Click Here to Close this Form.

The Company Details form stores name and address information about your company. This can be printed on reports and letters and is used in credit bureau reporting. Some Client Settings values are set up automatically for you based on information you enter in the additional fields on this form.

Company Details

The Company Details form is a very convenient way to store and access your company information. Any field of the Company Details form can be pulled into a report or letter from anywhere in the system because all the Company Detail information is loaded into memory when you sign into Collect! Name, Address and Phone lines are used for credit bureau reporting. You can run multiple companies by logging into different databases. Each database stores its own company details.

Name

Enter the name of your company as you would like it to appear on reports and letters. If you are using the credit reporting module, please enter your company's name as you would like it to appear in credit bureau Metro2 output file header records.

Address

Enter your Street Address. There are three address lines on this screen. The information you enter in these lines can be pulled into reports and letters. The information in these three lines is also included in header record of your credit bureau Metro2 output files.

The format with which you enter your information is up to each agency. However, we recommend using Postal Addressing Standards that are applicable to your country. These are generally available by looking up the website of the postal service for your region.

Example:

Name - Your Company Name Goes Here
Address - Your Company Address
Address 2 - Company Addr2
Address 3 - Company Addr3, or Website Address
Representative - Default Report Name or Leave Blank
City - Your Company City
State - Your 2 Position State/Province Code
Zip - Your Zip/Postal Code
Country - Choose From Pick List or Leave Blank
Email - Any Company Email Address or Leave Blank

Address 2

This address field can hold your second address line or other information you may wish to store for later use/output to reports or letters.

Address 3

This address field can hold your third address line or other information you may wish to store for later use/output to reports letters.

Representative

Optional. Enter the name of your company representative. This may be the Owner or President's name. Some of the sample letters and reports have this field built in as a placeholder, but these can also be removed or commented out of the report by placing two slashes in front of the printable field code: i.e //@cd.re<

State

Enter your agency's State Code.

ZIP

Enter your agency's ZIP/Postal Code.

Country

Optional. Use the drop-down arrow pick list to select your Country OR leave blank if you do not wish to see this field expressed in reports/letters.

Email

Optional. This field is used to enter your agency's central email address or the email address of your main representative.

Website

Optional. This field is used to enter your agency's website address.

Phone

Enter your main office Phone number. This Phone number field is pulled into many of the sample reports and letters.

Decide on a phone format for your company. Such as, with hyphens or with parenthesis around area codes or all numerics/no spaces. You will find establishing a phone format convention will ease all lookups by phone in your system. Lookups read the field exactly as entered.

Some format examples:

123-456-7890
123.456.7890
(123)456-7890
18004567890
1234567890

You can switch ON 'Only numerics in phone fields' "System\Preferences\Options, Sounds and Colors\Screen and Messages" so that the system will disallow non-numeric data in your phone fields.

If you use the Credit Bureau module, the Phone number is required and is output to the header record of the Metro2 formatted text file when created. The Credit Bureau module will strip out any non-numeric data automatically and will use a maximum of 10 digits in compliance with the Metro2 File Format specifications.

Phone Ext

Optional. This field can be used to enter an extension for the Phone field, left blank or re-purposed for user-defined storage of other data.

Fax

This Fax number field is pulled into many of the sample reports and letters.

Decide on a phone format for your company. Such as, with hyphens or with parenthesis around area codes or all numerics/no spaces. You will find establishing a phone format convention will ease all look ups by phone in your system. Look ups read the field exactly as entered.

Some format examples:

123-456-7890
123.456.7890
(123)456-7890
18004567890
1234567890

You can switch ON 'Only numerics in phone fields' "System\Preferences\Options, Sounds and Colors\Screen and Messages" so that the system will disallow non-numeric data in your phone fields.

Fax Ext

Optional. This field can be used to enter an extension for the Fax field, left blank or re-purposed for user-defined storage of other data.

Cell

Optional. The Cell number is another phone number for your company. It is not included in default shipping sample reports/letters.

Decide on a phone format for your company. Such as, with hyphens or with parenthesis around area codes or all numerics/no spaces. You will find establishing a phone format convention will ease all look ups by phone in your system. Look ups read the field exactly as entered.

Some format examples:

123-456-7890
123.456.7890
(123)456-7890
18004567890
1234567890

You can switch ON 'Only numerics in phone fields' "System\Preferences\Options, Sounds and Colors\Screen and Messages" so that the system will disallow non-numeric data in your phone fields.

Cell Ext

Optional. This field can be used to enter an extension for the Fax field, left blank or re-purposed for user-defined storage of other data.

Detail

Press F1 for help with Detail Tab system switch settings and fields which will define key software behaviors by setting your cursor into any of the displayed items for selection.

Commission

If all your clients use the same Commission Rates, you may set a global system default that will be applied to all clients in the Commission Tab. Press F1 for detailed help from any field in this tab.

Tax

If all your clients are subject to the same rate of Tax on your collection services, you may set a global system default that will be applied to all clients in the Tax Tab. Press F1 for detailed help from any field in this tab.

Tax Rate

Enter the tax rate, if applicable. This rate will be entered automatically in the client settings for every new client that you enter in your system.

If your agency services multiple regions with different taxation percentages, do NOT enter data in this tab on the Company Details. Instead, fill out the Tax tab on a per client basis to ensure the correct rate is passed from the Advanced Client Settings to the debtor accounts as you enter them.

Tax Rate is a percentage field: i.e. if the rate is 7%, you would enter 7.0. Tax is calculated on the commissions that you earn, not on the total amount you recover.

If you are in a region that has two types of tax, such as Canada, enter the sum total percentage tax which you are required to charge into the Rate 1 field.

The Tax Rate field holds up to 6 digits (or 5 digits and a period, e.g. 7.4563) and is referenced in reports by using the Printable Field Code @cd.tr

The system provides a field to enter a Taxation # that is alpha numeric, allowing you input a brief descriptor as well: (EX:GST# 1050505050505).

Leave the Tax tab blank if you do not charge tax OR if you have specific rates that are input into Client Tax Tabs on a per client basis.

Don't Calculate Tax

Switch this ON if you do not calculate tax.

OK

Click this button to save your changes and return you to the previous screen.

Cancel

Click this button to ignore any changes made and return to the previous screen.

Help

Click this button for help on the Company Details window and links to related topics.

Click Here to Close this Form.

You can send credit reports to major credit reporting agencies using the Metro2 (426 character format) standard. Each reporting bureau requires specific ID codes to identify your company. This may be referred to as your "Subscriber" number with the bureau you report to and it should be confirmed with your bureau representative whether they wish you to place this into the 'Credit Grantor' or 'Identification #' fields in the setup screen. Both write to different positions in the header record of the Metro2 file. The bureaus' ability to correctly identify your company will determine if your reporting files are accepted or rejected. Please discuss the requirements with your credit reporting agency.

Credit Bureau Setup

Once you start reporting to the credit bureaus, the Debtor's file number must not change while the account is being reported on. Click here for more information.

WARNING: Reporting credit is a legal matter. You are responsible for ensuring that the information you are sending is accurate and complete. Do not report credit without being ABSOLUTELY SURE about your legal rights and the legal rights of the person or entity you are reporting.

Credit Reporting Agencies

Collect! provides for reporting to the three major credit reporting agencies:

• Trans Union
• Experian
• Equifax

The Metro2 is a standard format. The bureaus above simply read their identification information from the header record. If you have another bureau, such as a country outside North America, and they support the Metro2 format, you can still use this module to report to them.

Reporting Credit With Collect!

There are 3 phases in Credit Reporting in Collect!:

1. Setups
   • Global settings from the \Preferences\Credit Bureau Reporting, generally done once and not updated again
   • Advanced Client Settings, on a per client basis
2. Initialization of NEW accounts to report OR modification of bureau 'condition' or 'status' on per account and batch of accounts levels for accounts already reporting
3. Creation of the Metro2 text file to send to your bureau(s).

Reporting companies are responsible for deleting accounts which have exceeding the allowable reporting period. To this end, we provide a report called the 7 Yr Age Out List, with instructions for use that should be part of every reporting company's Phase 3 process on a regular basis.

From the point that you have setup your credit bureau reporting correctly, Collect! will take care of the accounts automatically thereafter:

• If you have the Report all accounts switch ON, it will report the account each time you run a CBR process to output the Metro2 file, and continue to report until such time as you officially send a Delete Metro (DA) on the account, which will terminate further reporting.
• If you have the Report all accounts switch OFF, after reporting the account the first time, it will only report again if there has been a change to the account details or balance. You are required to be compliant with legislation and regulations in your region. Effective 09/01/2016, it became required for USA companies to report all accounts (full file) each time they furnish a credit reporting file.
• Automatically updates the bureau status to PIF (AS62) if the balance owing becomes $0.00

If you are a credit reporting company, UNLESS an adjustment to make the balance owing zero is intended to reflect a PIF reporting to the bureau, you should not adjust balances owing to zero prior to closing an account in Collect!.

Default Values

It is important to fill in all fields for the credit bureau(s) of your choice in the Credit Bureau Setup form. USE THE DEFAULT VALUES listed below, if you have not been supplied an actual value from your credit bureau.

