About once a month, Bernie drops in to share his recent adventures (you may recall Bernie - the guy who started this business 38 years ago.) Well he's been retired for awhile but "retired" to Bernie means more time to do fun things like work. In any event, Bernie is working as a consultant with the local SCORE group (retired executives that offer consulting). One of the things that he is working on is Commitment to Quality or as he says "Bernie's Rules for Keeping Customers". The principles are:

• Quality is in the mind of the customer...You're the boss.
• Everybody at CCC must be committed to your idea of quality, not ours.

I'm sure you can see where this is going. We can't think of a better way to earn your trust and business than by saying "tell us what you want - we'll do it" Not try to do it or maybe but we'll do it. Just e-mail me or fax me a line "Here's what we want out of CCC". Seems easy, give it a try.

Don't ever let a salesman tell you differently. The secret to a good collection agency (or for that matter, any organization) is the people you work with. As President of CCC, I am blessed with an exceptional staff and I'm very pleased to recognize several in this newsletter. As of June 1, 2001 Judy Mattioli has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing and Paul Levine to Vice President of Sales. Promotions such as these are based on two factors (1) Contributions to the company over the life of their career and (2) the responsibilities they undertake in their present position. Both of these fine people are more than deserving of these. Thanks for letting me brag a bit.

Got an idea for a future newsletter? Can we answer your questions? Let us hear from you!

The restaurant where I took my two sons for a meal was crowded with fans watching a sporting event on television. The harried waitress took our order, but more than half an hour passed with no sign of her return.

I was trying to keep my kids from becoming restless when suddenly shouts of victory came from the bar. "Hey," commented my 11-year-old, "it sounds as if someone just got his food."

If you remember from our last newsletter, I provided an update on the New Bankruptcy Laws. At that point, the Bankruptcy Act was next up after the new Tax Law Act but for a few procedural problems, should have been ready for President Bush's signature. Senator Jeffords jumping ship has thrown a monkey wrench in that strategy. Now each committee of the Senate will change leadership and then the Democrats will try to put forth their own agenda. The irony of this whole thing is Clinton had a passed bill in his pocket and chose not to sign the matter. Now with a Republican President, it would seem a sure thing has become more muddled than before. We are still sure of a new law but politics once again has taken over. By the way, it's noteworthy that bankruptcy filings have avalanched. Gary Weiner, bankruptcy attorney in the Western District of Massachusetts, was recently quoted as saying "My calls have tripled in the last 90 days. People and companies that have been borderline or contemplating bankruptcy are rushing to the courts to get filed before the new laws are enacted". The national statistics support this reaction as bankruptcies for the first quarter of 2001 have risen 17.5% for the same period.

We still plan on giving you the update; we're just waiting for it to happen.

Imagine that you are filling various length tubes with marbles. A yellow marble is 19 millimeters wide and a green marble is 21 millimeters wide. How many of each will exactly fill a tube that is 562 millimeters long?

ANSWER TO APRIL'S BERNIE'S BRAINERS
Potatoes 25 cents
Eggplants 75 cents

Virtually every credit manager has been faced with claims where the debtor's phone number or address is no longer available. In the past, the tools available for skip tracing seemed cumbersome and time-consuming; however, with the advent of the Internet, those procedures have been changing. Utilizing an array of sources now on your computer, skip tracing can be accomplished in half the time.

We, at CCC, receive many claims that may be termed "skips." We define a skip when mail is returned or we are unable to develop a phone number. Inasmuch as contact with debtors is the key to the solution of an account, we immediately launch a skip tracing effort using the new tools of the Internet.

One of the first web sites that we consult is www.555.1212.com. This site allows the user to obtain information using either the debtor's address or phone number. It also gives the user the capability of obtaining phone numbers of neighboring businesses and residences. This works in a similar fashion as the old crisscross directories where you needed one for every city in the country. Now with a few clicks, we can hone in on a specific address. Once we develop the phone numbers or address of neighbors, we can then obtain eyewitness information on the viability of either the location or the individual for which we are searching.

Another new and exciting site now being used by CCC is www.searchwiz.com. This also allows the user to obtain either company or individual information by using the provided material, such as address or phone number. The site can also be used to locate the principal's name and address, as well as possible owners or responsible parties for payment of outstanding debts.

In terms of obtaining the background of businesses around the country and, in some cases, internationally, a new search engine we have developed is called www.google.com. This location will locate several possible hits on a business name and allows the user to determine the most favorable contact. It will also give the information as to the principal's name, as well as a viable phone listing and web sites set up for the business you are trying to search. The web site can then provide a great deal of useful information to determine collectibility, as well as aid in making contact.

There are many more sites that are available to credit managers to be used at their discretion. Some, however, come with a price tag for services, such as a newer site that we recently found, www.anywho.com. It is run by A T & T and it gives us a great deal of information. Another site we have developed recently is www.trac.com, which covers countless varieties of searches, some of which include phone numbers, asset searches, post office box searches and motor vehicle record searches.

A new source of information has been the Secretary of State of each state where businesses are conducted. We have developed a list of about 20% of states that have web sites where corporate filings can be checked, as well as judgments and attachments. This list will do nothing more than grow as states realize the economy of having this information on line.

In the future, we expect to see many more sites become available, including, as mentioned, continued growth within the government agencies. As this information is developed, CCC will be sure to keep you advised. While we use this information in our attempts to locate and collect for debtors, certainly this information can be shared, creating a greater demand and improving the collectibility of accounts both in your office and in ours.