Commercial Collection Agencies of America - Commercial Collection Agencies of America Gives Back

Several members

entering their 47th year of agency certification

Elevating the standards

of the commercial collection industry

The only

collection agency certifying body in which ALL members are certified

Commercial Collection Agencies of America Gives Back

Through its Commercial Collection Agencies of America Gives Back program, a portion of the proceeds of Commercial Collection Agencies of America's recently held semi-annual meeting in San Antonio will be given to The ALS Association, Greater Chicago Chapter.

Members of Commercial Collection Agencies of America have offered overwhelming support to this worthy initiative, enthusiastically suggesting charitable foundations for the association to benefit, in addition to donating personally and from their individual firms.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The disease affects thousands of people each year.

The mission of The ALS Association, Greater Chicago Chapter is to lead the fight to treat and cure ALS through global research and nationwide advocacy while also empowering people with Lou Gehrig’s Disease and their families to live fuller lives by providing them with compassionate care and support. All of the Chapter’s services are provided at no cost to the patient. For more information about the Chapter, visit webchicago.alsa.org.

"Commercial Collection Agencies Gives Back was uniquely created so we could reach out to organizations, such as ALS's Greater Chicago Chapter and we are thankful to our members who support the association and the initiative," commented Annette M. Waggoner, Executive Director. "Since its inception, Commercial Collection Agencies of America has been fortunate enough to also donate to other deserving charitable organizations such as The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Wounded Warrior Project."

The Independent Standards Board, which creates, renews, and amends the Association’s certification program, has added a new requirement to the certification program effective January 1, 2023.

Agencies certified by the Association were required to adopt a written information security policy as of the beginning of the year. The Data Security Standard, put forth by the board, comprehensively enumerates eleven (11) areas of compliance and was introduced early in 2022 to allow agency members time to prepare for the adoption and implementation.

Each agency member meets the certification requirements annually to earn and maintain a Certificate of Accreditation and Compliance. The program, considered the platinum standard in the industry, is comprised of the most rigorous requirements across a number of planes. Although most of the certified agencies of CCA of A already had such a policy in place, the independent board recognized the importance codifying the requirement of securing data held within an agency and formalized it in the already unparalleled program offered by CCA of A.

“The work of the Standards Board is aimed at ensuring that the CCA of A certification program continues to be the platinum standard. The addition of the Data Security Standard requiring adherence to a written information security policy incorporating best practices further enhances the quality certification program upon which the credit community has come to rely,” commented Standards Board Chair, Christine Hayes Hickey.