuing Education Course, CE 4. CARS CE 4 covers the “Recovery Process” which includes crucial topics that recovery agencies face on a daily basis. This course is designed to give agents the ability to communicate accurately with clients and provide the framework for agents to complete a wide range of work at the highest level of compliance. Topics include details on preparing assignments for agents, personal property procedures, consumer’s right to cure notices, sale of a recovered property and much more. CARS CE 4 is one of several courses that RISC offers that counts towards a recovery agent’s need for annual continuing education to keep certifications up to date. To purchase the course go to RISC’s website.

**CARS CE 4 is updated as of March 12, 2020. This course is created for the general U.S. collateral recovery industry and it is the responsibility of agencies to ensure it is applicable to their local city/state laws.

About RISC

RISC is an organization dedicated to providing compliance oversight and training services to the collateral recovery industry and beyond. RISC advocates on behalf of all practitioners within the industry. For more information, visit www.RISCus.com or call (813) 712-7535.

RISC waives RISC Pro membership/education subscription fees through the end of May 2020 to support collateral agents during the COVID-19 crisis.

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We cannot avoid the news about COVID-19 and the uncertainty it is bringing to our lives. This virus has caused disruptions to not only our daily lives but, most certainly, the collateral recovery industry. In these challenging times, the compliance team at RISC would like to do our part and help support the industry agents on the frontlines. We realize that the pandemic and its economic impacts will slow assignments significantly. However, it is important to remember that this will not last for long. If we can find ways to weather the storm then we know there is going to be a significant workload in the near future. In fact, it is realistic to say there will be more work than we all can handle. As an industry, we need to help each other survive, prepare, and be ready for the favorable times to come.

To support the agent community, RISC will waive all membership fees including the CARS education subscription fees within the membership for current and new RISC Pro Members starting immediately through the end of May. Billing will resume the first week of June 2020. Our hope is that this will give some financial relief to agents and the chance to use the downtime to get staff trained and ready for when business turns back on.

What is RISC Pro?

RISC Pro is a membership for Agents that provides the ability to:

To manage and store compliance documentation on the MBSi VendorConnect platform. Lenders can see the status and assign more efficiently using RecoveryConncect.
Showcase a compliance profile and company listing in front of 40+ Lenders and Forwarders that are on the MBSi VendorConnect / RISC Pro platform.
Quickly share a compliance profile direct with the Lenders on the platform or outside the MBSi platform.
Have unlimited staff access to the CARS National Certification, Continuing Education, and Drivers Safety Certification for a small monthly “pay as you go” subscription rather than the full upfront certification cost.
And more…
Membership billing is currently on hold and will begin again the first week of June. There is NO cancellation fee. If agencies decide to cancel the RISC Pro Membership, any

CARS certification completed between now and then will require you to pay in full to retain a valid CARS certificate. More details can be found in the RISC Pro Service Agreement at Registration.

Learn More and Register for RISC Pro

About RISC

RISC is an organization dedicated to providing compliance oversight and training services to the collateral recovery industry and beyond. RISC advocates on behalf of all practitioners within the industry. For more information, visit www.RISCus.com or call (813) 712-7535.

RISC launches the CARS – Massachusetts Certification Course, the #1 Massachusetts-specific training for repossession agents.

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TAMPA, FL 1/29/2020 – RISC, a compliance services company, is pleased to launch the Massachusetts-specific collateral recovery training course as part of their CARS National Certification Program. Continually providing up to date training on state-mandated regulations is the goal of RISC, the leader in compliance services and education. “It’s crucial to let the industry know about updated regulations and provide comprehensive training for collateral recovery in Massachusetts and beyond,” says RISC CEO, Stamatis Ferarolis. “We are committed to providing these updates and have hired the prestigious law firm, Hudson Cook, to help design the most current training programs in the nation,” says Ferarolis. RISC will continue to evolve with the industry and look towards always building courses that will provide value to both clients and recovery agents.

“The overview of Massachusetts regulations is very informative. It’s another great addition to RISC’s current CARS program to keep my recovery staff safe and knowledgable,” says Steve Digantgikis, owner of New England Adjustment Bureau. Digantgikis is the first to become certified in this MA-specific CARS Program and focuses on having one of the most skilled teams to support his lending clients.

CARS-Massachusetts course is an example of RISC’s commitment to educating the industry to keep both the consumer and the recovery agent safe. The CARS certification is accepted by all domestic lending institutions and is completed by over 4,000 people annually. The course is available on RISC’s Education Platform for purchase on the RISC website.

About RISC

RISC is an organization dedicated to providing compliance oversight and training services to the collateral recovery industry and beyond. RISC advocates on behalf of all practitioners within the industry. For more information, visit www.RISCus.com or call (813) 712-7535.

