Hi All! It's been a while since I've logged into DCC, and I'm glad to see many familiar faces! Also, hello and congrats to all the new Mods that I don't recognize!
The last few years have been very busy, both at work and at home. As many of you already knew, I used to be a Credit/Collections manager for a consumer finance company here in Chicago. What none of you probably knew was that we were the type of company that gave out high-risk/high-rate loans, and our business was more than likely one that would be despised by the members of this community. The reality is that back in 2006 when I first found this site, it was because I googled our company name and found some posts here complaining about us. I'm sorry to say that my very first post (as a guest) was actually a backlash and retort against one of our customers, as I knew exactly who she was just by the way she described the situation.
As bad as that may sound, I never enjoyed the collections part of my job, but it goes with the territory. However, in our operations, I always made sure that we followed the laws, and I tried to work with our customers as best I could. In 10 years I've never once refused to work with a customer who wanted to pay but couldn't. It was always the customers who had well-paying jobs but refused to pay that we went after in court. After I joined this site, I started to grasp a feel for what it was like to be "on the other side," and my posts over the years really were my way of helping out, although my replies do tend to come from the perspective of a lender. Don't get me wrong though, I've always despised the illegal PDLs and unfair business practices that CAs engage in, just as much as anybody else here.
Now that I have "confessed", as you will, I'm glad to say we are no longer in that business. As early as 2005 my boss and I saw the writing on the wall and knew it was just a matter of time before the laws changed and we would either have to close shop or change our direction; we did both. In 2009 we extended our last loan and surrendered our loan license back to the state (and as we predicted, in 2010 Illinois passed extensive loan reform).
But as we closed one business, my boss and I also opened a new business. In 2008 we created a new finance company which serves the retail automotive industry. Simply put, we provide financing to warranty companies and car dealers, who in turn provide our 0% payment options to their customers. We charge no interest, and there are no collections. (And for those 2 reasons, I love our new company and my new job!).
All that being said, the reason I haven't been on these forums for a while was basically because I was busy starting a new business. Somewhere in there I also bought my first house, and now having to do things like mow the lawn takes up more of my time.
But, I am glad to be back, and I do have lots more information to share and post! Again, glad to see you all!