Annual Conference & Exhibition

 CSA & DBSG Annual Conference & Exhibition

The CSA DBSG Annual Conference and Exhibition 2011 took place on the 7th and 8th of September at the Hilton Metropole in Birmingham. The event marked another successful conference for the trade body.

Dr Roger Lucas formally handed over the Presidency of the Credit Services Association to Sara de Tute at the CSA/DBSG Annual Conference. In his parting speech, Roger paid tribute to the continued hard work and commitment of the CSA Board, from which he is also retiring after more than 17 years’ service.

“Nearly everything the Association has focused on in the last two years has been towards improving the perception and reputation of our industry,” he says, “proving that high standards do exist, and where they don’t, helping to identify those areas of weakness and providing solutions where help is needed.”

Roger made particular reference to the launch of the Collector Accreditation Initiative (CAI) – an initiative he said was central to the CSA commitment to ‘building a stronger future.’

Also bowing out as Chairman of the Debt Buyers and Sellers Group (DBSG) was Leigh Berkley, who used the occasion to highlight the formal launch of the new Continuous Improvement Programme (CIP) – the flagship audit process for debt buyers: “CIP is the first comprehensive compliance standard for our industry,” he said. “It has already been welcomed by the OFT and is the cornerstone of our drive to inspire confidence from government, consumer groups and the media alike.”

The new Chairman of the DBSG is Zach Lewy of Arrow Global

Nigel Cates, deputy director of the OFT’s consumer credit group, confirmed that the long awaited Debt Guidance is shortly to be published, with a major focus on data accuracy and achieving the highest levels of compliance.

The emphasis of the new Guidance will also be around fairness and the responsibility of all parties, including third parties, he explained: “Third parties must be fit to hold a licence,” he said, giving a firm hint that if they were not, then the fitness of the instructing agency would also be called into question.

Speaking at the CSA/DBSG Conference he warned against agencies under investigation resorting to employing expensive solicitors and looking for loopholes, rather than engaging in an open dialogue with the OFT: “It is about trust and co-operation,” he said. He also allayed fears that the new document could be used by debtors as a debt avoidance tool: “The underlying message to the consumer is ‘pay your debts’,” he said.

He also praised the work of the credit industry, and the CSA particularly: “The CSA has been of huge benefit to its members and consumers,” he said, “and is one of the most professional trade associations we deal with. They understand the standards expected.”

Despite challenging market conditions, the credit industry is adapting to change, and demonstrating a more supportive approach to manage customer relationships as the number of consumers declaring themselves in financial difficulty rises.

Steven Preston of Deloittes, said that the rise in the number of third party interventions was evidence of a new, more supportive approach from agencies, increasingly providing discounts for early settlements and making better use of technology for low value balances and validating ‘affordability’:

“Agencies are using data effectively to manage their books more profitably,” he added, “and this will continue, especially as margins become tighter.”

Guest speaker John Pienaar, Chief Political Correspondent for the BBC, told the conference of a proposed celebrity boxing match where he was scheduled to meet the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, in the ring. Sadly the bout – and indeed the whole programme – was shelved, but not before he had spent several weeks training under the tutelage of the legendary Frank Maloney: “At the time I had the physique of a Greek God,” he said, “but as you can see I’ve made a complete recovery.”

John likened the boxing ring to the knockabout politics of Westminster: “Every day is a revelation,” he said, “to the point that we’ve become used to extraordinary events.” Bemoaning the apathy of the new generation of voters, he warned against the perils of cynicism: “The slide from skepticism to cynicism in the public mind is a concern,” he added. “Scepticism is healthy; cynicism is destructive.”

He also warned against the very real possibility that politics will ultimately be dominated by professional politicians: “Political intellectuals will one day run the country,” he concluded, “and the trouble with political intellectuals is that you can leave them in a room with a tea cosy and know that they will not want to try it on!”

To view the presentations from the Conference please log into the Members Only section of the website. If you are a non-member, please email katie.blundell@csa-uk.com for a copy of the slides.