Control Number

The Program Identifier or Control Number contains a unique identification number assigned to you by the credit reporting agency.

Unless otherwise specified, fill this field with 00001. (Alpha-numeric, length 5)

Uc

TRANS UNION PROGRAM IDENTIFIER

This is a unique number assigned to you by the credit reporting agency.

Unless otherwise specified, fill this field with 00001. (Alpha-numeric, length 5)

Wco

EXPERIAN PROGRAM IDENTIFIER

This is a unique number assigned to you by the credit reporting agency.

Unless otherwise specified, fill this field with 00001. (Alpha-numeric, length 5)

Xco

EQUIFAX PROGRAM IDENTIFIER

This is a unique number assigned to you by the credit reporting agency.

Unless otherwise specified, fill this field with 00001. (Alpha-numeric, length 5)

Credit Grantor

This is called the Subscriber Code in Trans Union terminology. (Alpha numeric, length 10)

This is called the Subscriber Code in Experian terminology. (Alpha numeric, length 10)

This is called the Membership Number in Equifax terminology. For Equifax subscribers, enter the 10 character ID code provided by Equifax here. (Alpha numeric, length 10)

Your unique subscriber codes will be placed at the top of the file that Collect! creates for you to send to the credit bureau.

If reporting to Equifax and/or Trans Union, place the Subscriber ID they give you into the Credit Grantor field.

Ug

TRANS UNION CREDIT GRANTOR

This is called the Subscriber Code in Trans Union terminology. (Alpha numeric, length 10)

Wg

EXPERIAN CREDIT GRANTOR

This is called the Subscriber Code in Experian terminology. (Alpha numeric, length 10)

Xg

EQUIFAX CREDIT GRANTOR

This is called the Membership Number in Equifax terminology. For Equifax subscribers, enter the 10 character ID code provided by Equifax here. (Alpha numeric, length 10)

Center Code

The Computer Center Code uniquely identifies which data processing center generated the tape.

Unless otherwise specified fill with 001. (Alpha numeric, length 3)

Uce

TRANS UNION COMPUTER CENTER CODE

The Computer Center Code uniquely identifies which data processing center generated the tape.

Unless otherwise specified fill with 001. (Alpha numeric, length 3)

Wce

EXPERIAN COMPUTER CENTER CODE

The Computer Center Code uniquely identifies which data processing center generated the tape.

Unless otherwise specified fill with 001. (Alpha numeric, length 3)

Xce

EQUIFAX COMPUTER CENTER CODE

The Computer Center Code uniquely identifies which data processing center generated the tape.

Unless otherwise specified fill with 001. (Alpha numeric, length 3)

Area Code

The Area Code is used only if the data processing center produces files for more than one location. It contains an identity code, which should be developed by the subscribe for the location whose data is being reported.

Unless otherwise specified fill with 001. (Alpha numeric, length 3)

Ua

TRANS UNION AREA CODE

The Area Code is used only if the data processing center produces files for more than one location. It contains an identity code, which should be developed by the subscribe for the location whose data is being reported.

Unless otherwise specified fill with 001. (Alpha numeric, length 3)

Wa

EXPERIAN AREA CODE

The Area Code is used only if the data processing center produces files for more than one location. It contains an identity code, which should be developed by the subscribe for the location whose data is being reported.

Unless otherwise specified fill with 001. (Alpha numeric, length 3)

Xa

EQUIFAX AREA CODE

The Area Code is used only if the data processing center produces files for more than one location. It contains an identity code, which should be developed by the subscribe for the location whose data is being reported.

Unless otherwise specified fill with 001. (Alpha numeric, length 3)

Identification #

The Identification Number is used to uniquely identify a credit grantor. Report your internal code to identify each branch, office and/or credit center where information is verified. This number must be unique and at least five digits long. Note that the entire field should never be zero, blank or 9 filled. This field must be consistent on a month to month basis. Notify your credit bureau representative before changing this code.

Unless otherwise specified fill with 0000001. (Alpha numeric, length 7)

UID

TRANS UNION IDENTIFICATION/VENDOR #

The Identification Number is used to uniquely identify a credit grantor. Press F1 for details.

Unless otherwise specified fill with 0000001. (Alpha numeric, length 10)

Wid

EXPERIAN IDENTIFICATION/VENDOR #

The Identification Number is used to uniquely identify a credit grantor. Press F1 for details.

Unless otherwise specified fill with 0000001. (Alpha numeric, length 10)

Xid

EQUIFAX IDENTIFICATION/VENDOR #

The Identification Number is used to uniquely identify a credit grantor. Press F1 for details.

Unless otherwise specified fill with 0000001. (Alpha numeric, length 10)

Days From Validation Sent

This is the number of days after the Model Validation notice has been sent when a Debtor can be reported to the Credit Bureau. When the Model Validation is Printed, Emailed, or Texted, that date plus this value is used to determine when reporting will start.

If a letter is returned, then unchecking the Debtor's Address OK box will disable reporting, ONLY IF the Debtor has not already been reported. Once a Debtor has been reported, reporting will continue, regardless of address status.

If you have a longer delay specified in the Delay Report field below or on the Client Settings, then that date will still take precedence on the delay. For example, if you have a delay of 14 days for the Model Validation and a delay of 180 days for Medical debt, then the first report will be after 180 days.

Report

This is the name of the summary report listing all Debtors sent to the credit bureaus. The default report lists Debtor name, principal, owing etc. You can edit the report to suit your needs.

This is strictly for internal informational purposes and is not necessary to generate. It is equally simple to open the actual Metro2 output file in a pure text reader such as Notepad and view your file contents if you wish to see how many accounts you are reporting.

TU.001, EFX.001, EXP.001 text files that you remit to the bureaus should NOT be opened in any word processing program (including Wordpad) as these will change the pure text format, making the files unreadable by the bureaus. Notepad / Notepad++, and UltraEdit are 2 common pure text editors that are fine for the purpose of opening/viewing credit reporting files before you deliver them to the bureaus.

Optional SSN And Date Of Birth

Switch ON 'Optional SSN and Date of Birth' to prevent Collect! from checking the debtor for a valid SSN or DOB when reporting to the bureau. When checked, Collect! will NOT stop accounts that are missing an SSN and also missing a DOB from being reported.

WARNING: As of 2017, US Credit Bureaus require that any accounts being submitted must have either an SSN or DOB. If you are in the US, do not enable this option. This option is for non-US customers where the SSN and DOB are not a requirement.

Report AS Credit Grantor

This switch is connected to a field in the Company Details window, labeled Credit grantor. Checking this switch ON (or OFF) in either window will perform the same step in both locations (checking or unchecking the box). Whether this switch is ON/OFF in both places has an effect on where information is sourced from on the Debtor accounts when fields are being written into the Metro2 text file.

Only companies who are 1st party credit grantors should check this switch. Collection Agencies and Attorney Offices should not check this box ON from either Company Details or Credit Bureau Setup screens.

When this switch is turned ON, the Delinquency Date is used to report the Date of Occurrence for all bureau status codes except 4, 10, 13 and 61 to 68. In those cases, the date the Contact was scheduled is sent as the date of Occurrence. See your Metro2 handbooks from your credit bureaus for more information regarding bureau status codes.

When the this switch OFF, the Date of Occurrence is always taken from the Delinquency Date.

Report By Industry

The default setting is Collection Agency/Attorney. 1st party credit grantors are the only companies that should modify this setting, and in so doing, choose the Industry type available that most closely reflects the nature of their business. The pick list may NOT be modified with any custom insertions as these values are hard-coded 'as is' by the Metro2 layout acceptable to the bureaus

Enter the Industry Code you wish to include in this report. Only Debtors with this setting in the Credit Report Details Reporting Industry field will be processed for reporting.

This enables you to keep all your Collections accounts together in one report and all your Mortgage Loan accounts in a different report, for instance.

Please refer to How To Setup Credit Bureau Reporting for more details.

Valid Industry Codes are:

0 - Check Credit
1 - Collection Agency
2 - Credit Card
3 - Credit Union
4 - Debt Counselor
5 - Educational
6 - Family Support
7 - Government Agency
8 - Installment Loan
9 - Loan Finance
A - Mortgage Loan
B - Retail
C - Sales Finance
D - Savings And Loans
E - Service And Professionals

Delay Report

Check this box ON to cause Metro Contact Event Due Dates to be Delayed by a fixed number of days from the current date. The field to enter the number of days to be added to the current date (i.e. 30 days, 45 days) will appear only when the switch to Delay report has been checked.

Some of our USA collection agencies often utilize this feature to encompass the FDCPA validation/dispute period, only after which they will commence credit reporting. Other Collect! users find that this feature allows them to be compliant with specific client directives, where they are bound by contractual agreement with the creditor not to report the accounts for 'x' days from listing.

This switch controls whether an account is eligible to be reported effective the day it is initialized/turned ON for reporting,

OR

should be put off for a prescribed number of days from the date it is turned it ON. This is a global setting that will apply to ALL accounts initialized UNLESS there is a different number of Delay Days selected on a per client basis: the Delay Days in Advanced Client Settings overrides the global setting.

The Advanced Client Settings override is in place as well to allow companies to be compliant with upcoming credit reporting requirements for Medical accounts in effect as of 09/15/2017.

