Other collectors work directly for the original creditors; these guys are called in house collectors. Usually these are financially based companies like credit card and mortgage companies, healthcare providers or utility companies.

No matter what organization that they work for, the tasks of bill collectors are the same. First, they're supposed to find consumers or businesses that are in debt, and notify them that they are delinquent. Generally this will be over the phone, but some of the time they send letters.

When debtors (people in debt) move without leaving a forwarding address, bill collectors might check with telephone companies, the post office, credit bureaus and former neighbors to obtain the new address. This system is called "skip tracing." They will utilize computer programs to automatically track when people or companies change their addresses or contact information on any of their open accounts.

When the bill collectors locate debtors they let them know about the overdue accounts and ask for payment. If it's necessary they'll go over the terms of sale, or credit contracts. A good bill collector is a sneaky one. They'll probably use their listening skills to try to figure out the reason why you are delinquent.

Typically, they will have the authority to offer a repayment plan or some other kind of help to make it simpler for debtors to pay their bills. A lot of the time they are able to find solutions to the financial problem. They may even offer useful advice or refer debtors to debt counselors.

To Be Continued….

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In the meantime, your creditors are not being paid. Unfortunately, while you are accumulating that payment, you are not paying your bills and you may be delving further and further into more debt.Instead of taking this gamble check out a not for profit credit counseling firm that might charge you only twenty dollars, if anything. Instead of billing the debtor, these non profit counselors will generally get what is called a fair share percentage payment from your creditors after your debts have been paid.

Finally, and most important, do NOT automatically trust in the debt settlement counselor who let's you know that "We will handle everything. You should stop communicating with your creditors." Despite the thought that the idea of not speaking to creditors and ignoring their mail sounds like it could be a real load off of your back, ultimately, it is your debt, your money owed and your credit score at hand. Never send in a change of address form directing all creditor mail to a debt settlement company.

It is key to remember that the creditor is the one with whom you signed your contractual agreement. When all of your statements are being sent to the debt settlement company, you relinquish that control. You do not know how much in late fees and interest are being tacked on. You also will not know if your debt has been transferred into collections.

A few final words of wisdom. If you think you need debt settlement, try debt management first. Get in touch with your creditors and request reduced interest, suspended payment or any other payment terms that may suit your financial situation more favorably. Although it may appear to be a long shot, or a pain, it is always extremely essential if you are about to miss a payment to call your creditor and say "Hey, listen, I am unable to make this month's payment. I'd like to work something out with you.

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Although one lawyer may seem trying in a time of stress, two lawyers may be necessary to sort the matters out, a bankruptcy attorney and a divorce lawyer to work things out between the unhappy couple. A bit of good advice to take would be to quickly find a bankruptcy lawyer to guide you through your finances, additionally to the attorney who is assisting you through your divorce. The expert guidance with alimony, child support, property settlements, and other financial issues is key when you are suffering from the stress of bankruptcy and divorce simultaneously.

If the couple shares a large amount of debt, filing for bankruptcy jointly is a good option. This can even simplify the divorce settlement, and filing bankruptcy jointly is more cost efficient. If you are a spiteful ex, filing individually for bankruptcy is a good way to send the creditors after your spouse.

Then there is the matter of property that you have accrued during marriage. That's marital or community property. If you are filing jointly for bankruptcy, and your ex spouse has marked some of your separate property as marital property, you should take these actions. First, you should prove what is yours isn't community property. The bankruptcy court will release the exempt property, and the remaining property that you share will be part of the bankruptcy estate and therefore will be used for paying off the money you owe.

After the bankruptcy court has figured out which property is exempt from bankruptcy, the divorce court can split the property between the spouses equally. The non exempt property will be sold by bankruptcy trustees (representatives) to pay off debts.

A different way to steer clear of financial loss on account of your former spouse's debt is to attach a property of your spouse as a security lien. This lien will permit you to take hold of the property and utilize it to pay off your spouse's loan if he or she is thinking of ditching and letting you pay. The property with a lien may get you less than the market price, but this is still a good way to protect yourself.

Lastly, you can put an indemnity clause into your divorce decree. This will help protect you from creditors who are coming after you to pay for your ex spouse's debts after the divorce has occurred. If your husband or wife files for bankruptcy, do not worry. The judge will enforce it to protect you.

