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Public records: Another terrific source of information 
tapped into on a regular basis by the debt collection 
community, in an attempt to gain insight into a debtor's 
activities or current location.  Favorite records to be 
studied by the debt collectors: Divorce records, property 
records, tax information and motor vehicle records. 
Red ink: Term used to describe losses sustained by any 
financial entity.  When individual consumers drown in red 
ink they may end up filing for bankruptcy; when the U.S. 
government engages in this financial activity it holds 
another treasury note or bond auction. 
Regulatory agencies: Any agency empowered by either local, 
state or federal authorities to enforce civil laws, such as 
the Federal Trade Commission. 
Reply card tracer: Used by Postal Service to track down 
return receipts that never returned to verify delivery of 
parcel. 
Re-prioritize:  The resetting, of priorities in one's life, 
usually due to a dramatic change in circumstances.  
Sometimes a necessary first step toward solving one's 
financial problems. 
Return receipts: When a letter is sent by Certified Mail, 
this receipt (green card for domestic mails/pink card for 
international) give the sender a record of who actually 
received/signed for letter or package sent. 
Revolving charge card (or credit line): Commonly issued by 
major department stores and major banks, it requires a 
monthly payment sufficient to amortize the outstanding 
balance.  Example: If consumers pay only the minimum balance 
on a $10,000 credit card and do not use the card for any 
additional purchases, it will take over 25 years to 
amortize/pay off the debt. 
Risk free: A concept used in lending to describe the risk 
vs. return of certain types of consumer/business loans.  
Also refers to overdraft protection checking accounts at the 
House of Representatives bank in the 1980s. 
Roll over: What many consumers do when dealing with credit 
bureaus or collection agencies, giving up without a fight.  
Also used to describe the apathy displayed by most Americans 
when asked about their input in the law making/enforcement 
process or budgetary responsibility of congress. 
Scam:  Fraudulent plan or scheme designed to separate a 
consumer from their money without delivering on promised 
goods, services (training) or value. 
Scoring system: A tool used by prospective lenders to grade 
the credit-worthiness of a potential borrower. 
Secured creditor: Creditor whose financial position is 
secured by real property, such as a bank or finance company 
with a lien on an automobile or a mortgage company secured 
by the house they financed. hi the event of default the 
secured creditor can repossess or foreclose on the property 
they financed, greatly reducing their chance of total loss 
exposure. 
Secured credit card: A major national credit card (normally 
Visa or MasterCard) that has a credit limit secured by a 
cash deposit placed with the issuing bank by the cardholders 
A positive recovery step for consumers who have gotten into 
credit problems but need a credit card in order to get a 
hotel room, a rental car or other business/travel- related 
activities. 
Sign of the beast: A reference to Satan in a passage from 
the Revelations chapter of the Bible; also used as a 
derogatory term describing debt collectors and some 
attorneys. 
Skip and skiptracing: Technique used by creditors and 
collection agencies to find consumers that are suddenly 
difficult to locate (skips).  No magic here, just instant 
access to enormous databases containing a variety of 
information that, in most cases, will lead the debt 
collectors to your new front door. 
Snake oil: A negative term used normally by an individual to 
discredit another.  Refers to selling or promoting something 
that falsely claims inflated results or expectations. (A 
favorite term of the American Collectors Association, a 
trade group representing debt collectors across the U.S.) 
Social security number: A nine-digit number issued by the 
Health and Human Services Administration to identify 
Americans for future social security benefits.  This number 
has evolved into the years as a national identifier for 
Americans, a serial number now used for referencing credit 
information files, military and school records, etc. 
Telephone recording device: A $20 device sold by national 
electronic retailer Radio Shack that allows consumers to 
tape telephone conversations for later review.  A great 
equalizer when being harassed by a debt collector who thinks 
he's above the law. 
Tele-terrorist: Term coined by this author to describe 
today's debt collectors who use the telephone or telefax to 
threaten, intimidate or coerce consumers into making (more) 
poor financial decisions. 
Third-party debt collector: Collection agency or attorney 
engaged in the business of collecting debts that they did 
not originate.  Usually taking these accounts on a 
contingency basis, the majority of these collection agencies 
work on a commission basis.  The Fair Debt Collection 
Practices Act specifically regulates the activities of this 
type of collection agent. 
Threats: An indication or warning of probable trouble, often 
illegally used by debt collectors. (see debt collectors or 
Vito) 
Time-Value of money: A concept used by a large number of 
groups involved in money and finance.  When relating to the 
debt collection business, it's an accepted fact that the 
longer an account goes without payment or reduced payments, 
the lower the chances of collecting the entire amount. 
Trial by fire: Term used by individuals, often average 
consumers, who have acquired "street smarts" by dealing 
directly with their financial problems.  These individuals 
frequently include graduates from the "school of hard 
knocks." 
Uncollectible: Term used by creditors to describe an account 
that has gone past a certain period of time without payment, 
usually at least 6-9 months. 
Underground: Another term commonly used for someone who has 
dropped out of sight or "skipped." Usually the result of 
incessant threats and phone calls from unethical debt 
collectors. 
Unscrupulous tactics: Any number of techniques used by debt 
collectors in order to collect money on overdue accounts 
from unsuspecting consumers.