The Three Key Challenges of International Debt Collection

Right now, there is a debate raging in the United States about whether or not debt collectors should be limited in the interest rates that they are allowed to charge. The debate was ignited by a 2015 court case that was heard by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. The case (Madden v. Midland Funding, LLC.) involved a financial company that bought the plaintiff's credit card debt. When the debt buyer (Midland Funding) tried to collect the plaintiff's debt, the company attempted to charge a 27% interest rate.

The borrower, Saliha Madden, took Midland Funding to court, arguing that the firm was breaking usury laws by exceeding the 25% interest rate cap of New York, her home state. The Second Circuit ruled in favour of the plaintiff, a decision that could have far-reaching effects for the debt collection and debt buying industries.

Midland Funding has sought a second opinion from the Supreme Court, but SCOTUS declined to hear the case. As a result, the burden of making a decision in the case now falls on the Executive Branch. If President Obama sides with the Second Circuit, his decision will make debt collection in the U.S. arguably more complex than it has ever been before. However, while the rules of collecting debt across state lines have just come into the headlines recently, the process of collecting debt across international lines has always been complicated.

Understanding the Hurdles of International Debt Collection

Much of the coverage around this recent debt collection debate has exclusively portrayed the consumer point of view. The idea is that creditors should be capped in the interest rates they can charge because that outcome is fairer to the debtors.

While debt collectors and creditors in general are frequently portrayed in the media as enemies, the view changes if you are on the business side of things. Doing business in the U.S. and taking on the role of creditor is now more complicated because of the nation's emphasis on usury laws. The U.S. is not alone in its priorities, and you have to be careful about how you do business abroad largely because debt collection processes can become extremely convoluted.

1. Courts operate differently in different countries

1. There aren't always regulations there to help you

Josh Foreman of InDebted, a debt collection technology startup based in Australia disagrees. "The days of charging exorbitant interest rates are over. Companies like ours focus on leveraging emerging technologies to drive cost efficiencies, meaning there is no need to add additional interest onto the debt".

1. Insolvent debtors are a ticking time bomb

Furthermore, if your debtor owed tax debts to a government or any debts to a bank, those creditors will be paid first as assets are liquidated, often leaving little or no money left for you to collect. While this fact is also true in the U.S., American creditors also have the option of pushing debtors to restructure their companies and continue operating. This restructuring process brings its own complications but is still sometimes preferable to insolvency if you want to collect as much debt as possible.

Conclusion

Based on these hurdles, companies hoping to do business overseas should look for countries with reasonable court systems, sufficient regulations for debt and debt collection, and the option for insolvency restructuring. Should your business take on a creditor role for a foreign company or client, the features of a country's infrastructure will give you a means of settling debts if and when you need to collect.