Mark Lacek speaks at the American Towman Expo on the Untapped Potential of Commercial Repossessions.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TAMPA, FL 12/19/2019 – The American Towman Exposition was hosted in Atlantic City, NJ earlier this month where Mark Lacek took the opportunity to speak on the profitable options in the commercial repossessions field. Lacek, the author of RISC’s Certified Commercial Recovery Agent national certification program (CCRA), spoke to a full room on the highlights of his 40-year commercial repossession career experience. As the owner of Commercial Asset Solutions, he has repossessed commercial trucks and equipment for the nation’s commercial lenders day in and day out. He sees everything in the field and will never be seen behind a desk. During the presentation, attendees were educated on the veteran recovery agent’s approach to commercial account repossession, including how to fine-tune their skills, make more money and reduce their overhead costs.

During his 90-minute session, Lacek advised on many of the most important stages and categories of the commercial repossession business. Some of the various topics included how to identify and locate a client in need of commercial repossession services; what kinds of collateral are associated with this type of portfolio; what are the various steps involved when receiving an assignment of this nature and what job-specific tools and resources are needed; insight on some of the lenders and forwarders who operate in this landscape; and appropriate charges for services rendered, as well as additional revenue streams within this industry.

According to Brent Woods, owner of Recovery Associates out of Houston, TX, ”I’ve always wanted to hear Mark’s presentation as I’m always looking into new revenue streams for my company. I traveled over 1,600 miles to attend the American Towman Expo and I was certainly not disappointed with his session. I felt that I was not the only one to find value in his presentation, as several other attendees in the class were given answers to their questions on the topic.”

“This was the second event I’ve presented at this year and even though my presentation was scheduled for 90 minutes, I wound up fielding questions from the packed meeting room well beyond that allotted time. It’s great to see more people in the industry beginning to recognize the profit potential that is available in commercial repossessions. As important as it is to secure new avenues for revenue, it’s equally important to make sure these types of accounts are handled the proper way. I honestly feel the most valuable information on commercial repossessions is within the CCRA Certification Course”, said Lacek. He went on to add, “Several attendees mentioned they were already CCRA certified, while others advised they were looking forward to signing up for the course once they returned home. I’m excited to see associates in the industry realizing the value of commercial repossession while also recognizing the importance of being compliant.”

Mark Lacek is the founder of Professional Repossessor Magazine, owner of Commercial Asset Solutions (CAS), and former president of Florida Association of Licensed Repossessors. Lacek is considered one of the nation’s leading expert witnesses on professional standards and the repossession industry. The full CCRA program is an online certification offered through RISC (Recovery Industry Services Company) and available at www.riscus.com.

About RISC

RISC is an organization dedicated to providing services specific to the collateral recovery industry and advocate on behalf of all professional practitioners with the industry. RISC is dedicated to the professional training and certification of collateral recovery specialists. For more information visit www.RISCus.com or contact us at [email protected], (866) 996-7472 or (813) 712-7535

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Mark Lacek lays out the case that Commercial Repossession is an untapped niche.

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Mark Lacek lays out the case that Commercial Repossession is an untapped niche.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TAMPA, FL 11/4/2019 – During this year’s Allied Finance Adjusters Midyear Meeting, Mark Lacek, author of RISC’s Certified Commercial Recovery Agent national certification program (CCRA), was invited to summarize the highlights of his 40-year commercial repossession career experience.  During the seminar, attendees were educated on the veteran recovery agent’s approach to commercial account repossession, including how to fine-tune their skills, make more money and reduce their overhead costs.

  

During the 90-minute session, Lacek advised on many of the most important stages and categories of the commercial repossession business. Some of the various topics included how to identify and locate a client in need of commercial repossession services; what kinds of collateral are associated with this type of portfolio; what are the various steps involved when receiving an assignment of this nature and what job-specific tools and resources are needed; insight on some of the lenders and forwarders who operate in this landscape; and appropriate charges for services rendered, as well as additional revenue streams within this industry.

According to the former president of Allied Finance Adjusters, George Badeen, “Mark’s session was really well received with the crowd of over 50 agents. He gave them some great ammo to go back to their businesses with and find ways to tap into this lucrative niche”.

“I tried to pack in as much information during the session as I could. I honestly feel the most valuable information on commercial repossessions are within the CCRA Certification Course”, said Lacek. He went on to add, “I received several responses from attendees at the Allied Midyear Meeting, advising one of the first things on their agendas – once home – was to go onto the RISC website and sign up for the CCRA program.”

Mark will be conducting another seminar at the American Towman Expo this December in Atlantic City, NJ.

Mark Lacek is the founder of Professional Repossessor Magazine, owner of Commercial Asset Solutions (CAS), and former president of Florida Association of Licensed Repossessors. Lacek is considered one of the nation’s leading expert witnesses on professional standards and the repossession industry. The full CCRA program is an online certification offered through RISC (Recovery Industry Services Company) and available at www.riscus.com.

About RISC

RISC is an organization dedicated to providing services specific to the collateral recovery industry and advocate on behalf of all professional practitioners with the industry. RISC is dedicated to the professional training and certification of collateral recovery specialists. For more information visit www.RISCus.com or contact us at [email protected], (866) 996-7472 or (813) 712-7535

RISC on LinkedIn and Facebook

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