The Consumer Furnishing Playbook

Start with the intended accounts

Define the account population before preparing the cycle. Compare it with the previous period and explain additions, closures and transfers. Keep rent, installment and consumer lease relationships distinct where their treatment differs. A count helps identify a difference, but the account history explains it. When an account moves between properties or servicing systems, preserve the relationship between its old and current identifiers so its history remains understandable.

Keep three records connected

Maintain a clear relationship between the original account evidence, the prepared reporting record and the version actually released. They serve different purposes. Source evidence explains what happened; a mapped record expresses it in the destination format; the released version records what was sent. A later correction should not erase the ability to reconstruct an earlier decision.

Use this with your team

Work through these questions with the people who prepare and review the records. Keep the answers with your program notes, along with the evidence you relied on and the person responsible for any follow-up. Return to unresolved questions before making the next decision.

• Which accounts belong in this reporting period?
• Can you explain changes from the previous cycle?
• Which account types require separate treatment?