Collections is often discussed from the consumer angle. In this episode, Will Black goes inside the collector side of the business with John Bedard (Bedard Law Group), who advises debt collectors, debt buyers, and creditors on compliance, regulation, and litigation risk.

We cover what “reg-lite” can mean in practice, how state and local requirements continue to shape day-to-day collections strategy, and why navigating federal, state, and even municipal rules is a core operating competency in 2026.

We also dig into:

• How serious operators build and maintain compliance management systems

• What AI changes in collections, including the idea of software as the “near-perfect collector” when trained to stay inside jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction guardrails

• Credit reporting and medical debt, including the state-level push to restrict reporting and the legal uncertainty that follows

#consumercredit #collections #compliance