To cause Metro Contact Event Due Dates to reflect the current date when you turn ON Debtor accounts for CBR reporting, do NOT the check Delay report switch.

Delay Days

This field is only displayed when you have checked Delay report ON and is where you input the number of days you want to wait before the account is eligible to be reported.

For example, if today's date is 01/01/2018 and your Delay days is set to 30, when you turn a debtor ON for CBR reporting, the Due Date on the Metro Contact event will be 01/31/2018.

If a client has a separate Delay days set to 60 when the global setting is 30, then turning a debtor ON for CBR reporting under that client on 01/01/2018 would result in that account's Metro Contact having a Due Date of 03/02/2018.

Inhibit Phone Numbers

Switch ON 'Inhibit phone numbers' to prevent Collect! from sending phone numbers to the credit bureau. The output file will contain all zeroes in the phone number position. This ensures debtor privacy if you have unlisted phone numbers in your database. This is a global setting, it cannot be set on an individual account basis.

Report All Accounts

When this is switched ON with a check mark, Collect! will report all debtors in your database that have been setup for credit bureau reporting. With this box unchecks, Collect! will only report accounts that have been changed.

This box is on by default to comply with the 2016 USA reporting requirements change requiring all accounts to be included in a credit report.

Disable Contact Control Notes

Switch this ON to disable the note lines that are written for accounts that are skipped when exporting due to the account failing to qualify for reporting due to a Contact Control rule.

The account will still appear in the CBR Log so you can review before submitting to the bureaus. Accounts that are skipped are usually due to the Model Validation notice not being sent out. If you have not defined a Model Validation notice, then your accounts will be reported normally.

Backup Log File

When this is switched ON with a check mark, Collect! will make a copy of the cbrlog.txt into the cbr\backup folder after the CBR process is complete. The name of the file will be formatted as yyyymmdd_cbrlog.txt.

When this switch is ON, you will not be prompted to clear the log file after reviewing it.

Report Charged Date

This switch is intended for credit grantors ONLY who have also turned ON the Credit grantor switch in Company Details / Credit Bureau Reporting Setups.

Check this ON to report the account's Charged Date as the debtor's Date Opened, instead of the Listed Date.

Even if checked ON, this switch will not function if the company is a 3rd party collection agency / attorney's office, which is not identified in setups as being a credit grantor.

If you do not enter a Delinquency Date, Collect! automatically uses the Charged Date for credit bureau reporting. Also Collect! automatically reports the Charged Date when you are reporting NSF checks. You do not need to switch on 'Report Charged Date'.

No Posted Date Mods Delinquency

When this is switched ON, Collect! uses the Payment Date of the promise transaction as the Delinquency Date rather than allowing the default 30 day delay in determining delinquency.

This is used only in Credit Grantor mode.

Report Client Account Number

By default, Collect! uses the Debtor File Number as the ID for credit bureau reporting. It is recommended that you leave Report Client Account Number switched OFF and let Collect! report using the Debtor File Number, unless you are sure you need to do otherwise.

It is necessary to make a global decision for the company: will you report accounts by your Client's Account Number (Acct on the Debtor screen) or by your Office's File Number on the Debtor screen. Once this decision is made and you begin reporting, you cannot change this setting again.

Check Report client account number ON if you will use the client's account number,

OR

do NOT check this switch if you will report by the debtors' file numbers as assigned by Collect! when entered into your system. Reporting by File number is the more popular selection as some creditors do not provide an account number and the bureaus reject debts reported without a reference number associated with the debt.

WARNING: Reporting accounts by one setting, i.e. client's account number followed by a change (perhaps accidental) to report with your company's file number will result in the same account appearing twice on a debtor's credit report as though they were different accounts completely; the bureaus cannot differentiate when the debt is reported with different 'account numbers' insofar as Metro2 layout is concerned. This creates a serious situation between your company and the bureaus that requires drastic steps to resolve.

To avoid the possibility of the above occurrence, this switch will become Read Only for all User Levels after you have run your first report. Even where the switch is being left unchecked in the OFF position, meaning you are reporting by File number, it will still make the field Read Only so a user doesn't inadvertently turn it ON at some future point in time.

Report Owing In Past Due

Switch this ON with a check mark to report the Debtor's Owing in the Past Due position of the CBR file. Normally, this field is zero filled if you are not a credit grantor, but you can use this switch to fill it with the Owing.

New Bus - Ignore Reporting Owing

If this field is checked, then debtors being reported for the first time will not be enabled if their owing is less than the value in the LESS THAN field.

Less Than

This field is used by the NEW BUS - IGNORE REPORTING OWING field above. If the above field is checked, then debtors being reported for the first time will not be enabled if their owing is less than the value in this field.

Auto Activate New Accounts

Switch this ON with a check mark to automatically enable an account for reporting to the credit bureaus. This feature works on manually created accounts and imported accounts. This feature only works if the Client is setup to report to the bureaus in the Client Settings.

Exclude Log Warnings

Switch this ON with a check mark to exclude any Info and Warning messages from the CBR log where the accounts were still sent.

Force Age Out

If populated, the System will automatically stop reporting accounts to the credit bureau after the specified time.

Enter a value, in YEARS, into this field.

The date that the system uses to calculate the period is the same date that is put into the Base Segment in Position 25.

For non-Credit Grantors, it will be the Delinquency Date. If that is not populated, then it will be the Charged Date.

For Credit Grantors, it will always be the Delinquency Date.

Help

Press this button for help on the Credit Bureau Setup form and links to related topics.

Defaults

When reporting a Debtor to the Credit Bureaus, there are certain settings that need to be reported to the bureaus.

Select this button to display the Credit Report Preferences form where you can choose default credit reporting settings. When you flag a Debtor to be reported to the Credit Bureau, these default settings will automatically apply to the Debtor.

You can override these defaults on an individual Debtor level through the Credit Report Details dialog. To access this dialog, select the CBR tab on the Debtor form.

Cancel

Selecting this button will ignore any changes you have made and return you to the previous form.

OK

Selecting this button will save any changes you may have made and return you to the previous form.

Click Here to Close this Form.

Credit Report Preferences are used as default values when you report Debtors to the bureau.

These default settings are used for every account you switch ON for reporting. They can be changed globally or on a per debtor basis. When you select an item from the pick list, the corresponding code will be set in the Debtor's Credit Report Details.

Credit Report Preferences

The pick lists on the fields are interdependent. You will notice that the available choices change depending on what you have selected for other fields.

Default values from the Metro2 Standard are provided for normal collection and credit management reporting. Please refer to your Metro2 Manual for help selecting from the pick lists. If you are not sure which default values you should use, please discuss with your credit bureau representative.

WARNING: Reporting credit is a legal matter. You are responsible for ensuring that the information you are sending is accurate and complete. Do not report credit without being ABSOLUTELY SURE about your legal rights and the legal rights of the person or entity you are reporting.

The Credit Report Preferences form is accessed by selecting the DEFAULTS button on the Credit Bureau Setup form.

Industry

This field contains the industry type that classifies the reporting agency. Common examples of Industry are "Collection Agency" and "Mortgage Loan."

Valid Industry Codes are:

0 - Check Credit
1 - Collection Agency
2 - Credit Card
3 - Credit Union
4 - Debt Counselor
5 - Educational
6 - Family Support
7 - Government Agency
8 - Installment Loan
9 - Loan Finance
A - Mortgage Loan
B - Retail
C - Sales Finance
D - Savings And Loans
E - Service And Professionals

This is the field that holds the value Collect! uses if you want to "Report by Industry" as described in Credit Bureau Setup.

Account Type

This field contains the account type code that identifies the account classification. You will notice that the choices depend on what you have selected as the "Industry" in the previous field.

Status Code

This field contains the status code that properly identifies the current condition of the account. Available Status Codes change depending on the "Account Type." For instance, a "Collection Agency/Attorney" reports statuses such as "Seriously past due" and "Paid in Full." While an accounts such as "Real Estate Mortgage" reports statuses like "Current" or "150 days past due."

Collection Agencies will predominantly be reporting in bulk as "Seriously past due and/or in collections" unless they are specifically running a batch of Deletes, or adjusting their reporting with a Special Comment like Dispute (XB in the METRO2 file).

Collect! Debtor status codes and bureau status codes are not in any way connected or interdependent. A change in a Collect! debtor Status Code field has NO CHANGE on a debtor's credit reporting file scheduled for the next reporting date.

Payment Rating

This field contains settings for specifying whether or not an account is Current or Past Due. It is only visible for certain Status Codes that Collect! does not handle automatically. Please refer to How to Setup Credit Bureau Reporting for details.

Portfolio Type

This field contains the type of the debt. The pick list offers choices for common credit and loan types. Examples of Portfolio Type are "Open Account" and "Line of Credit."

Comments

This field is used in conjunction with the Account Status to further define the account. Special comment codes, when found, will however take precedence over the value in Account Status.

Association

This is used to designate an account in compliance with the ECOA. This setting can be changed for an individual Debtor through the Credit Report Details form accessed from the Debtor form.

Condition Code

This field allows for reporting of a condition that is required for legal compliance; e.g., according to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

Country Code

This is the country that the Debtor lives in.

