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News for Spring
April 2026
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Listening to Our Community
Laura McMillan, President
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The Power of Commitment
I’ve mentioned before that I serve on the board of a nonprofit social service agency in Seattle. FamilyWorks does really terrific work assisting families in need through a food bank and mobile pantry, as well as providing family support services in multiple locations. Recently, our board members were each asked to complete an annual commitment form.
| | | | | The form asks us to commit to attending board meetings, serving on a committee, volunteering time at the food bank, supporting fundraising efforts, or helping with donor outreach. It could feel a little daunting—but I found it refreshing because of the clarity it provides. Everyone knows what is expected, and we each have a choice in how we contribute. | | | |
Commitment, in that context, feels energizing. We are all willing to step up because we believe in the mission.
Commitment is also powerful. When we give it—to an organization or to each other—we’re making a promise to follow through. In many ways, our professional lives depend on the commitments we make and keep every day.
I’ve been thinking about commitment recently as we head into membership renewal season. As an association, NACM makes a clear commitment to you: we work hard to keep membership dues as low as possible so that cost is not a barrier to participation.
If you are your company’s main point of contact, you likely saw my recent email sharing that there will be no increase in annual dues this year. At $370 per year, NACM membership continues to be one of the best values available to credit professionals. It doesn’t take much—one educational session, one Best Practices discussion, or one industry group meeting—to deliver a return that far exceeds that cost.
But if you’re doing the math, you might reasonably ask: how does NACM provide all of this with dues set at that level?
Here’s the simple answer. Membership dues alone do not fund this association.
The majority of our revenue comes from the credit reports, collections services, and partner solutions that we provide. Those services allow us to deliver the education, networking, and professional resources that members rely on.
In other words, your buying decisions directly support NACM’s ability to serve you and the broader credit community.
That’s where commitment comes back in.
If you value what NACM provides—and I know you do—one of the most meaningful ways to demonstrate that commitment is in how you choose to do business. When you need credit reports, collections support, or related services, I ask you to start with NACM.
Before you go elsewhere, check with us first.
That simple decision has a direct impact. It allows us to keep dues low, invest in programming, and continue building a strong, connected community of credit professionals.
I know that our members care deeply about this organization. I hope this behind-the-scenes look helps connect the dots between your membership and the broader model that makes it all work.
So, thank you—not just for your membership, but for your continued commitment to NACM. Through your participation, your engagement, and your decision to do business with us, you are helping sustain and strengthen this association for everyone.
If you have any questions or if you’d like to learn more about our services, I always welcome the conversation. Please feel free to reach out to me anytime at lauram@nacmbcs.org.
| | News from the NACM National Office | |
NACM’s New Online Community is now live!
Giving you a central place to connect, collaborate, and engage with fellow credit professionals year-round.
This new platform was built with you in mind. Designed to strengthen the connections that make NACM valuable by giving members a dedicated space to continue conversations, exchange ideas, and support one another beyond events and webinars.
Inside the community, you can:
• Ask practical questions and share your expertise with peers
• Sanity-check decisions and gain perspective from professionals facing similar challenges
• Share templates, policies, and real-world experiences
• Continue important conversations between NACM events, courses, and webinars
• Participate in the NACM Mentor Match Program as a mentor or mentee to support professional growth
Whether you’re looking for insight, discussion, or collaboration, this is your space to engage with professionals who understand the challenges and opportunities you face every day.
Simply log in using your NACM credentials, then take a moment to update your profile and communication preferences to get the most from your experience.
Special thanks to our friends at United Tranzactions (UTA) for supporting the development of this exciting program.
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| Professional Education Opportunities | | |
Word for Contracts, Manuals, and Other Large Documents
Online Class
Tuesday, 4/7/2026 from 8:00AM-12:00PM PT
Registration Fee $135
This course offers an in-depth exploration of advanced features in Microsoft Word, focusing on mastering the management and organization of long documents. Students will learn how to utilize advanced find and replace techniques, manipulate styles effectively, and navigate complex documents using tools such as the Navigation Pane and Outline View. Additionally, participants will gain expertise in creating automatic tables of contents and managing headers and footers.
