Pub. 7 2012-2013 Issue 5

January | February 2013 25 Extraordinary Service for Extraordinary Members. • Banking & Finance • Municipal Law • Bankruptcy • Employment Law • Business & Commercial Law • Sanitary & Improvement Districts 2120 South 72nd Street, Suite 1200, Omaha, NE 68124 (P) 402.391.6777 (F) 402.390.9221 www.crokerlaw.com Croker,Huck,Kasher,DeWitt, Anderson & Gonderinger,L.L.C. AT T O R N E Y S AT L AW Providing quality legal services to businesses and individuals in such areas as: • Real Estate • Estate Planning • Probate • Taxation • Litigation • Tax Foreclosure Meeting a Higher Standard Nebraska collection agencies help banks positively impact state and local economies. Mark Stelk , President, General Collection Inc. A KEY MEASURE OF A BANK’S SUCCESS IS ITS ABILITY to positively impact the local economy. Working with a reputable local collection agency can help a bank add money back to its bottom line, which in turn can enhance the bank’s ability to expand its com- munity involvement. Likewise, the measure of a local collection agency’s suc- cess is based, in part, on its ability to give back to its com- munity. Nebraska-based collection agencies have made a definite, favorable impact upon economies statewide, according to a 2011 study conducted by Ernst & Young and published by the Nebraska Collectors Association. According to the survey, collection agencies in Nebraska recovered a gross amount of $447.3 million and created 1,283 direct jobs. The agencies also paid $7.3 million in state and local taxes, and donated $371,000 to their communities in charitable contributions. Regulations require banks to strive for a complaint-free environment, so it is essential for banks to choose wisely when it comes to hiring a collection agency. Making sure the agency’s customer service philosophy is the same as the bank’s will enhance the bank’s reputation. In addition to ensuring that the agency is fully bonded and insured, and recovers funds in a complaint-free envi- ronment, it is also important to ask for references and to check the agency’s background with the Nebraska Collec- tors Association. A top priority of the Nebraska Collectors Association is to make sure its 28 members treat their clients—and the people from whom they are trying to recover assets—with honesty and integrity, and to uphold the American Collectors Association’s Code of Ethics. By building positive relation- ships, recovery rates are more likely to increase, and your bank’s good reputation will be maintained. To learn more about the ways the Nebraska Collectors As- sociation promotes lawful and respectful consumer debt col- lection, visit ACA International at www.acainternational.org . Z Mark Stelk is president of General Collection Inc., a Nebraska-based collection agency with a 50-plus-year history of helping banks and other organizations recover funds in an ethical manner. Stelk has more than 20 years of banking and financial experience, with comprehensive insight into laws pertaining to the collection of bank-related debts. To learnmore, visit www.generalcollection.com or call 888-603-1423.