DebtConnection.com

BEAR STEARNS CREDIT RATING CUT THREE LEVELS, BY S&P
Bear Stearns Cos.'s credit rating was reduced three levels to BBB by Standard & Poor's after the securities firm was forced to seek emergency financing from JPMorgan Chase & Co. and the New York Federal Reserve.
read more

AMID A POSSIBLE U.S. RECESSION, DEBT COLLECTORS PUT ON A GENTLER, KINDER FACE
Just in time for a recession, the debt collection industry in the United States is working to shed its reputation for remorselessly hounding their targets. The collectors still want the money. But now they would like to be seen as helpful and sympathetic, even a force for good.
read more

TARGET IN TALKS TO SELL CREDIT-CARD STAKE
Discount retailer Target Corp. said it is in talks to sell a half interest in an $8 billion credit-card portfolio for $4 billion, twice as much as analysts had expected, to an "investment partner" that it wouldn't identify.
read more

FCC DEFENDS ITS DATABASE, MANAGEMENT TOOLS
A 53-page GAO report claims the agency doesn't properly collect and analyze data, making it impossible to analyze the effectiveness of its enforcement.
read more

EXPERIAN, EBUREAU PARTNER
St. Cloud-based technology company eBureau is teaming up with a major credit bureau to help consumers who have little or no banking history get access to credit.
read more

ROADMAP DELINEATES EIGHT REQUIREMENTS TO PROTECT CORPORATIONS AGAINST MULTIPLE DATA LOSS RISK POINTS
Orchestria, the leader in Information Protection and Control, has identified eight critical requirements that companies must address in their efforts to guard against data loss incidents, which increased four-fold in 2007 when more than 120 million records were reported compromised.
read more

DOLLAR RISES ON SPECULATION CENTRAL BANKS TO BUY THE CURRENCY
The dollar strengthened from a record low against the euro and gained versus the yen as securities firms speculated central banks will collaborate to support the U.S. currency for the first time in 13 years.
read more

RBC LAUNCHES CANADA'S FIRST VISA INFINITE CARD
RBC Royal Bank has launched Canada's first Visa Infinite card for its private banking clients.
read more

JPMORGAN/TARGET CORP
JPMorgan is in discussions with Target Corp about taking a 50% interest in the US retailer's credit card operations for about $4bn, sources said.
read more

PRIVATE TAX COLLECTORS COST IRS, GROUP SAYS
The IRS' use of private collection firms to dun delinquent taxpayers is generating $81 million less annually than if the tax agency handled the job itself, the IRS National Taxpayer Advocate said Thursday.
read more

FIRST DATA REPORTS FOURTH QUARTER REVENUE GROWTH OF 11%
DENVER, Mar 13, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- First Data Corp. today reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2007. Consolidated revenues for the quarter were up 11% to $2.1 billion. Adjusted EBITDA excluding projected near-term cost savings for the quarter was up 5% to $662 million.
read more

IRS TAX ADVOCATE RENEWS CRITICISM OF PRIVATE COLLECTORS
WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- The U.S. government's use of private collection agencies to chase tax debtors could cost $81 million in foregone tax revenue this year than if IRS staff handled the cases, the IRS National Taxpayer Advocate said Thursday.
read more

TARGET IN TALKS TO SELL HALF OF CREDIT CARD RECEIVABLES
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Target Corp. late Wednesday said it is in talks to sell half of the discount retailing giant's credit card receivables for about $4 billion.
read more

SENATE BILL WOULD REIN IN CREDIT CARDS' 'EXTREME PENALTIES'
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Credit-card fees and terms can confuse even the most financially savvy consumers, but a growing chorus in Congress is calling for relief through tighter regulation of the credit-card industry.
read more

BILL WOULD LIMIT PAYDAY LENDING
FRANKFORT --A bill to be considered in the House banking committee on Wednesday could help crack down on millions of dollars in illegal payday loans.
read more

COUNTRYWIDE REPORTS DIP IN DELINQUENCIES; FORECLOSURE RATE CLIMBS
Countrywide Financial Corp. said Thursday its home loan delinquency rate dipped slightly in February compared to the previous month, but foreclosure rates kept climbing.
read more