The list of default country codes provided by Collect! shows only a few of the most used country codes. Please refer to your Metro2 Manual if you need to use a different code.

Default Info Ind

This field provides for entering a value indicating a bankruptcy condition that applies to the Debtor cosigner.

Delay Before 1St Report

Switch this On to Delay before the first Credit Report. Enter the number of days to delay in the Delay Days field.

This switch is used in conjunction with the Credit Report Details form accessed from the Debtor form. When you switch ON "Report to credit bureau" in the Credit Report Details form, the "Start reporting" date will be calculated according the defaults you set here. You can override these by choosing a new "Start reporting" date in the Credit Report Details form for a particular Debtor.

Delay Days

Enter the number of days that you wish to delay before reporting a new Debtor or an existing Debtor that you choose to report to credit bureaus. The number you enter here will be calculated into the "Start reporting" date in the Credit Report Details form accessed from the Debtor form.

Cosigner

This field is used to determine if the Debtor has a cosigner to be reported on. ECOA choices and details are filled in on the Debtor Cosigner form. Select the Cosigners tab in the Debtor form to access Cosigner information for the Debtor. Press F1 when the Debtor Cosigner form is displayed. The Help topic contains valuable information about credit bureau reporting formats for each field.

Help

Press this button for help on the Credit Report Preferences form and links to related topics.

Cancel

Selecting this button will ignore any changes you have made and return you to the previous form.

OK

Selecting this button will save any changes you may have made and return you to the previous form.

Click Here to Close this Form.

The Debtor form stores all information that you need to work and manage your accounts. Personal, financial and in-house management information is displayed on the form. Tabs enable you to open sub-forms to access various types of related information, such as contacts scheduled for the debtor, financial transactions posted, bank information and other debtor details, cosigners and attachments. When you select financial fields on the Debtor form, additional financial details are displayed in summary screens.

Debtor

Collect! uses the information entered in the Debtor form to:

• Help you manage your collectors' workloads
• Perform financial calculations
• Print a broad array of reports
• Keep track of all activity on each account

Information on the Debtor form can be loaded automatically for each new Debtor that you create. This speeds up data entry and minimizes errors. First, the settings and details are entered into the other areas of Collect!. Then they are readily available when each new Debtor is entered.

Name

The Name of the debtor entered as 'Last, First / Middle initial'. Please ensure your spelling is correct. This field is INDEXED.

If you type a comma in the name, Collect! will split first and last names automatically and put the result into the Contact field below. For example, JONES, SAM = Sam Jones. If you do not place a comma between the last and first name, Collect! will assume the name is a business name.

FOR CBR: Hyphenate multiple last names, e.g. 'Van-Deusen, Jack'.

FOR CBR: Please put ONE Debtor name ONLY in this field. If you have a Cosigner, use the Cosigner form.

FOR CBR: Don't include Generation titles in the name here. Use the Generation field.

FOR CBR: When reporting Commercial accounts, Collect! can detect a business name as long as there is no comma in the Name. If there are commas in the business name, please ensure that you switch ON "Business/Commercial" in the ECOA designation when setting up this account for reporting.

Legal Entity

Press F2 or select the arrow to pick the Legal Entity title of the Debtor. For example, Jr, Sr, II, III, Ltd. or Inc. This field is optional.

FOR CBR: If there is a Legal Entity title for this Debtor, it MUST go here, NOT in the Name field.

File

The File Number of this account is automatically created by Collect!. It looks at the highest numbered debtor and adds 1 for numbering a new debtor. File Number is a UNIQUE identifier for each account, up to 9 digits in length. You must not have duplicate File Numbers in your database.

Collect! uses this File Number for several functions, such as storing Attachment and Data records attached to the account. It is also sent as the UNIQUE identifier when processing accounts for credit bureaus, letter service and 3rd party data exchanges.

This field is INDEXED.

FOR CBR: The File Number must not change while the account is being reported.

Collect! does allow you to modify the File Number, if needed. Remember that you can use up to 9 digits here. Each account must have a UNIQUE File Number.

Contact

This is the name of the Contact person at the address or phone number. This field is INDEXED. Unless you enter a different name manually, Collect! uses the information in the Debtor Name field to construct the Contact name.

Generation

Press F2 or select the arrow to pick the Generation of the contact person. (Jr, Sr, II, III etc.) This field is optional.

Address

This is the Address of the debtor, if it is known. Two lines are available. If you enter text into the first line, the Print switch (Address OK) will be set automatically. This will enable printing notices to this debtor using contact plans and action codes. When you change an existing debtor Address line, the old address line will be written automatically to the debtor's Notes.

*** IMPORTANT *** If you ever intend to report to Credit Bureaus, you must use one of the following address formats or an error will result.

FOR CBR: There are two acceptable formats:

Format 1:

Address = street address, suite or apartment number Addr1 = blank City = city State = state Zip = zip Country = country code

Format 2:

Address = street address Addr1 = suite or apartment number City = city State = state Zip = zip Country = country code

Street Number

Optionally, you can enter the Street Number here. This provides a means of searching and/or filtering by street name. This field is optional.

FOR CBR: Do not use this field if you intend to report to the credit bureaus.

Addr 1

This is another Address line for the debtor. Use this line to enter Suite or Apartment number if you intend to report to credit bureaus.

If you have a data file that you want to import that combines city, state, and zip into one field or string (Example: Los Angeles CA 90210), you can import it into the Addr 1 field and the import module will separate the string into the applicable city, state, and zip fields. In order for this to work, the city, state, and zip fields can not have any existing data in the fields.

Street Type

Optionally, you can enter the Street Type here. This field is a numeric field.

You can add a pick list to this field for your own needs.

FOR CBR: The information in this field is not sent to credit bureaus.

Address OK

The Print Notice (Address OK) switch controls whether or not letters are printed to this debtor. If the box contains a check mark, letters will be printed. If it is blank, letters will NOT be printed for the debtor. Only set this switch to print (by clicking into the box to create a check mark), if you have a valid address to send notices and letters to. Collect! checks the first line of the address. If it finds an address, it will turn this switch ON automatically by entering a check mark in it.

FOR CBR: Entering the correct address status is important if you are reporting to CBR.

If this box is blank or you remove the check mark from the box by clicking into it, the address fields in the Debtor form change color. This is to alert the operator that there is no valid address for this debtor. This is the first step in skip tracing.

You can fine-tune Address OK functionality for printing your daily letter batch. Please refer to Help topic, Required Address Fields for additional options for validation addresses.

City

Enter the City Name here. This field is INDEXED.

FOR CBR: truncate the rightmost positions in this field to 20 characters. Alternatively, you can use the standard 13-character U.S. Postal Service city abbreviations.

State

Enter the State Name or Code here. This field is INDEXED.

FOR CBR: You must enter State Codes in this field. Refer to your CBR manual for correct State Codes.

ZIP

Enter the Zip or Postal Code here. This field is INDEXED.

FOR CBR: The zip or postal code must be entered and it must be correct. The zip code may be either 5 or 9 digits for U.S. zip codes, or 6 digits for Canadian postal codes.

For example: 12345-6789 or 123456789 for U.S.and X2Y 3Z4 or X2Y3Z4 for Canada.

Country

Enter the Country where the Debtor lives. This field is INDEXED.

FOR CBR: The Country Code is read from the Country Code field in Credit Report Details for the debtor. Collect! uses standard two-character country abbreviations specified in the Metro 2 manual.

If you are not doing Credit Bureau Reporting, this field is optional.

Speech

This field allows you to track the language that the Debtor speaks. This is a string field.

Timezone

This field holds a POSITIVE or NEGATIVE integer indicating the Timezone of this Debtor. Timezones are standard integer values calculated from GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). You can use the value in this field to load contacts in the operator's work queue according to the account's local time. Please refer to Reload Work In Progress List for details.

The control file that manages Debtor timezones is called setzone.ctf and is stored in your "\Collect\masterdb\control" folder.

When the timezone is not "Local Time," the title bar displays the Debtor's current time.

SSN

This is the Social Security Number of the Debtor. If you are NOT reporting to credit bureaus, you can use this field for other purposes. This field is INDEXED.

FOR CBR: Either this field or DOB should be filled in. Some locations require either DOB or SSN to be populated. By default, accounts with both fields blank will not be included in the report. Please refer to How To Setup Credit Bureau Reporting for more information. If SSN is not known, LEAVE BLANK. Although the bureaus do accept 0 or 9 filled positions, filling a placeholder value could disrupt Account Matching and Find By.

DL

Debtor's Driver's License. You can use this field for other purposes. This field is INDEXED.

DOB

This is the Debtor's Date of Birth. This field is INDEXED.

Press F2 or select the small calendar icon. Select a Date from the calendar that is displayed. Use the arrows to scroll through years. Or type the date as MM DD YY. If you are not reporting to credit bureaus, you can use this field for other purposes. This field is INDEXED.

FOR CBR: Either this field or SSN should be filled in. Some locations require either DOB or SSN to be populated. By default, accounts with both fields blank will not be included in the report. Please refer to How To Setup Credit Bureau Reporting for more information. If DOB is not known, LEAVE BLANK.

