A few thoughts from Jon Flora, President & CEO

Many of us have had some exposure to the Equifax data breach. Now, news of Facebook’s alleged mishandling of customer data has caught the attention of the Federal Trade Commission, Congress and others.

And just a few days ago, word came that Boeing had been hacked. Ties with Russia? Impact on elections? Industrial espionage? This is the stuff of action movies.

What’s it all mean for you and me? Let’s take social media. Our organization was a late arrival on the social media scene, somewhat intentionally. It takes some effort to make this avenue of communication truly effective. After considering our options, we beefed up our presence on LinkedIn and Facebook a couple of years ago. Many of you follow us regularly and have told us you appreciate our presence on these two sites. We have avoided Twitter and the litany of other sites mostly because you haven’t asked for them. So, don’t expect tweeting or twitter-pating from us!

We will be watching with great interest as Facebook and the others get grilled about their use of customer data for potentially nefarious activities. If we have to make any changes to protect our members, rest assured we will do so.

Regarding data for credit reports, the bureaus have become hyper-sensitive about how data is handled, stored, and used. This stems from the Equifax data breach and a desire by the competing bureaus to avoid a similar fate. NACM BCS and all other resellers are being required to regularly update customer forms, files and user information particularly as it relates to consumer data. This will require a different and costlier process on our end – which we are already beginning to implement – to ensure that you and all members/customers are compliant. As this continues to unfold, we appreciate your patience and help to make this all work because there really will be no choice if we want the information necessary to do our jobs. Part of our new internal processes will be to make these requirements as easy as possible for you while keeping the bureaus happy.

Aside from Russians, data breeches and hackers, please take note of three events:

  • Our Business Credit Principles Online Class begins April 5th. If you forgot to register, we can still make it happen for you. See the article below.
  • Our Annual Seminar & Meeting is on May 7th. We have a great half day of programming for you along with a complementary lunch. Details follow along with a link to register.
  • Finally, NACM National Credit Congress is in Phoenix in June. We already have a good size group of our members registered and invite you to join us, too.

Spring has finally arrived. Enjoy the longer days and sun.