Baycorp began 60 years ago as the Hutt Valley Collection Agency, established in Wellington New Zealand in 1956.
The first client on the books was Wellington Newspapers, who are still an important client today. Ray’s son, Neil, took over running the business, before establishing Bay Collection Agency in Rotorua NZ, while Neil’s other son, Keith, took over Hutt Valley Collections at that time. The two businesses were merged and formed New Zealand’s first consumer credit bureau in 1986, while also listing on the NZ Stock Exchange under the parent company Baycorp Holdings Limited. The company was New Zealand's largest receivables management company and became synonymous with debt collection in New Zealand throughout the 80s and 90s.
In 1999, the company established a footprint in Australia, by establishing a joint venture receivables management company, Alliance Group. The joint venture partners were Baycorp, Data Advantage (the Australian credit bureau), and Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), with each partner holding a one-third share in Alliance. This business was sponsored by CBA in the first stage of its outsourcing strategy and all CBA defaulted consumer debts were serviced through Alliance. The Alliance business is the foundation for the Australian collections business which now forms part of the Baycorp Group.
In December 2001, Baycorp Holdings merged with the Australian listed Data Advantage to create Baycorp Advantage Limited (BCA), which was dual listed on both the ASX and the NZX. The merger of the two companies was based on the premise of key strategic and operational advantages that existed between the two groups, delivering core competencies from the merging business to produce the leading consumer bureau, data and analytical services and collection services business in Australasia.
Following the merger, Baycorp Advantage acquired the remaining one-third interest in Alliance from CBA, and the exclusive nature of Alliance’s relationship with CBA came to an end.
In June 2006, private equity sponsored Trans-Tasman Collections Holdings acquired Baycorp’s debt collection business in Australia and New Zealand and separated this from the other parts of the Baycorp Advantage group.
As part of the purchase, the iconic Baycorp brand was acquired, which Trans-Tasman Collections subsequently adopted. The resulting company became the Baycorp that exists today and maintains a strong market leadership position across the region.
In continuing a focus to improve and consolidate the industry, Baycorp acquired the business of Repcol (WA) Pty Ltd, a Western Australian collection business in 2009. This further expanded the company’s footprint throughout Australasia.
Taking Baycorp’s capabilities to new levels, Baycorp entered into a strategic alliance with world-leading debt management and recovery company, Encore Capital Group in September 2015. Encore brings with it highly advanced predictive analytics, technology and decision science expertise, allowing Baycorp’s debt resolution to be more scientific and targeted, making debt more collectable than ever before.
Today we have three operational sites located in New Zealand, Australia and Manila. In New Zealand there are seven regional offices, including Wellington and Christchurch, all of which have Business Development representatives.