Group

The Group button allows you to group this debtor. When the Debtor is in a group, the Group will display a Group ID number and a Group Member number. All members in the group share the same Group ID. The Group ID is INDEXED.

If the debtor is already grouped, the Group button will display as orange, instead of gray, and will display the debtor's Group ID and Member number. To view other debtors in the group, click the forward or backward arrow or press the Group button to view Matching Accounts, or select the GROUP tab.

If the debtor is not part of a group, you will be prompted to choose debtors to form a group. If the debtor is already part of a group, then Matching Accounts information displays.

Pressing the "G" key on your keyboard will prompt you to add this account to a group.

Group Member

If this debtor is grouped, it will be assigned a sequential number based on the order in which it was added to the group.

If your Group Member IDs are no longer sequential due to removing members from the group, you can run the Tools, Utilities, Group Member Renumbering utility to restore sequential numbering to each group.

Home

This is the Home or Personal Telephone Number of the debtor. This field is INDEXED.

When you change an existing phone number, the old number will automatically be written to the debtor's notes. Select the telephone icon to initiate the Phone Dialer to dial this number.

If your system is not setup for using the Phone Dialer, you will not be able to use this feature.

You can switch ON 'Only numerics in phone fields' in Screens and Messages to remove any non-numeric data from your phone fields.

Home Extension

This field is used to enter an Extension to the phone number if needed. It might also be used to enter an ID number.

POE#

This is the Work or Business Telephone Number of the debtor. This field is INDEXED.

When you change an existing phone number, the old number will automatically be written to the debtor's notes. Select the telephone icon to initiate the Phone Dialer to dial this number.

If your system is not setup for using the Phone Dialer, you will not be able to use this feature.

You can switch ON 'Only numerics in phone fields' in Screens and Messages to remove any non-numeric data from your phone fields.

Work Extension

This field is used to enter an Extension to the phone number if needed. It might also be used to enter an ID number.

Cell

This is the Cellular or other number where you can reach the debtor. This field is INDEXED. Select the telephone icon to initiate the Phone Dialer to dial this number.

If your system is not setup for using the Phone Dialer, you will not be able to use this feature.

You can switch ON 'Only numerics in phone fields' in Screens and Messages to remove any non-numeric data from your phone fields.

Cell Extension

This field may be used to enter an Extension to the phone number if needed. It might also be used to enter a Cellular ID number.

Other

Use this field for an additional Phone Number. This field is INDEXED. Select the telephone icon to initiate the Phone Dialer to dial this number.

If your system is not setup for using the Phone Dialer, you will not be able to use this feature.

You can switch ON 'Only numerics in phone fields' in Screens and Messages to remove any non-numeric data from your phone fields.

Other Extension

This field may be used to enter an Extension to the phone number if needed. It might also be used to enter an ID number.

Email

This field is used to enter the debtor's Email Address. This field is INDEXED. Select the field icon to open the Send Mail form where you can compose an email and send it to this debtor.

POE

Place of employment.

User 1

This field is for your own definition and use.

If you are reporting to credit bureaus, this field may contain Original Creditor information. Please refer to Client Settings for details.

User 2

This field is for your own definition and use, but it may have another function if you are reporting to credit bureaus.

If you are reporting to credit bureaus, this field may contain Original Creditor information. Please refer to Client Settings for details.

Client

Enter the Name of the Client in this field. You can pick from your list of clients by pressing the F2 key when the Client field is highlighted.

Your clients MUST be set up before you begin to enter debtors.

Only Clients with the INACTIVE switch OFF will appear in this list.

Acct

This is the Reference Number assigned to this debtor by the client. This is printed on statements to your clients. This field is INDEXED.

Client Number

This is the Client Number assigned by Collect!. When you select a Client for the Client field, the Client Number displays in this field. Also, you may select a Client by selecting the pick list attached to this field.

This field will change automatically if you change the client's Number in the Client form.

You must set up clients before you begin to enter Debtor information.

Only Clients with the INACTIVE switch OFF will appear in this list.

View

Select this button to open the Client form for this Debtor's client. This enables you to quickly view the client's information with a single click.

Master

Click the arrow to view clients that you may select from for this field. This list will only display clients with a category of MASTER.

WARNING: This field is limited to 4 characters only. If you are using longer Client Numbers you may want to use the Client Owner feature instead to create a Client with a shorter client Number.

Client ownership is a hierarchical system that allows you to use the "Owned by client" in the Client form.

Forward

Click the arrow to view clients to whom you can forward this account. This list will only display clients with a category of FORWARD.

Legal

The Legal field gives you a place to put an attorney that you may want to forward this account to. Click the arrow to display a list of clients. This list will only display clients with a category of LEGAL.

You will have to setup your attorney client first so that it shows up in the list of all clients. Please refer to the How To Post Attorney Fees section on the How to Post a Transaction page for information about setting up an attorney client.

Charged

This is the date the debt was originally incurred by the debtor. This date is also used when applying an age-based commission rate plan to the account. In that case, both Listed and Charged dates are required to calculate the account age.

FOR CBR: If you do not enter a Delinquency Date, Collect! automatically uses the Charged Date. For credit grantors, a switch in the Credit Bureau Setup form, 'Report charged date', allows the Charged Date to be used instead of the Debtor's Listed Date as the 'Date Opened' for CBR reporting purposes.

Delnqnt

This is the date the account went Delinquent. This is usually the date the account went 31 days past due.

Enter this date manually if you are a collection agency.

FOR CBR: This is the 'Date of Occurrence'. If you do not enter a Delinquency Date, Collect! automatically uses the Charged Date.

FOR CBR: If you are a CREDIT GRANTOR and you have switched ON 'Report as credit grantor' in the Company Details form, an unmet promise or a missed payment will show up as delinquent in the debtor's Delnqnt field. You must also switch ON 'Calculate delinquency date' in the Financial Detail form. The 'Calculate delinquency date' check box is in effect only when you are in Credit Grantor mode.

This date affects a person's credit rating, so use it carefully.

Delinquency Date For Credit Reporting

If you do not fill in a Delinquency Date, the credit reporting function will use the Charged date, also known as the 'Date of Last Service' or 'Service Date' and will issue warnings to you.

You MUST not manufacture dates for accounts reported to credit bureaus. This date must be provided by client. The Delinquency Date is defined as the date of the first delinquency that led to the derogatory status being reported. The date of delinquency is necessary to purge accounts from the bureau databases in accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

The date an account is charged off or placed for collection, is NOT the Delinquency Date. The Delinquency Date should be the date the account became 31 days past due.

Listed

This is the Date the debtor was Listed with your agency. Listed Date is automatically filled in when you create a new debtor. This field is used in numerous reports and is important to accurately keep track of your accounts. This field is INDEXED.

FOR CBR: When reporting to credit bureaus, this date is used for 'Date Opened'.

For credit grantors, a switch in the Credit Bureau Setup form, 'Report charged date', allows the Charged Date to be used instead of the Debtor's Listed Date as the 'Date Opened' for CBR reporting purposes.

Closed

This field shows the Date When the Account was Closed. It is visible only when an account is closed. This field is INDEXED.

When you set the Mode to CLOSED, this field auto-fills with the current date. This may be modified as needed for your purposes.

FOR CBR: This date is used for 'Closed Date'.

Time-Bar

If you have configured Statue of Limitations, then this date will populate with the date based on those settings. The initial "Start Date" will be based on the Itemization Date set on the Financial Summary Totals form.

After payments are received, then the last payment Transaction date is used to calculate the Time-Bar date, unless either the Exclude Payment Date on the Statute of Limitation record is checked, or if this is a Judgement account.

For the Last Payment, this field uses the last actual payment transaction, regardless of what is in the Last Payment field on the Debtor form. Please refer to the Use NSF Date option on the Payment Posting Options form for more information.

# Attempts

If you have configured Contact Controls for Type Phone, then Collect! will use the settings on that record to display the Number of Attempts that you have made to the Debtor in the period specified on the Contact Control record.

#RPC

If you have configured Contact Controls for Type Phone, then Collect! will use the settings on that record to display the Number of Right Party Contacts that you have made to the Debtor in the period specified on the Contact Control record.

Type

This is a free form field. You can define your own types of debts, or use this field as a sort criteria. This field is INDEXED.

You can attach a pick list to this field (as you can with most fields in Collect!). Select System from the top menu bar and then select Layout and Languages, Field Properties to attach a pick list.

Mode

This is a very important field. The setting you choose here affects contact management and financial calculations. This field is INDEXED. Select the field or select the arrow to choose one of the following modes.

Active - activates the account.

Closed - closes the account and deletes all pending Contacts, UNLESS a Contact has the switch "Do not autodelete" set. However, Promises and Transactions will be marked completed when an account is closed, regardless of the "Do not autodelete" setting.

Precollect - treats the debtor as 'Closed' but does not delete Contacts.

Suspend - treats the debtor as 'Closed' but does not delete Contacts.

Mode And WIP List

Only ACTIVE accounts appear in WIP Lists.

CLOSED or SUSPENDED accounts do not show even if they have contacts scheduled for the day.

Closed Mode And Interest

When you close an account with interest, Collect! posts a Total Accrued Interest transaction, Type 499, for all interest that has accrued over the time that you have been calculating interest on the account. If you should re-open the account at a future date, this record can be used to start up interest calculations again.