GARY HOLTER NAMED AS PRESIDENT & CEO OF CREDITORS INTERCHANGE
BUFFALO, NY - Creditors Interchange Receivable Management, LLC ("Creditors" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Gary Holter as President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Holter, the Company's Chief Financial Officer since 2003, will be responsible for all aspects of the Company's operations and will be added to the Company's Board of Managers. He brings over twenty-five years of operational management experience through various executive level positions in a broad range of industries.
read more

FRANK ANNOUNCES NEW ECONOMIC, MORTGAGE AND HOUSING RESCUE PROPOSAL
Washington, DC - House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank today announced new legislation to stem the significant rise in mortgage foreclosures by allowing the Federal Housing Administration to insure and guarantee refinanced mortgages that have been significantly written down by mortgage holders and lenders.
read more

CONVERGYS TO EXPAND CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGEMENT OFFERINGS WITH ACQUISITION OF SOFTWARE COMPANY IN CHINA
Convergys Corporation (NYSE: CVG), a global leader in relationship management, announced today it is expanding the set of customer service management offerings available to its clients through the acquisition of Shanghai-based Shanghai Hong Xun Software Co., Ltd. from BMI Asia Inc.
read more

PAULSON SEEKS TO RESTORE CREDIT FAITH
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson outlined a series of broad-based proposals Thursday aimed at restoring faith in the mortgage business and shoring up the battered financial services sector.
read more

RETAIL SALES SLUMPED 0.6% IN FEBRUARY
Monthly retail sales suffered a surprising drop last month as American households continued to curtail their spending amid higher energy and food prices and a weakening jobs market.
read more

FORECLOSURES UP 60% IN FEBRUARY
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Foreclosure filings nationwide jumped 60% in February compared with the same month last year, but they decreased slightly versus January, according to a report released Thursday.
read more

COLLECTION AND RECOVERY SOLUTIONS 2008 ADDS ADDITIONAL PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP ON RISK MITIGATION FOR DEBT SALES AND PURCHASES
Dennis Hammond, President of Global Debt Registry, will present a pre-conference workshop at Collection and Recovery Solutions 2008 titled "Risk Mitigation in Debt Sales and Debt Purchasing".
read more

FED'S LIFELINE TO BANKS PULLS STOCK MARKET UP
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and his central bank colleagues announced a rescue package Tuesday that would allow squeezed financial institutions -- including big investment houses and banks -- to borrow up to $200 billion in super-safe Treasury securities by using risky home-loan packages as collateral.
read more

FDIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC INCLUSION TO EXAMINE ASSET-BUILDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDIVIDUALS AND BANKS
The FDIC Advisory Committee on Economic Inclusion (ComE-IN) will meet on March 19th to explore saving and asset-building opportunities for individuals and banks. The committee will hear from a panel of experts, who will address:
read more

FED'S RESCUE PLAN GETS PRAISE FOR ITS IMAGINATION
WASHINGTON - The Federal Reserve's dramatic decision to let securities dealers and banks swap up to $200 billion in mortgage-backed bonds and other products for ultrasafe Treasury securities illustrates its deep concern about deteriorating credit conditions and Chairman Ben Bernanke's willingness to innovate.
read more

EXPERIAN AND EBUREAU UNVEIL CREDIT SCORING TOOL FOR THE US UNBANKED
Experian, a global information services company, and eBureau, an innovative provider of predictive scoring and information solutions, today announced a partnership and the launch of Emerging Credit Score, a new credit scoring tool to assist lenders in evaluating the creditworthiness of unbanked and underbanked consumers.
read more

ST. LOUIS FED CHIEF SEES 'A MILD RECESSION'
The latest news suggests the U.S. economy is "tilting a bit below zero," but the downturn does not appear to be severe, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis President William Poole said Monday.
read more

FED PUMPS MORE MONEY INTO FINANCIAL MARKETS
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The Federal Reserve on Tuesday announced yet another measure to pump more liquidity into the jittery financial markets.
read more

GOVERNOR RANDALL S. KROSZNER
It is a pleasure to be addressing the new American Bankers Association, which has arisen from the successful merger of America's Community Bankers and the ABA. Your association truly represents the full range of banks in the United States. The focus of my remarks today--the importance of fundamentals in risk management--should still resonate with all of you, whether you are part of a large global bank or a smaller community bank.
read more

