Analyst - Collections Specialist

Collections Specialist is responsible for managing and recovering outstanding receivables across business customers, commercial borrowers, and corporate/charge card accounts. This role requires strong verbal and written communication, solid negotiation skills, familiarity with US collections laws and commercial lending and charge-card practices, and the ability to manage a diverse portfolio of accounts to minimize credit loss while preserving customer relationships. Collections Specialist is responsible for managing and recovering outstanding receivables across business customers, commercial borrowers, and corporate/charge card accounts. This role requires strong verbal and written communication, solid negotiation skills, familiarity with US collections laws and commercial lending and charge-card practices, and the ability to manage a diverse portfolio of accounts to minimize credit loss while preserving customer relationships. Key Responsibilities: Manage a portfolio of commercial accounts, business entity receivables, charge/corporate card accounts, and commercial loans. Conduct end-to-end collections activities: outreach (email, phone, portal messages), negotiation of payment arrangements, settlement discussions, chargeback resolution, and escalation when necessary. Review account histories, cardholder agreements, merchant statements, invoices, credit agreements, and payment records to determine obligations and appropriate collection strategies. Prepare and send professional collection correspondence and payment demand notices; draft clear, grammatically correct emails and letters to customers, cardholders, internal stakeholders, and external counsel. Investigate disputed card transactions, First-Party and Third-Party chargebacks, suspected fraud or ATO issues, and coordinate with Fraud/Operations teams. Coordinate with underwriting, billing, credit, legal, card operations, and account management teams on disputed balances, reconciliations, workout plans, and UCC filings. Execute skip-tracing, business entity and cardholder verification, and research into corporate ownership and contact information using internal systems, public records and third party applications. Maintain accurate case notes, payment plans, reconciliations, and documentation in the collections system to ensure auditability and compliance. Escalate high-risk or legally sensitive accounts to Legal or Senior Collections for recovery actions, litigation referral, charge-off recommendations, or card program enforcement (suspensions, account closures). Monitor and comply with US federal and state collections laws and regulations (including FDCPA where applicable, Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), State statutes of limitation), and card network rules (Visa, Mastercard) and issuer program policies. Meet or exceed collections KPIs and SLAs (recovery rate, promise-to-pay adherence, call/contact quotas), and contribute to process improvements. Required Skills & Qualifications: Education: Bachelor's degree in finance, Business, Accounting, or related field preferred. Experience: 3+ years of collections experience in banking, B2B accounts receivable, commercial lending, card programs, payments or fintech. Portfolio Management: Experience handling charge/corporate card portfolios, chargebacks, and merchant/cardholder dispute workflows. Industry Knowledge: Strong knowledge of commercial collections practices, billing/invoicing, payment terms, settlements, and workout strategies. Compliance: Familiarity with US collections laws and card network rules and an ability to apply them practically in collections activities. Verbal Communication: Excellent verbal communication and negotiation skills; comfortable with difficult conversations with business customers, cardholders, and decision-makers. Written Communication: Strong written communication with excellent grammar and ability to produce professional emails, demand letters, and internal reports. Analytical Skills: Solid analytical and problem-solving skills; attention to detail in documentation, reconciliations, and case management. Operational Efficiency: Ability to manage multiple accounts and priorities, meet SLAs, and perform effectively in a fast-paced environment. Technical Proficiency: Proficiency with MS Office (Excel, Outlook) and collections/accounting/card operations systems (ERP, CRM, or specialized collections software). Preferred Attributes: Specialized Experience: Experience with commercial lending portfolios, UCC filings, or coordinating with legal teams on recoveries. Industry Background: Prior experience in banks, card issuers, payment processors, or fintech environments. Research Tools: Exposure to skip-trace tools, public records research, and business entity databases. Certifications: Certifications in collections, credit management, or card operations compliance are a plus.