Collect! needs Transaction Type 499, with the correct settings, to perform the calculations. If you do not have Transaction Type 499, you can copy it from your Demonstration database or request it from Collect! Member Services.

Mode And CBR

Mode does not affect credit bureau reporting. As long as "Report to credit bureau" is switched ON in the Debtor's Credit Report Details, Collect! will continue to report this Debtor, no matter what Mode is selected.

Status

This is the Status of the Account. This field is INDEXED.

Press F2 or select the arrow to pick from a list of Debtor Status codes. You can create your own account status codes.

WARNING: Debtors with a blank status will be excluded from the financial summary totals on the client form and from the day sheets.

Score

Use this numeric field to store the Debtor's credit score. This field holds up to 9 digits. Previous entries are logged to notes whenever the Score is updated if you have your 'Log to Notes' Access Right switch checked. Right click in the Score field to open the Access Rights window.

This field can be displayed in the Collector's WIP List for targeted queuing of High to Low Score accounts.

To insert the field into a WIP display, Right Click on the column header beside where you wish to insert the field. You will get a popup which has options to Insert Fields. Select this option and use your Up/Down arrow keys to scroll down to Score until it is highlighted, then click OK to insert the field.

Fields can be dragged and dropped if you wish to rearrange the positioning.

The Score column can be sorted ascending or descending by clicking on the black triangle at the extreme right side of the field title.

Worked

This is the Date the debtor was Last Worked by an operator.

The Worked Date is filled in, or updated, automatically only when an operator is physically working the account by doing one of the actions listed below:

1. An operator creates or modifies the notes on the account.
2. An operator runs a contact plan on the account.

The Worked Date is not updated by any other method. You can not edit this field. It is used in numerous reports and is important to accurately keep track of your accounts.

When the Worked Date is the current date, this field turns red to alert the operator that this account has already been worked today.

Validation

If you have specified a Validation Report on the Company Detail form or in a Contact Control record, then this field will populate with the date the Validation Report/Letter was sent (Contact marked done via print, email, or text), plus the number of business and calendar days specified on the Company Detail form or the Contact Control record.

Example, if you specify Letter 1 for the Validation Report, 5 business days, and 30 calendar days, then when Letter 1 is printed, Collect! will take the current date, add 5 days (excluding Saturday, Sunday, and holidays), then add 30 days (including weekends and holidays). A Letter printed on Monday, January 1 would first add 5 business days to Monday, January 8. It would then add 30 calendar days to February 7.

Payment

This is the Date of the Last Payment made by the debtor. Collect! automatically changes that date whenever a transaction is posted for the debtor.

FOR CBR: When reporting to credit bureaus, this date is used as the Date of the Last Consumer Payment.

If the debtor has made a payment to the agency, the Payment Date is used instead of the Charged Date above.

You can inhibit Collect! from automatically altering the date with a switch in the System menu, Preferences, Plans and Reference Tables, Payment Posting Options form.

This is a system field and cannot be re-purposed.

WARNING: You can control the Last Payment Date based on the posting of reversal payments. Please refer to the Use NSF Date option on the Payment Posting Options form for more information.

Next

This is the Next Payment Date field. The debtor's Next field contains a date when you are applying Amortized interest to the account. It is the date that the next payment is due. This field is read only.

Next Payment Date is calculated as follows:

If the debtor is neither delinquent nor overpaid, according to the amount in the Payment Amount field, then the Next Date is the date the next scheduled payment is due, based on the interest settings in the Interest Detail form. For example, if it is early September, and the account is paid up, then the next payment date could be September 31 or some such date in the near future.

If the debtor is delinquent, then the Next Date shows the last date when the debtor should have made a payment. For example if it is September, and no payment has been received for the July 31 payment, then the next date would show July 31 in RED to indicate delinquency.

If the debtor has overpaid, then the Next Date rolls forward into the future to reflect the number of monthly payment periods that have actually been covered in the overpayment amount.

The 'Report as credit grantor' switch must be turned ON in the Credit Bureau Setup form to activate the Next payment date calculations for Credit Bureau Reporting.

Promise

When a debtor has made a promise to pay, this field shows the date that the promise is due. If the date is not displayed, try pressing the Recalc button.

If there is more than one promise recorded for this debtor, the date of the earliest unmet promise is displayed here.

Promises can be entered into Collect! by creating a Promise Contact or by creating a Transaction with no Posted Date. In either case, Collect! will automatically display the earliest due date of the debtor's promises in this field IF "Automatically manage promises" is switched ON in the Payment Posting Options form.

When a promise becomes Past Due, this field is displayed in red unless the "Report as credit grantor" switch is ON in the Credit Bureau Setup form. In that case, only, past due promises are considered delinquent and the date is displayed in the Delnqnt field on the Debtor form.

You can open the Payment Posting Options form through the System menu, Preferences, Plans and Reference Tables.

Date1

This is a date field for your own definition and use.

Date2

This is a date field for your own definition and use.

Summary

This is a single Note Line to Summarize the account status and add any pertinent vital information.

Last Action

This field is a shortcut to activating a Contact Plan. If you know the code of the Contact Plan you wish to run on this debtor, you can type it here or press F2 to pick from a list. This field is located to the left of the OK button on the Debtor form.

Typing the code here will not execute the plan unless you press ENTER to leave the field.

Operator

This is the ID of the Operator assigned to this account. It is important to fill in this field since many other account related functions depend on this Operator ID. For instance, if you are using Account Access Control, this ID may be used for restricting access to the account. Also, contact scheduling and timely working of the account often rely on this ID.

This field is INDEXED.

Press F2 when this field has focus or click the arrow to pick from a list of available Operators.

Only Operators with the ACCOUNT IS DISABLED switch OFF will appear in this list.

Sales

This is the ID Code of the Salesperson assigned to this account. When payments are posted, this ID is used to determine collector's commission.

This field may also be used to display a Team ID for commissions or for account access control.

This field is INDEXED.

Press F2 when this field has focus or select the arrow to pick from a list of available Operators.

Only Operators with the ACCOUNT IS DISABLED switch OFF will appear in this list.

Rate

This is the current Commission Rate for payments made by the debtor. If a commission rate is entered in your Client Settings, the Rate field will be filled automatically when you choose a client or enter a new debtor for a client. You can override the setting by entering a rate that applies only to this debtor.

Information is not entered in this field directly. The Rate field displays information taken from the Commission section of the Financial Detail form. Click into his field or start typing to pop up the form where you can select the Commission section to enter a enter a new commission rate, or rate plan, and other commission details for this account.

Any transactions that you post for this debtor load the settings from the Financial Detail form.

Principal

This is the amount of the Original Debt, or the sum of all transactions posted to the Principal account. (This means Principal is dotted in the transaction 'Account' column.) Information is not entered in this field directly. The Principal field displays information taken from the Financial Detail form. Click into this field, or start typing, to pop up the Financial Detail form where you can enter a Principal Amount or view the Principal Paid To Date and other details for this account. Please press F1 when the Financial Detail form is displayed for help about the fields and buttons on this form.

When the debtor has a judgment, the Principal field will be "overlaid" by the Judgment field which will be shown in color. In this case, the Owing field will be calculated based on the Judgment Principal and Judgment Interest, rather than the Original Principal and Interest.

You can also set the debtor's currency here, if you have the 'Multi Currency' switched ON in the Company Details form.

If you are a Credit Grantor, you can choose to display 30/60/90 fields on the Debtor form by switching ON 'Show 30/60/90' in the Financial Detail form.

For revolving compound interest accounts or Amortized loan accounts, please access the help available for these topics.

If you start typing the Principal in this field, Collect! will open the Financial Detail field with the Original Principal highlighted to speed up your data entry.

Judgement

When a judgment has been awarded, this field will display the amount of the judgment. This field "overlays" the Principal field. To view the amount of the Original Principal, click in the field to bring up the Financial Detail form.

All transactions posted prior to the Judgment Date are ignored.

If a debtor has a judgment, all principal type transactions that are not 194s are ignored and ALL transactions prior to the Judgment Date are ignored.

Judgment interest calculation, if enabled, will always be based on the 194 transaction, if present.

Multiple 194 and 195 transactions are ignored. The active one is the most recent of each. If a Judgment Date is set, ALL other Principal type transactions are ignored.

Interest

This field displays the Total Interest for this account. This is the sum of Original Interest and all Accrued Interest on this account. Information is not entered in this field directly. The Interest field displays information taken from the Financial Detail form. Click into the Principal field to pop up the Financial Detail form where you can set and view all interest details for this account.

Click into the Interest field or start typing to display the Debtor Transaction Summary to view the list of Interest transactions posted to this account. Press F1 for help when the Debtor Transaction Summary is displayed.

If you want interest to be calculated for a given debtor, you must enter an interest rate for the account in the Financial Detail form. For revolving compound interest accounts or Amortized loan accounts, please access help when on these topics.

When the debtor has a Judgment, the Principal field label changes to " Judgment" and the field is displayed in color. Also, the Interest field displays only Judgment Interest. The amount displayed in the Owing field is calculated based on the Judgment Principal and Judgment Interest, rather than the Original Principal and Interest.