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Excel Conditional Formatting
Online Class
Tuesday, 4/21/2026 from 8:00AM-12:00PM PT
Registration Fee $135
This in-depth course on Excel’s Conditional Formatting begins with foundational concepts and rapidly progresses to advanced techniques. Students will learn to make key data stand out by applying a range of visual enhancements, including colors, icons, and data bars, making it easier to identify trends, patterns, and outliers in their datasets.
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Register today for the Big Credit Event of the year.
National Credit Congress goes to St. Louis and is sure to be fully of education and networking opportunities. If you're a first timer, you will have a great experience. If you're a veteran and haven't attended since before COVID, you will find that it's time to get re-engaged in our profession. Sign up today!
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Scholarships Available for Credit Congress
Do you want to attend Credit Congress but your company's budget may be a little short of money for professional education? Then turn to our scholarship offerings available through our own Business Credit Foundation. Click on the link below for guidelines and qualifications. If you seem to fit, fill out the application and we will see how we can help you. Deadline for applications is April 15th.
For Credit Congress, scholarships are good for registration. You or your company have to cover travel and ancillary expenses. It's a great way to enhance your skills and development a great professional network. There are limited awards available so apply today!
Scholarship Information
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Vetting a Customer
Online Webinar
Wednesday, 4/15/2026 from 12:00PM-1:00PM PT
Members – FREE / Non-Members – $25
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Join us for an introductory session on the importance of vetting customers before extending credit. Presented by creditors’ rights attorney Tom Fawkes, this webinar will provide a high-level overview of why proper vetting matters and set the stage for best practices and considerations that help protect your business.
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How to Protect Your Loved Ones from Fraud
Round-Table – Open Mic Exchange
Presented by Tyler Vose
Presented by CFDD WAHIAK
APRIL 23, 2026 | THURSDAY | NOON-1:00PM-PST (1-2pmMT; 2-3pmCST; 3-4pmEST | .1 CEU’S
Join us for an informative session focused on helping families recognize and prevent some of today’s most common scams. We’ll explore key threats such as elder fraud, romance and “love” scams, and imposters who pose as family or friends to take over accounts or steal personal information. Participants will learn what these scams look like, the warning signs to watch for, and practical steps to take if you or someone you care about becomes a victim. This webinar is designed to empower you with knowledge to stay vigilant and protect the people who matter most.
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Can you pass the new U.S. citizenship test?
It's always interesting to see what we don't know about our nation. If you were in line today to become a U.S. citizen, you would have to answer these questions. So, give it try and see if you were awake in your school civics class way back when.
Click here: The Seattle Times
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Credit on Tap
Best Practices & Happy Hour
April 16, 2026 @ 4pm | Anchorage AK
Credit on Tap is a new, informal, no‑cost gathering designed for credit professionals who want to stay informed and build connections in a relaxed setting. Each event begins with an hour of best‑practice discussion, followed by a casual happy hour for networking and conversation. Attendees can expect practical insights and meaningful opportunities to connect with peers in the industry.
4:00 – 5:00 PM | Best Practice Discussions
Dive into smart strategies and real-world solutions shaping the credit industry. Bring your ideas, questions, and curiosity—this is your chance to learn from peers and elevate your approach.
5:00 – 6:00 PM | Social Hour
After the discussion, kick back and network over drinks and light bites. NACM BCS will provide snacks and non-alcoholic beverages. Other drinks will be available for purchase.
Click Here: RSVP Required
| | Trade Credit & Liquidity Management | |
Our partners at TCL&M offer interesting educational material through their regular newsletter. Take a look at this entry from the most recent newsletter and then consider subscribing to the publication. Click on the title below.
The Forgotten Role of the Order-to-Cash Cycle
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Are you trying to fill or find a position? Use our Job Center!
Take advantage of the Job Center at nacmbcs.org. If you're having trouble filling a position in your company or looking for a new job, use this opportunity to reach a lot of people!
It's easy to post an opening. Just fill out the form. After that, the most viewed part of our website will get attention to your needs. If you're looking for a job, the list of openings we know about is updated regularly.
Best of all, it's a free service that comes with membership in NACM BCS. Check it out today.
Click here for the Job Center
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PSE wants 30% rate increase; clean energy mandates behind request
Energy bills shot up by 12% this year for Puget Sound Energy customers due to the state-approved recovery of costs related to Climate Commitment Act compliance, expanding clean energy portfolios, and critical grid reliability investments. That’s nothing, compared to what the utility is asking for in a new three-year rate change plan.
