AFSA Extra Credit Podcast

In this episode of the AFSA Extra Credit Podcast we talk with Jonathon Levin, CEO of Turner Acceptance about what his company has done to maintain high quality customer service during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also shared some of the important lessons he's learned during his time as a leader in the consumer credit industry.

Jonathon also talks with us about the other hat he wears as Vice Chair of the AFSA Education Foundation and the important role that he believes financial education plays in the lives of consumers and the health of the consumer credit market broadly.

After our conversation with Jonathon, Rhonda Ashburn, Executive Director of AFSAEF joins us to talk about the growth the Foundation's personal finance program MoneySKILL has seen over the past year. We also chat about how you can donate to the AFSAEF – the end of the year is the perfect time!

If you've got questions or you'd like to suggest a guest, please shoot us an email at [email protected] or tweet at us.

In this episode of the AFSA Extra Credit Podcast, we talk with Danny Cantrell, CEO and Co-founder of Solutions by Text. Danny has played an integral role at AFSA and is a mainstay at AFSA conferences and events. His expertise and thoughtfulness have helped accentuate the important role that AFSA business partners play in the association.

We chat about how the COVID-19 pandemic has shaped the text notification business and the valuable role that AFSA members are playing in ensuring that consumers stay up to date. We also talk a bit about best practices for multichannel communication, the recent SBT Huddle Week, and we take a quick detour to talk about Danny's true passion: the Dallas Cowboys.

Danny Cantrell

Solutions by Text Huddle Week

In this episode of the AFSA Extra Credit Podcast we talk with Tom Hudgins, 2021 AFSA Chair and President & COO of Western Shamrock. Tom has been an integral part of AFSA leadership for many years and has served on many committees and working groups. His counsel and expertise have helped AFSA continue the important work of protecting access to consumer credit and choice.

In this episode, we chat with Tom about some of the things Western Shamrock has done in order to continue to support their customers and employees during these uncertain times. We also talk a bit about some of the things Tom has learned over his many years in the consumer credit industry and what he's looking to accomplish during his time as AFSA Chairman.

If you've got questions or you'd like to suggest a guest, please shoot us an email at [email protected] or tweet at us.

In this episode of the AFSA Extra Credit Podcast, we talk with Andrea Cottrell, Associate with Hudson Cook LLP. Andrea works with financial service providers on compliance with federal and state regulations and consumer protection laws, including those laws enforced by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, and other federal agencies. She regularly counsels clients on the manner in which they market to and communicate with consumers.

We talk specifically about advertising – what are some of the right things and wrong things to do when you're making your community aware that you're available to help? What compliance burdens should you be thinking about both for your business and with the vendors with which you work.

If you've got questions or you'd like to suggest a guest, please shoot us an email at [email protected] or tweet at us.

Speakers:

Andrea Cottrell, Associate | Hudson Cook, LLP 

In this episode of the AFSA Extra Credit Podcast we talk with Mike Kaplan, CRO with PayNearMe. 

PayNearMe is the industry's only platform that facilitates all payment types - debit, ACH and cash. With its great mobile experience, PayNearMe's technology provides a simple way for businesses to collect payments through an intuitive, consistent experience for their customers. Mike brings more than two decades of experience in mobile and payments technology to PNM. Prior to joining the company, Mike led teams at Good Technology, Motorola and most recently, Jasper Wireless—where he was responsible for strategic partnerships, solution engineering, and carrier integrations globally. 

In mid-May, PNM unveiled a study entitled Consumer Bill Pay Trends During COVID-19. PayNearMe analyzed hundreds of thousands of bill payments made by U.S. consumers between March 1 and April 17 to explore the impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having and may have over the long term. The insights are very interesting and some, surprising. 

Consumer Bill Pay Trends During COVID-19 by PayNearMe

In this episode of the AFSA Extra Credit Podcast we talk with Eric Johnson, Partner with Hudson Cook LLP. As the American economy reopens, businesses are looking for ways to remain accessible to their consumers while prioritizing their safety and comfort. Remote auto sales have been around an important part of the marketplace for many years, but have recently become more popular due to pandemic health and safety requirements. Eric works in many areas of consumer finance law and specializes in remote sales and compliance. 

In this episode of the AFSA Extra Credit Podcast we talk with  Danielle Fagre Arlowe, the head of AFSA's State Government Affairs team, about what AFSA's been doing on the state front to advocate for members and the variety of resources the group has developed. We also chat with Celia Winslow, who leads the association's federal government affairs department, about AFSA's advocacy activities during lockdown.

Visit afsaonline.org/coronavirus for more information. 

This is part two of our AFSA Extra Credit Podcast series covering the COVID-19 pandemic. In our first conversation we spoke with Jeremy Toms and Emily Schifter attornies with Troutman Sanders on the SBA PPP program as well as some important employee logistics issues.

In this conversation, we're speaking with David Anthony and Sadia Mirza, also with Troutman, on the overall impact of the virus, including debt collection, credit reporting and the TCPA, and also some cybersecurity aspects to think about.

Because of the complex nature of these topics, you'll notice the conversations are a bit longer as well. Be sure to check out AFSA's coronavirus resource page, the AFSA blog, and social media for the most up to date information.

If you've got questions or you'd like to suggest a guest, please shoot us an email at [email protected] or tweet at us.

David Anthony

Sadia Mirza

Troutman Sanders COVID-19 Page

First of all, on behalf of everyone at AFSA, I hope you are safe and healthy.

The next two episodes of the AFSA Extra Credit Podcast are a bit different. We'll be talking with attorneys from Troutman Sanders about the impact the coronavirus is having on the consumer credit industry. Throughout the conversation, our guests highlight some key aspects to think about. The first part features Jeremy Tomes and Emily Schifter. We talk about the SBA PPP program as well as some important employee logistics issues. Our second conversation, which we will post later this week, is with David Anthony and Sadia Mirza on the overall impact of the virus and some cybersecurity aspects to consider.

Because of the complex nature of these topics, you'll notice the conversations are a bit longer as well.

Emily Schifter

Jeremy Tomes

Troutman Sanders COVID-19 Page

In this episode of the AFSA Extra Credit Podcast, we're speaking with Dr. Barbara O'Neill, the owner and CEO of Money Talk, which offers financial literacy materials and seminars. She also serves as a consultant for the AFSA Education Foundation's MoneySKILL program. We talk a bit about the radio media tour Barbara undertook late last month in support of MoneySKILL and the value the program brings to students and other users across the country. We touch on the fundamentals the curriculum teaches and how those fundamentals are key to financially successful consumers.