DebtConnection.com is a searchable database of collection products and services.
The following Updates and New Entries occured since the last At A Glance was sent:

Portfolios For Sale

$10,412,982.00     Credit Cards
Oliphant Financial Corporation
http://www.debtconnection.com/portfolio.asp?492
More information about this company can be found here:
http://www.debtconnection.com/moreinfo.asp?250

$750,485.00     Credit Cards
Oliphant Financial Corporation
http://www.debtconnection.com/portfolio.asp?491
More information about this company can be found here:
http://www.debtconnection.com/moreinfo.asp?250

$4,983,071.00     Credit Cards
Argonaut Financial, LLC
http://www.debtconnection.com/portfolio.asp?486
More information about this company can be found here:
http://www.debtconnection.com/moreinfo.asp?1826

$1,848,594.00     Credit Cards
Argonaut Financial, LLC
http://www.debtconnection.com/portfolio.asp?484
More information about this company can be found here:
http://www.debtconnection.com/moreinfo.asp?1826

Agency

BUSINESS PROCESSES REDEFINED, LLC
Lauren A. Irwin-Szostak
800-470-6622
More Information

HALL BURG & ASSOCIATES
763-367-6200

Consultants

BUSINESS PROCESSES REDEFINED, LLC
Lauren A. Irwin-Szostak
800-470-6622
More Information

Contact Solutions/Dialers

TOUCHSTAR
Chris Rieple
303-338-0678
More Information

Debt Buyers

CAPIO PARTNERS
Doug Sawyer
770-329-8187
More Information

HALL BURG & ASSOCIATES
763-367-6200

Debt Sellers

CREDIT CARD RESELLER, LLC
Bobbie Jo Diebold
952-679-4387
More Information

KESSLER AND FREEDMAN
866-582-5465

Legal Networks/Services

FORECLOSURE MANAGEMENT COMPANY
913-620-4837

Industry Events

NASP 2008 Subrogation Litigation Skills Conference
National Association of Subrogation Professionals (NASP)
Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel
New Orleans, Louisiana
March 27 - 28, 2008
(800) 574-9961
More Information

26th Annual Spring Meeting
American Bankruptcy Institute
Renaissance Hotel
Washington, DC
April 3 - 6, 2008
(703) 739-0800
More Information

Auditor Training Course 2008 for Creditors and Debt Buyers
Resource Management Services, Inc.
Southern California
April 8 - 11, 2008
(562) 906-1101
More Information

Advertise Here

This report is sponsored by The Debt Marketplace. Our firm specializes in assisting buyers and sellers in all aspects of the transaction process, including...

Marketing your portfolio.
Due Diligence for Buyers and Sellers.
Evaluating the viability of a sale.
Addressing pricing, contract and negotiation considerations.
Attaining the most efficient transition possible, while minimizing post-sale issues.

Our consulting projects are customized to provide the level of involvement and information that best meets our clients' needs.
Check us out at: http://www.debtmarketplace.com/

Copyright 2001 - 2008 THE DEBT MARKETPLACE, INC. 562-903-7220
THE DEBT MARKETPLACE, INC., 10440 Pioneer Blvd., Suite 2, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670-8235

At A Glance reports can be expected weekly or biweekly, depending on quantity of news and information to report. You may send this report, in its entirety, to others who may have interest.
Interested parties can also receive a complimentary subscription by registering at http://www.debtconnection.com/signup_ataglance.asp

Fill out your subscription information by clicking the 'Sign up - "At A Glance"' box on the DebtConnection.com homepage.

To unsubscribe use this link: Unsubscribe or send an e-mail to info@debtconnection.com requesting to be removed from the newsletter -- Send from the e-mail that you are subscribed with.

www.DebtConnection.com

At A Glance Archive 2007 20062005

At A Glance - Friday, May 09, 2008

At A Glance - Wednesday, May 07, 2008

At A Glance - Friday, May 02, 2008

At A Glance - Wednesday, April 30, 2008

At A Glance - Friday, April 25, 2008

At A Glance - Wednesday, April 23, 2008

At A Glance - Friday, April 18, 2008

At A Glance - Wednesday, April 16, 2008

At A Glance - Friday, April 11, 2008

At A Glance - Wednesday, April 09, 2008