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The day after an account becomes overdue, you should place a polite phone call to the customer who owes you money. If that doesn't work, you may want to send a few reminder letters yourself, or you may want to go directly to a credit collection agency. Base your decision on how much money is owed to you and the history of your relationship with the customer. If it's the first time you are doing business with them, you'll want to call in a credit collection agency sooner than you would with a 10-year old customer with a solid credit history.

Most companies call in a credit collection agency once a debt is 60 days to 90 days past due. If you wait much longer than 90 days to begin collecting unpaid receivables, your chance of collecting drops dramatically.

If you discover that your account has gone out of business, find out what type of business it was – a corporation, a partnership, or a proprietorship. If it was a corporation, don't bother calling for the help of a collection agency. It is doubtful that you, or any one else, will be able to squeeze the last few nickels out of that client. If the company is a partnership or a proprietorship, you may be able to get the individual owners of the company to pay you out of their own pockets.

If you try to recover an account and fail, consider that loss a tax-deductible item (Tax Code IRC 166, Reg. 1.166). You will be able to deduct the cost of the goods sold (but not paid for) as an ordinary business expense. You can't deduct any lost profits from the sale, nor can you deduct the money owed for services rendered.

Mallory McGuinness is employed by a debt collection company. She also writes stories about finance and business, consumer spending and collection agencies. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

However, a new trend that is growing is debtors suing debt collectors first. Any violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act can be valid reason alone to take a collector to court. It might be true that in a declining economy suing a debt collection agency instead of paying off what you owe may be your only choice. There were 8,347 consumer lawsuits filed against collection companies in 2009. That's a 55 percent increase over 2009 and double that number filed in 2007.

A portion of the debtors are plaintiffs suing for the first time, who suddenly find themselves unable to pay debts, and they feel that they have been wronged by aggressive collectors. Others compulsively sue. Usually these people have debts worth tens or hundreds or thousands of dollars. It is their hope that favorable judgments may put them on a "collections blacklist." If he has sued 4 out of 5 debt collectors, debt collection agencies are probably going to want nothing to do with this strange character who puts time and effort into lawsuits when he could be looking for a sense of structure, and a job.

One example of a current lawsuit in action was from a woman who alleges that the collection agency never offered her proof it was entitled to collect. Seriously? Most debt collection agencies adhere closely to FDCPA laws, but even that law is foggy on certain practices such as whether it's legal or not to leave a voice mail. Basically, the FDCPA hit the scene in the 1970s and needs desperately to be updated to today's technology.

I guess you didn't ask for my opinion, but here it is. I was recently contacted by a debt collector who left a message on a third party phone, asking for me and letting me know she intended to collect a debt. This is a big no-no. I could have called her back and given her hell, but I know why I have the debt and even though I may be broke, I intend to pay it back. To me, it seems like the economy is not getting better any time soon as the number of people who refuse to hold themselves accountable for financial decisions they made in the past grows. I hate to say it, but a debt is a debt, whether we are in a recession or not.

Mallory Megan works for a debt collection company. She also composes articles on business, finance, consumer spending and debt collection Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

Broad in scope, the Red Flag rules definition of financial institutions is any organization engaged in insurance, banking, or similar activities, and a good amount of the definitions come with leeway to expand compliance demands. Any consumer account involving multiple payments or transactions that is offered to organizations can be subject to the rules.

In a nutshell, the rules state that any financial institution or creditor that may be subject to a reasonable and predictable risk of identity theft must create or develop an identity theft prevention program in order to remain in compliance. These programs should include identification of any activity that might be considered identity theft. They should pursue red flags that have already been identified, and should take action to prevent and mitigate theft. Finally, period review and updating of red flags are necessary to comply with the Red Flag provisions.

In addition, the Red Flag provisions state that an institution's identity theft prevention program shall be managed and written by senior company management. Training and overseeing this service are required.

Identity theft is a destructive and expensive issue; business and consumer losses came to about $56.6 billion in 2005 alone. But when you consider just how harmful identity theft can be to a business, not complying with these regulations can be even more expensive and harmful. Potential losses, costly investigations, regulatory fines and potential lawsuits are all negative consequences of non-compliance. It seems as though their best bet is to follow the rules.

Mallory Megan is employed by a debt collection company. She also does articles on business, finance, the credit industry and debt collection. Don't reprint this exact article. Instead, reprint a free unique content version of this same article.