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The Scientific Research Associated With Effective Bank Debt Collection

According to the American Collectors Association, which has conducted a number of studies in banking, write-offs, and human behavioral aspects, bank debt collection should be viewed as a science. Reviewing the statistical results can aid in determining the best means of recovery of debt.
by DavidP.Montana


According to the American Collectors Association, which has conducted a number of studies in banking, write-offs, and human behavioral aspects, bank debt collection should be viewed as a science. Reviewing the statistical results can aid in determining the best means of recovery of debt.

According to the studies, 50% of those targeted by bank debt collection have the ability to pay and simply choose not to. Being diligent and persistent in efforts to recover those accounts can pay off in the end, when clients finally decide to pay.

Also, contacting these customers as soon as possible is important for multiple reasons. After 60 days of delinquency, the success of bank debt collection drops by 49%, meaning that this is the time when the most money is lost. In addition, consider that most customers with one delinquent account have multiple accounts in collection. Therefore, getting your unpaid account in the front of the line is essential to recovering payment.

The majority of debts collected do not come from collection calls. For collection agencies, the greatest success is found with letters. In fact, 80% of all accounts collected by debt collection firms are collected through letters.

This falls in line with a certain mindset found in the human psyche. Most people will act according to a perceived consequence for their action, or lack thereof. Customers frequently ignore the bank debt collection attempts in favor of paying the cable or phone bill, simply because they receive a piece of paper in the mail asking them to please pay.

You may also find that collection attempts begin to fail when bank debt collection attempts become too aggressive. Statistics show that, when collection agencies are not willing to negotiate affordable payments and are too insistent, success rates fall by 15-30%.

Of course, as stated, consequences are a motivator. Third party debt collection firms will report the debtor to the credit bureaus for failure to pay, which is why they are more successful in their recovery efforts than many internal bank debt collection resources.

Understanding the science of bank debt collection helps to increase success in recovery of delinquent funds. The more you know about the way potential debtors think, the better your ability to keep funds coming in.

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