Welcome to Our History Page!
We realize history can be a bit boring, so we promise to keep it short. As you probably saw, JNR got its start in 1970. What began as just Rob working from his apartment 46 years ago, started to take root in the 80's and sprung into full bloom by the mid-90’s. It was an exciting time for all of us at JNR!
First, let’s go back to 1978. It was in that year that the collection industry really started to change, after Congress enacted the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). Soon, other laws followed. By early 1980 we joined the American Collectors' Association (now known as ACA International), the collection industry trade organization and our voice in Washington. Immediately after that, we applied for membership to the Commercial Law League of America, a leading commercial advocate for our industry. During that time we also began carefully licensing our company in each state. As we look back today, those decisions proved wise because today our industry and our clients are very concerned about legal compliance.
In the early days, we focused on commercial business. By 1990 we began working for airlines, handling travel agency debit memos. By 1998 we worked for nearly 50 airlines worldwide. Sadly, many of these airlines no longer exist, mostly due to mergers. But just as technology continued to change, so did the way airlines used technology for their business. As the internet grew, airlines started their own websites and began encouraging their customers to book directly with the airline, thus cutting out the travel agency. By 2004, this line of business almost completely disappeared.
Over the years, we had many clients who placed their NSF checks with us, so in 1995 we formed a ‘NSF Check Recovery’ division that specialized in this line of business. By 1997 we were working for most of the largest retailers, airlines, restaurants and fast-food chains nationwide. In less than 5 years we had become one of the top 10 Check Recovery collection agencies in the United States. Then, banks introduced debit cards, and soon check acceptance was a thing of the past. Another line of business that had come and gone. We're certainly glad we have a diversified portfolio but we've always focused on our core markets and we continue to do that right up to the present.
“We currently have offices in Plymouth, MN and Orlando, FL with a combined total of over 250 employees in office and working remote. We are still growing!”