President’s Address | ARA’s 62nd Annual Convention | September 29, 2026
Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the American Recovery Association’s 62nd Annual Convention.
Sixty-two years.
Think about that for a moment.
Sixty-two years of ARA representing this industry, supporting recovery professionals, educating our members, and working to move this profession forward.
I think that deserves a round of applause.
What started as a way to provide lenders across this country with a more specialized and professional recovery service grew into the largest association of its kind in the world.
And 62 years later, we are still here. We are still growing. And more importantly, we are still evolving.
Many of you have had the opportunity to watch ARA grow over the years. But only a few have had the opportunity to see this association from the seat I am sitting in today.
I have only been on the Board for a couple of years and have served as your President for about a year, but I can tell you that what you see happening on the outside is only the tip of the iceberg.
And let’s not forget those who have served before us. None of us would be standing here today without the leadership and dedication of those who came before us.
Every one of these leaders accepted the responsibility of serving this association while also running their own businesses and managing their responsibilities at home.
That is no easy task.
Let’s give them the recognition they deserve.
Leading ARA Forward
Since becoming President, I’ve quickly experienced just how full—and fast-moving—some days can be.
But that’s okay.
Because this is what I signed up for.
I signed up to serve.
I signed up to lead.
And sometimes leadership means recognizing that the way we have always done things simply isn’t going to work anymore.
Times have changed.
Our industry has changed.
And the expectations placed on recovery professionals have changed.
Today, it takes more training, more technology, more insurance, more equipment, more compliance, and more financial resources than ever before to operate a professional recovery agency.
We cannot ignore that reality.
We have to accept change.
More importantly, we have to lead it.
Building a Stronger Foundation
As President, I quickly recognized that ARA had a tremendous foundation.
Sixty-two years of history proves that.
But while we had a strong foundation, we needed some of the structure necessary to build upon it.
A foundation gives you something to stand on.
Structure gives you something to build on.
So, we started looking internally.
We began developing Standard Operating Procedures that follow and enforce our bylaws. We restructured our home office, brought in new personnel, and began clearly defining responsibilities and accountability.
Simply put, we are putting the right people in the right seats.
We also created the position of Chief Executive Officer to complement our Executive Director and home office team and bring greater structure and continuity to the business side of ARA.
We are building a system so that when Presidents and Boards change, this association does not stumble or have to start over.
ARA should never be built around one President, one Board, or one personality.
It needs to be built around a system that will continue long after any of us leave these positions.
And if we are going to ask this industry to change, ARA has to lead by example.
The Challenge of Fragmentation
That brings me to one of the greatest challenges I believe our industry faces today:
Fragmentation.
Today, our industry is quite possibly more fragmented than ever before.
From agents to agency owners, state associations to national associations, forwarders, and all the way up to the lending community, too often, we are addressing the same problems from different arenas.
We are fighting the same battles with different messages.
And a fragmented industry cannot speak as one industry with one voice.
If we cannot come together on the fundamental issues affecting all of us, someone else will eventually make those decisions for us.
When I think about that word—fragmented—I can’t help but think about something our country recently paused to remember.
September 11th.
Twenty-five years later, we still remember the unimaginable loss and devastation of that day.
I was in Western New York on September 11th, and I personally remember how horrible it was and how deeply it affected our state and our nation.
But I also remember what happened in the hours, days, and weeks afterward.
For a moment, so many of the things that divided us suddenly didn’t seem as important.
Americans came together.
Neighbors helped neighbors.
And the nation rallied with a renewed sense of purpose.
For the first time in a long time, we were united.
In one of our nation’s darkest moments, we were reminded how strong we can be when we come together around a common purpose.
And I think there is a lesson in that for all of us.
We should not have to wait for tragedy, crisis, or devastation to recognize that we are stronger together.
And our industry should not have to wait for its own major crisis before we decide to come together.
We shouldn’t have to wait until we lose insurance markets.
We shouldn’t have to wait until legislation is written for us.
And we shouldn’t have to wait until professional agencies can no longer afford to operate.
We already know the challenges are here.
So, what are we waiting for?
One Industry. One Voice.
Charting the Course – One Industry. One Voice. is the theme for NARS 2027.
For decades, ARA has been working toward having one voice for our industry.
But in order to have one voice for the industry, we have to work together.
That is why I am extremely pleased that ARA has been working with AFA even more recently to achieve this.
Working together does not mean agreeing on everything.
It means recognizing that some issues are bigger than any one person, group, or association.
Rather than spending our energy working separately, we intend to start using that energy together.
And one of our goals is to work toward something I believe this industry desperately needs:
National repossession guidelines.
A professional baseline for training, education, vetting, insurance, compliance, breach of peace, and accountability.
The fundamental expectations of a professional recovery agency should not dramatically change simply because you work for a buy-here-pay-here dealer or a national lender, cross a state line, or belong to a different association.
There should be a baseline that all of us can recognize and stand behind.
The Cost of Professionalism
Using real data, we also need to educate the industry about how dramatically the cost of doing business has changed.
Our industry has changed, but compensation has not kept pace because we haven’t required it.
At the same time, agencies are being asked to accept more requirements, more responsibility, and often more liability.
There is nothing wrong with accountability or compliance. Professional companies should welcome reasonable standards.
But all of these things have a cost.
And we cannot continue driving the cost and liability of providing professional service upward while compensation remains stagnant.
That is not sustainable.
This is also where we need to educate each other.
Recovery agencies need to understand the pressures, risks, and expectations facing lenders and forwarders.
And lenders and forwarders need to understand the actual costs of operating a professional recovery agency today.
Not what it cost ten years ago.
What it costs today.
But education also requires listening.
We have to be receptive to change.
Not every new requirement is an attack on our industry.
Sometimes change is necessary.
Sometimes change makes us better.
And sometimes, the way we have always done something simply does not make sense anymore.
At the same time, our partners need to understand the financial and operational impact of the changes they ask us to make.
That requires communication.
It requires transparency.
And it requires a willingness to listen to one another.
Because when we understand the actual costs, risks, and responsibilities involved, the conversation changes.
It stops being only about price.
It becomes about value.
Sustainability.
Safety.
And professionalism.
Raising the Standard
That is where I believe ARA has an important responsibility.
Not simply to advocate for this industry, but to help raise the standard of this industry.
To provide meaningful training and education.
To promote compliance, proper insurance, and professional vetting.
To support our state associations.
And to work with lawmakers, lenders, forwarders, AFA, and the Eagle Twenty Group.
We need to help establish professional standards that this industry can stand behind.
Because if we want the world to understand what professional repossession looks like, then we have to define it ourselves.
And we have to live by it.
The Challenge Ahead
So, as we begin this 62nd Convention, my challenge to everyone in this room is simple:
Get involved.
Educate yourself.
Educate others.
Listen.
Be willing to change.
And be willing to participate in the future of this profession.
It is easy to sit on the sidelines and criticize.
It is much harder to sit at the table and help build the solution.
Sixty-two years ago, the founders of this association understood something that I believe is just as important today:
We are stronger together.
This convention is an opportunity to celebrate where we have been.
But more importantly, it is an opportunity to decide where we are going next.
And I believe the next chapter of this industry needs to be written together.
One profession.
One standard of professionalism.
And most of all—One industry. One voice.
Welcome to the 62nd Convention of the American Recovery Association.
Let’s get to work.
Todd Case
President