Fees

This field is a summary of all Fee transactions belonging to this debtor. Information is not entered in this field directly. The Fees field displays information taken from the Financial Detail form.

To view Total Fees and Fees Paid To Date, click into the Principal field to display the Financial Detail form. There you can also Add Commission to the debtor's Owing, assign fixed fees to both the client and the debtor and view the Total Commissions earned to date on this account.

Click into this field or start typing to pop up the Debtor Transaction Summary form where you can view a list of all Fee transactions posted to this account.

Legal Fees

This field is a summary of all Legal Fee transactions belonging to this debtor. Information is not entered in this field directly. The Legal Fees field displays information taken from the Financial Detail form.

To view Total Legal Fees and Legal Fees Paid To Date, click into the Principal field to display the Financial Detail form.

Click into this field or start typing to pop up the Debtor Transaction Summary form where you can view a list of all Legal Fee transactions posted to this account.

Miscellaneous

This field is a summary of all Misc transactions belonging to this debtor. Information is not entered in this field directly. The Misc field displays information taken from the Financial Detail form.

To view Misc and Misc Paid To Date, click into the Principal field to display the Financial Detail form.

Click into this field or start typing to pop up the Debtor Transaction Summary form where you can view a list of all Misc transactions posted to this account.

Other Charges

This field is a summary of all Other transactions belonging to this debtor. Information is not entered in this field directly. The Other Charges field displays information taken from the Financial Detail form.

To view Other and Other Paid To Date, click into the Principal field to display the Financial Detail form.

Click into this field or start typing to pop up the Debtor Transaction Summary form where you can view a list of all Other transactions posted to this account.

Adjustments

This field is the sum of all Adjustment transactions belonging to this debtor. Information is not entered in this field directly. The Adj field displays information tallied from Adjustment transactions posted for this account. Click into this field or start typing to pop up the Debtor Transaction Summary where you can view Adjustment transactions already posted to the account.

Paid

This is the Amount Paid by the debtor. This can be a negative number if there are charges incurred on the account. Information is not entered in this field directly. The Paid field displays information tallied from Payment transactions posted for this account. Click into this field or start typing to pop up the Debtor Transaction Summary where you can view Payment transactions already posted to the account.

30 Days

This is the amount outstanding since the last statement. This field is visible only if the Show 30/60/90 switch is ON (checked) in the Financial Detail form. Values only show in this field if you are applying Amortized Interest and there is a date in the "Next" field that Collect! can use for evaluation.

This field is useful if you are a Credit Grantor.

The 'Report as credit grantor' switch must be turned ON in the Credit Bureau Setup form to activate the 30/60/90 calculations for Credit Bureau Reporting.

60 Days

This is the amount outstanding from between 30 and 60 days. This field is visible only if the Show 30/60/90 switch is ON (checked) in the Financial Detail form. Values only show in this field if you are applying Amortized Interest and there is a date in the "Next" field that Collect! can use for evaluation.

This field is useful if you are a Credit Grantor.

The 'Report as credit grantor' switch must be turned ON in the Credit Bureau Setup form to activate the 30/60/90 calculations for Credit Bureau Reporting.

90 Days

This field displays amounts owing longer than 60 days. This field is visible only if the Show 30/60/90 switch is ON (checked) in the Financial Detail form. Values only show in this field if you are applying Amortized Interest and there is a date in the "Next" field that Collect! can use for evaluation.

This field is useful if you are a Credit Grantor.

The 'Report as credit grantor' switch must be turned ON in the Credit Bureau Setup form to activate the 30/60/90 calculations for Credit Bureau Reporting.

Over 90

This field displays amounts owing longer than 90 days. This field is visible only if the Show 30/60/90 switch is ON (checked) in the Financial Detail form. Values only show in this field if you are applying Amortized Interest and there is a date in the "Next" field that Collect! can use for evaluation.

This field is useful if you are a Credit Grantor.

The 'Report as credit grantor' switch must be turned ON in the Credit Bureau Setup form to activate the 30/60/90 calculations for Credit Bureau Reporting.

Owing

This is the total amount Owing, the remaining balance outstanding on this account. Information is not entered in this field directly. The Owing field displays an amount tallied from Original Principal and Interest, plus charges and interest accrued, minus debtor payments. This is dependent on whether the debtor has a Judgment. If a Judgment is recorded, then the Judgment Principal and Judgment Interest are used instead of the original values.

Click into this field to open the Debtor Financial Summary This form shows all the charges and payment details for the debtor's account, including total charges, total payments and total owing amounts for Principal, Interest and Fees. Overpayments and adjustments are displayed. For interest and loan accounts, any amounts needed to bring the account to current are also shown.

Settle

This field indicates an optional settlement amount for this debtor.

The amount entered here may be used to calculate the promised payment amount when scheduling a Promise with a contact plan. Please see Help topic, Event for more information.

Run Plan

Enter a Contact Plan to run on this account. You can press F2 to view the list of available plans.

If you are on a grouped account, Collect! will prompt asking if you want to run the contact plan on just the account you are on or if you want to run the plan on all group members.

Sub-Form Tabs

This area of the Debtor form contains tabs to sub-lists of related Debtor information. The areas that may be accessed are as follows.

• Notes
• Contacts
• Attachments
• Cosigners
• Transactions
• Detail
• A1
• A2
• A3
• CBR
• Group
• Misc
• Phones
• Emails
• Addresses

Each of these sub-forms allow you to view records related to this account and add new ones. If the tab is displayed as ORANGE that means there are records in that area.

Notes

Select the NOTES tab to view Notes for this account or add new ones. Notes allow you to type free form text. Today's date, the current time and the operator ID are inserted automatically on the first line of text that you type.

Users with Read Only rights to the Notes Text Editor will be able to enter new notes but may not delete existing ones.

Group Members who have the "Cascade Notes" switch enabled in the "Member Setup" section of the Group tab will also have their notes copied to all other Members of the Group.

If another user is modifying the notes and you try to click into the notes, you will get a notification that the other user is in the notes and you will have to wait until they are finished.

This option also applies to notes created via Contact Plans.

Contacts

Select the CONTACTS tab to view contacts scheduled for this account. This links to all contacts made for this debtor. You may select an existing contact or create a new one.

Attachments

Select the ATTACHMENTS tab to view Attachments stored for this account. You may view existing attachments or create a new one. Check the A1, A2 and A3 tabs to access attachments that you classified as Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3.

Cosigners

Select the COSIGNERS tab to view the list of all related parties assigned to this account, such as Attorney, Employer, Spouse, Bank and others. You may view an existing Debtor Cosigner or enter a new one.

Transactions

Select the TRANSACTIONS tab to view transactions posted to this account. You may select an existing Transaction or create a new one. This links to any payments, promises or other related transactions regarding this debtor.

You must set up transaction types before you can post transactions.

Detail

Select the DETAIL tab to view the Debtor Detail sub-form where you can enter information about a bank account, as well as other details.

A1

Select the A1 tab to access attachments that you classified as Type 1 in the Type field of the Attachment. If there is a pick list on this field, it will be the value that has the "1" in the list.

A2

Select the A2 tab to access attachments that you classified as Type 2 in the Type field of the Attachment. If there is a pick list on this field, it will be the value that has the "2" in the list.

A3

Select the A3 tab to access attachments that you classified as Type 3 in the Type field of the Attachment. If there is a pick list on this field, it will be the value that has the "3" in the list.

CBR

Select the CBR tab to view the Credit Report Details sub-form where you adjust the Credit Reporting settings for this debtor or switch ON Credit Bureau reporting. Use this sub-form to specify reporting and cosigner details and a reporting date.

Your data must be entered in the correct format if you intend to report to credit bureaus. Review popup help for each field that has a FOR CBR: note or press F1 when you are on the Debtor form to display help for examples of formats for name, address and other fields used in reporting to credit bureaus.

Group

Select the GROUP tab to view the list of Group Members in this account's Group. This will only display if a Group ID and Member number are displayed in the GROUP button.

Misc

Select the MISC tab to set additional switches for this account. This is an area where you can set flags as needed or store additional information on the account. There are several user-defined Currency, Date, Number, Time and Switch fields. Please refer to Help topic, Misc, for more details.

Phones

The Phones tab displays phone numbers listed for this account. Pertinent information is displayed in the listed columns. Select an item to view further details, or select one of the buttons to create a new record or modify an existing one. Please refer to Help topic, Phone for more information.

Group Notes

The Group Notes tab displays all notes from all Group Members who have the "Share Notes" switch checked in the "Member Setup" section on the group tab. Each note line contains the respective file number of the account that the note line belongs to.

OK

Select this button to save any changes you have made and return you to the previous form.

Pressing the "O" key on your keyboard will close the Debtor form.

<<

Select this button to take you to the previous debtor in the database.

>>

Select this button to take you to the next debtor in the database.

Credit Card

Select this button to open the Credit Card Payment Tasks menu. You can post a single or recurring credit card payment, or query the Payment Provider to update the Debtor's payment history.

This button is visible only if you have the Payment Processing Module enabled in your Collect! license.

Please refer to Help topic, How to Take Credit Card Payments for details.

Pressing the "T" key on your keyboard brings up the Credit Card Payment Tasks menu.

