The Certification Council is proposing edits to the Receivables Management Certification Program (RMCP). The Council is required to perform a review of certification program standards at least annually to ensure the program reflects “evolving industry best practices, input from key stakeholders and communities of interest, areas of Council concern, and recent regulatory and statutory changes.”

The proposed changes to the Certification Governance Document have been posted on the RMAI website.  RMAI members are encouraged to review the changes and email any comments they have to cert@rmaintl.org no later than February 2, 2023.

Here is a summary of the major substantive changes to Certification Standards contained in version 11.0:

  • Commercial Debt: The Certification Program has been expanded to include commercial debt. This has resulted in a number of technical non-substantive edits being incorporated to definitions and references to consumer debt throughout the document.
  • Appendix A: Standard # B1 (Required Data & Documents) – Adopts data and documentation requirements when purchasing and selling commercial debt (takes effect August 1, 2023 and only applies prospectively). The criteria was developed by RMAI’s Commercial Debt Working Group.
  • Appendix A – Standard # C9 (Capias): Adopts a new Standard for collection law firms which indicates that Certified Law Firms will not seek the arrest or detainment of a consumer on a collection-related matter.
  • Appendix B – Series 300 (Process Servers): Adopts a new subcategory of Vendor Certification for process serving companies.

Here is a summary of the major substantive changes to Administrative Provisions contained in version 11.0:

  • Article 4.1 – Standing Committees: Requires all members of Certification Council Committees to be with a Certified Company; limited exceptions permitted.
  • Article 8.4 – Pre-Certification Audit: As of March 1, 2024, all new companies seeking RMAI Certification will be required to have a Pre-Certification Audit completed and submitted with their application.
  • Article 8.5 (D) – Scope of the Full Compliance Audit: The Certification Council may authorize a virtual audit to be conducted in place of an in-person onsite audit in scenarios where extreme hardship can be demonstrated.

When responding via email to cert@rmaintl.org, please: (1) indicate “30-Day Comment” in the email subject line, (2) provide your name and company name in the body of the message, and (3) indicate the page and section number from the Certification Governance Document that your comment is referencing. Please note that the page numbers in the index will be slightly off in the redline version – use the page numbers on the bottom of the page.

Based on comments received from this 30-day comment period, additional edits may be incorporated prior to final adoption.  If you have any questions, please contact RMAI at (916) 482-2462.

This Member Alert is intended for members of the Receivables Management Association International, is for informational purposes only, and is in no way intended to provide legal advice. Members are encouraged to consult with an attorney of their choice for legal advice concerning this matter.