Read: Yahoo News
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Politicians claim they're trying to make life cheaper. Economists are appalled.
Both Republicans and Democrats have put forward a flurry of ideas to tackle America’s affordability problem, but economists don’t particularly like most of what’s being offered.
Read: Anchorage Daily News/Washington Post
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How to donate, receive help following Hawaii’s Kona-low storms
The state, counties and nonprofit organizations have stepped in to support Kona-low storm relief efforts including food and GoFundMe accounts that provide financial support for programs and private donations. To donate: Hawaii Food Bank
Read More: The Garden Isle
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Last of Hawaii's Big Five ends more than a century of public ownership
Alexander & Baldwin, the last of the Big Five operating companies with roots in the former sugar and transportation industries of Hawaii, and today a Hawaiʻi-based owner, operator and developer of high-quality commercial real estate in the state, announced that a joint venture formed by an affiliate of MW Group and funds affiliated with Blackstone Real Estate and DivcoWest (collectively, the "Investor Group") has completed its previously announced acquisition of all outstanding A&B common shares in an all-cash transaction with an enterprise value of approximately $2.3 billion, including outstanding debt.
Read More: Yahoo.com
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A downturn in Las Vegas could signal tough times for the nation
Casinos have closed card rooms, restaurants have cut hours, and resorts have scrambled to lure customers back with deals and discounts.
And pain in Las Vegas, a sequin-draped economic indicator, tends to signal a malady in the nation at large.
Read More: The Seattle Times
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Ferguson signs WA high-earners income tax; challenges expected
Gov. Bob Ferguson signed a high-earners income tax into law Monday morning, enacting a 9.9% levy on earnings of more than $1 million.
The new tax would start on 2028 income for people who meet the threshold, with the first payments due in 2029. It is expected to bring in roughly $3 billion to $4 billion a year, affecting an estimated 21,000 households.
That is, if it survives expected lawsuits and ballot challenges from Republicans and business groups. Opponents quickly announced a plan Monday to file a lawsuit seeking to invalidate the tax.
Read more: The Seattle Times
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Bankruptcy Venue Reform Act
Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Ben Cline (R-VA) introduced the Bankruptcy Venue Reform Act, bipartisan legislation which requires that Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings take place where the principal place of business or principal assets of the corporation are located. "Corporations currently have the ability to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and then potentially choose courts that have issued lenient rulings to hear their cases," said Rep. Lofgren (CA-18). "Bankruptcies should be adjudicated locally in a court familiar with all the affected stakeholders, not in some court all the way across the country.
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"Our bipartisan Bankruptcy Venue Reform Act is commonsense legislation that will prevent corporations from venue shopping and tipping the scales of justice." “Large corporations should not be able to manipulate the bankruptcy system to their advantage while workers, small businesses, and local communities are left behind. Venue shopping erodes trust in the process and shuts out the very people most affected by these decisions. Requiring Chapter 11 cases to be filed where a company is primarily located is a commonsense step to ensure greater transparency, fairness, and accountability for everyone involved,” said Rep. Cline (VA-06).
Nationally, NACM’s longstanding position on the issue of venue is: Where a case is filed can have significant impact on the outcome.
To read the bill: House Bill
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Calendar
Industry Groups, Seminars and Conferences, Webinars
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Industry Groups
Puget Sound
Wednesday, April 15
Food - 10:00 a.m.
Teams
Tacoma Construction - 11:30 a.m.
Mama Stortini's / Teams
Thursday, April 16
Seattle Suppliers Group - .
*No Meeting This Month*
Wiring - 11:30 a.m.
Duke's / Online
Tuesday, April 21
HVAC
Duke's
Alaska
Thursday, April 16
Alaska Suppliers - 1:00 AKT
ReHaru Sushi and Zoom
Hawaii
Thursday, April 16
Hawaii Hospitality - 9:00 a.m. HST
Waikiki Yacht Club
Friday, April 21
Hawaii Building - 11:30 a.m. HST
Hawaiian Cement / Teams
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Webinars
Vetting a Customer
Online Webinar
Wednesday, 4/15/2026 - 12:00PM-1:00PM PT
| Coming soon to a 1040 near you! | | |
Serving the commercial credit profession since 1899
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