ACH

Select this button to open the ACH Payment Tasks menu where you can post a single or recurring ACH payment.

This button is visible only if you have the Payment Processing Module enabled in your Collect! license.

Please refer to Help topic, How to Take ACH Payments for details.

Pressing the "H" key on your keyboard brings up the ACH Payment Tasks menu.

Recalc

Press this button to Recalculate and Update any fields containing financial information relating to this debtor.

Pressing the "R" key on your keyboard will Recalc this Debtor.

Mode And Recalc

RECALC is not done on CLOSED accounts, but accounts with other modes are recalculated. The only exception is when a payment is posted - if the account is closed then the total is still recalculated.

Basically, if you close an account, its financial figures are frozen where they are at the time you closed the account, unless a payment is posted, at which time, and only then, a Recalc actually alters the Owing.

Print

Select this button to view a list of reports available for printing that relate to debtors.

You must setup your reports and letters before you begin to enter debtor information.

Pressing the "P" key on your keyboard will display the list of reports that you can print from the Debtor form.

Run Plan

Select the RUN PLAN button to pick a Contact Plan to run on this account.

Pressing the "A" key on your keyboard will display the list of contact plans that you can run on this account.

If you are on a grouped account, Collect! will prompt asking if you want to run the contact plan on just the account you are on or if you want to run the plan on all group members.

Advanced

Clicking this button opens the Financial Detail form, where you can enter information relating to debtor's Principal, Commission Rate, Taxes and Fees, as well as Interest and Payment Plans.

Pressing the "D" key on your keyboard will display the Financial Detail form.

Cancel

Select the CANCEL button to discard any changes made to the Debtor form. You will be prompted to discard the changes. If you selected SAVE or F8, those changes will not be discarded. Also, any Contacts or other records created from the Debtor form will not be canceled.

Pressing the "C" key on your keyboard will cancel your changes and close the Debtor. You will be prompted to save or discard changes.

Help

Select the HELP button for information on the Debtor form and links to related topics.

Pressing the "H" key on your keyboard will display the Help topic, Debtor.

Click Here to Close this Form.

The Credit Report Details form is used to set credit reporting details for a debtor and cosigners.

Credit Report Details

Options used as default values when you report Debtor credit are set in the Credit Report Preferences form. These settings can be changed here, at the individual Debtor level, if necessary. In most cases, the defaults should be fine. You may need to set the Association field on an individual level.

If you are having trouble deciding what values should be set, contact your local credit bureau representative.

Choices provided are for normal collection and credit management agencies. You can choose an item from the pick list to enter its corresponding code in the credit report settings.

WARNING: Reporting credit is a legal matter. You are responsible for ensuring that the information you are sending is accurate and complete. Do not report credit without being ABSOLUTELY SURE about your legal rights and the legal rights of the person or entity you are reporting.

Reporting Credit With Collect!

When you setup your credit bureau reporting correctly, Collect! takes care of all the details by automatically scheduling a Metro contact for each debtor that you want to report. After you report, Collect! forwards this contact for the next reporting period. Collect! tracks changes in the debtor's profile for credit bureau purposes and reports the correct codes to the bureau.

The Credit Report Details form is where you keep track of the debtor's status for credit reporting purposes. Changes that you make to the settings on this form will be reflected in your credit bureau report.

Report To Credit Bureau

When this flag is checked, the Debtor is set to be reported to the credit bureaus.

Please make sure you have permission from your client to report this debtor. You may want to visit the Client Settings to ensure that credit bureau reporting is enabled.

Control Account Manually

When this is switched ON, Collect! will not change the credit reporting Account Status when processing Metro contacts for reporting to credit bureaus. This means you will have to manually select the required Status from the pick list when the account's status changes.

By default, the Account Status for reporting, such as "Seriously past due" or "Paid in full," changes depending on the reporting industry and the state of the account. Ordinarily, you do not need to control accounts manually. Collect! puts additional information into the Payment Rating field where necessary to retain information, (e.g. 30-60-90 days overdue for credit grantors).

This is useful for special requirements, such as changing an ECOA Association Code at a later date, after the Account is Paid in Full. Or, setting the Account Status to Paid in Full when posting Early Payoff or adjustments with advanced Interest settings.

If you switch this box ON by checking Control Account Manually, the system will completely skip over this account if you have not manually invoked an In Progress Metro Contact Event on the debtor each time you want to report, i.e. Monthly. Unless there is a specific reason to turn this feature ON inside individual debtors, it is best left OFF, in the default position.

Start Reporting

By default, this field will show Today's Date unless there is an In Progress Metro Contact on the account. In that case, it will display the date of the Metro Contact, instead.

If you are manually initializing an account to report (as opposed to \Batch Processing\Prepare accounts for CBR), the date populated will automatically reflect any global or client specific Delay Days that are to be applied before allowing the account to report. This is reflected in a forward-dated Start Reporting date that carries to the Due Date in the Metro contact that is created when you check the 'Report to credit bureau' switch ON.

If you want to adjust the date further on a per debtor basis AND the In Progress Metro has already been created, by clicking on the Calendar icon at the right of the 'Start reporting' field or simply keying in MM/DD/YYYY format the date you want the account to first report, this will also update the Metro in the Contacts tab.

This date should not be changed if an account has already been reported and the account is NOT being controlled manually.

If the 'Delay Report' switch is ON in the Credit Bureau Setup form, the Delay Days value will be reflected here. The extra days are only added to Today's Date if this is the first time you are setting up credit bureau reporting on this account. You can select a different date if you wish.

Reporting Industry

This field contains the industry type that classifies the reporting agency. The list of default industries provided by Collect! covers normal collection and credit management. When you select one of the industries in the list, other pick lists change to enable you to set the account type based on the industry.

Please refer to your Metro2 Manual for help in choosing from the pick list.

Account Type

This field contains the account type code that identifies the account classification. The list of default account types provided by Collect! covers normal collection and credit management. The choices for this field change depending on the industry selected for the Reporting Industry.

Please refer to your Metro2 Manual for help in choosing from the pick list.

Status Code

This field contains the status code that properly identifies the current condition of the account. The list of default status codes provided by Collect! covers normal collection and credit management. Please refer to your Metro2 Manual for help in choosing from the pick list.

Payment Rating

This field contains settings for specifying whether or not an account is Current or Past Due. It is only visible for certain Status Codes that Collect! does not handle automatically. Please refer to How to Setup Credit Bureau Reporting for details.

Portfolio

This field contains the type of the debt. The pick list offers choices for common credit and loan types. Please refer to your Metro2 Manual for help in choosing from the pick list.

Special Comments

This field is used in conjunction with the Account Status to further define the account. Special comment codes, when found, will however take precedence over the value in Account Status.

The list of default choices provided by Collect! covers normal collection and credit management. Please refer to your Metro2 Manual for help in choosing from the pick list.

Association Code

This is used to designate an account in compliance with the ECOA. This setting can be changed for an individual Debtor while you are on the Credit Report Details form accessed from the Debtor form.

The list of default choices provided by Collect! covers normal collection and credit management. Please refer to your Metro2 Manual for help in choosing from the pick list.

Condition Code

This field allows for reporting of a condition that is required for legal compliance; e.g., according to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Please refer to your Metro2 Manual for help in choosing from the pick list.

Country Code

This is the country that the Debtor lives in.

The list of default country codes provided by Collect! shows only a few of the most used country codes. Please refer to your Metro2 Manual for help in choosing from the pick list or adding to it.

Indicator

This field contains a value indicating a special bankruptcy condition which applies to the debtor cosigner. Please refer to your Metro2 Manual for help in choosing from the pick list.

Report Cosigner

This is used to determine if the Debtor has a cosigner to be reported.

Cosigner

Selecting this button will take you to the Debtor Cosigner form.

If you are reporting Cosigners, all 3 bureaus require that the Association and ECOA fields be set. The Cosigner creates with "Not Reported" as the default selection in Association. You must select either Associated Consumer – Same Address or Associated Consumer – Different Address from the drop-down pick list. In the ECOA drop-down, the mass majority of the time in credit and collections the selection will be either Joint Contractual Liability or Business/Commercial when the account is NEW and first being reported.

Any changes/updates to the Cosigner such as 'Delete Borrower' or 'Consumer Deceased' must be selected from the Cosigner form.

Deleting the Borrower from the Cosigner screen deletes ONLY the Cosigner, leaving the primary debtor still reported.

Pressing F1 from the Debtor and Cosigner forms will bring up help for each field in those forms. This help includes credit bureau reporting details for entering information in each field that pertains to credit reporting. Please read this help carefully, as information sent to credit bureaus must be in an EXACT format.

Defaults

When reporting a Debtor to the Credit Bureaus, there are certain settings that need to be reported to the bureaus.

Select this button to display the Credit Report Preferences form where you can choose default credit reporting settings at the system level. When you flag a Debtor to be reported to the Credit Bureau, these default settings will automatically apply to the Debtor.

You can override these defaults on an individual Debtor level through the Credit Report Details dialog.

Help

Press this button for help on the Credit Report Details form and links to related topics.

Cancel

Selecting this button will ignore any changes you have made and return you to the previous form.

OK

Selecting this button will save any changes you may have made and return you to the previous form.