A recent study conducted sponsored by a major credit repair firm and conducted by Harris Poll asked specific questions related to what people understand about credit scoring, how they are arrived at, and the information that is taken into consideration to determine them.

The study revealed some surprising information.  Eventhough credit scores affect Americans in many important ways including the price they pay for credit and insurance many people are mis-informed about the entire process.  This is shocking as your credit score can not only affect your ability to get credit but also impact on your ability to obtain employment.

In my journeys through the community association world I go to a lot of conferences, seminars, board meetings and read hundreds of articles about how to best manage and govern a community association.  It has almost become a cliché that communication is the most important aspect in managing an association.  While I don’t disagree, I also believe that information and facts are just as important and it is a commodity that is sorely lacking. Plainly stated Solid Information Is Critical

Dear Collections Guy:

After four years a bank has foreclosed on a unit in our association that has not paid maintenance fees all that time.  We thought that when the bank took title the situation would improve, but now we see that the bank is not paying the dues, what can be done?

Signed,

Frustrated in Florida

By Mitch Drimmer, VP Association Financial Services

Community associations are faced with having to deal with collecting delinquent assessments in good times and bad. If a community association were to advertise for a collections company this is how it may appear.

HELP WANTED FOR COLLECTIONS

The board of directors of our community association is looking for a collections solution that will not only help us recover our delinquent assessments, but will not cost us five dollars to collect one dollar. We have been working with our community association attorneys, and although they know the community association business well, they are not effective with their collections efforts. We need more than an attorney placing a lien and then maybe foreclosing on said lien. We need action and we need it now because our collections are costing us an arm and a leg, and we are not seeing any return on our investment with our current solution.