Jeff Ragsdale from TransUnion on Executive Spotlight
What are your primary duties in your current role?
I work with all debt buyers, collection agencies and collections law firms on best practices and implementation of TU data that includes: Scores, Attributes, Fraud Data, Locate and Asset Searches.
Industry Q&A:
How did you join the receivables industry?
I joined the receivables industry 15 years ago by answering an ad for TransUnion. I am passionate about this industry. We are the unsung heroes of capitalism and I work daily to help our customers collect as much as possible for them and their clients. I believe it is critical for our country that this industry thrives.
In the receivables industry, what emerging trend has your attention?
Fraud. Fraud is a $30B a year problem and all of that paper ends up as bad debt. I believe our debt buyers are buying fraudulent accounts that they will never collect on, our attorneys are suing accounts that will never pay and our agencies are chasing debtors that do not exist or did not incur the debt. I have worked to bring our fraud data to the industry and I would like to see its adoption to help our customers reduce costs and collect more.
What are your hopes for the receivables industry?
I would hope our industry would be recognized for the vital part of the economy that we are and that we would get favorable rules and legislation that would allow us to collect more and help keep prices down for consumers that do pay their bills. I think it is easy to beat up on our industry, but if we collect more, issuers do not have as many losses and can keep prices down for all consumers. My hopes are that someday, that message is heard and we get reasonable rules that protect consumers, but allow us to do our jobs.
What is your favorite part of working at your company?
I love working at TransUnion. The insights that we can bring to companies about the consumers they are calling is very impactful. Our scores normally identify 85%-95% of all collections in the top 50% of accounts. This provides a tremendous number of operational efficiencies for our clients. To work with them on implementing strategies with this data is highly rewarding. I love going to work everyday.
Professional Motivation & Inspiration:
“The harder I work, the luckier I get.” – Ben Franklin
I do believe you can make your own luck. Hard work and dedication can help bring success. In my 15 years at TransUnion I have met with hundreds of agencies and, hopefully, helped many of them thrive and survive during difficult times. I love my work at TU and I look forward to working with more agencies during my next 15 years.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received in life?
Leave life with no regrets. Personal happiness and satisfaction are very important to me and I have made several moves personally to help me live my best life. I moved to a small fishing village just south of Savannah, GA, where I learned how to boat and fish on small inshore boats. I have just graduated to a 40′ off shore sport fisher and am now learning how to offshore fish. If you don’t enjoy life, what is the point?
What are you most proud of, or what is your biggest accomplishment?
My family. We have raised an amazing young man who is about to complete his first year of college and is a strong leader in his faith. My wife of 23 years and I enjoy boating to the islands on weekends when I am not fishing. We are very happy and I am very thankful every day for that.
Personal Q&A:
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I never really had an occupation that I dreamed of growing up. I knew I wanted to be happy personally, but never really knew what that meant for an occupation. When I answered an ad for TransUnion’s Collection Vertical, I never dreamed that I would actually get the job having no industry experience. I am just very thankful that I did.
If you work from home, what is the best thing about your home office setup/working from home? And if you work in an office, what is your favorite part of working in the office?
I work from home with a screened in porch that overlooks the intercoastal water way. Think Forrest Gump and the shrimp boats! Most days, I take my calls while watching all the boats, wildlife and sea activity while doing my work. I love it!
What is your favorite book, movie, TV show, podcast, or music genre?
I am a Jimmy Buffett guy. Love his music, love his philosophy, love his lifestyle. While not able to live as well as Jimmy did, I do have a ton of fun in my little part of the ocean. If you get on my boat, get ready for some Buffett.
People would be surprised if they knew…
I am on the City Council for my town. I live in the 2nd oldest city in Georgia and (as a history minor) I wanted to run to help preserve a lot of our historical assets while promoting ecotourism in our area.
Do you have a pet? If so, what kind and what’s their name?
I have two dogs: Brody and Spot. They are rescue dogs and are spoiled rotten and loved. I just can’t get them to like riding on the boat! Ugh.
About TransUnion
TransUnion is a global information and insights company that makes trust possible in global commerce. The organization does this through a Tru™ picture of each person: an actionable view of each consumer based on a robust set of online, offline, public, and proprietary information, stewarded with care. TransUnion’s status as a global insights company extends into the collections landscape with its first and third-party collections department. Their recovery teams help improve portfolio performance and recovery through a smarter debt recovery method powered by the Tru platform.
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