Factoring Company Guide
First Step: Filling Out the Application
Alright, let's get down to business. You want in on the factoring game? It starts with a simple application. Just the basics about your business – nothing too fancy, just enough to get the ball rolling.
But, you’ll need to dig up some financial dirt, like your accounts receivable aging report. We're looking to get the full scoop on how your customers handle their bills. It’s not just about your history with them; it's about their entire financial story.
Here's where you spell out your financial dreams. How many invoices are you thinking of factoring? What's your ideal advance rate? The terms all hinge on how risky your customers are and what kind of industry you’re playing in.
And here’s a pro tip: the more you factor, the better your rates. It's that simple.
We'll take your application and do some serious number-crunching to see if factoring is the right fit for you. Once you're approved, it's time to huddle up and hash out the specifics. Think big – the larger the amount, the better the deal.
During the negotiation, we'll break down every cost, so you know exactly what you're getting into. After that, we hit the ground running – checking out your customers, ensuring everything's on the up-and-up, and getting you that cash advance fast.
Factoring Company Benefits
Factoring Benefits: Elevate Your Business Efficiency
- Focus on business growth, free from cash flow concerns.
- Experience the ease of obtaining cash without loan repayments, available in days.
- Retain full control and decision-making power in your business.
- Minimize the costs involved in chasing down payments.
- Exercise superior control over your cash flow through strategic invoice selection.
- Stay financially ahead of clients with delayed payments.
- Use a reliable cash flow to boost your production and sales.
- Leverage expert services for efficient payment collections and credit checks.
- Ensure you can always meet your payroll obligations.
- Maintain sufficient funds for payroll taxes at all times.
- Access discounts for bulk purchases, enhancing your bottom line.
- Improve your purchasing power, leading to significant savings.
- Enhance your credit rating with consistent cash flow for bill payments.
- Ensure capital availability for expanding your business.
- Allocate enough resources for effective marketing strategies.
- Observe a positive transformation in your financial statements.
- Receive detailed, actionable reports on your accounts receivable.
Is Factoring For You
The Importance of Factoring
"A sale isn't truly complete until the money is in your bank." Are you unwittingly becoming a part-time banker for your customers? It's time to take stock.
Review your accounts receivable. How many are overdue by 30 days or more? This isn't just a number; it's a reflection of how you're inadvertently extending credit, interest-free. This likely wasn't your plan when you started your business.
Imagine if your customers sought a bank loan for the same amount. They would expect, and accept, a significant interest rate. Yet, here you are, not reaping any interest, and more crucially, missing out on reinvesting that capital in your business.
Your clients, in essence, are enjoying an interest-free loan at your expense. What could you achieve with that capital if it were available for immediate use? It's time to reassess the real cost of your generosity.
Factoring History
Factoring History
Welcome to the world of factoring. Whether you're a business owner, aspiring entrepreneur, or seeking new financial tools for your current employer, factoring can help you achieve your financial goals. Surprisingly, factoring serves as the financial backbone for many successful American businesses.
The irony lies in the fact that factoring is rarely taught in business colleges, seldom mentioned in business plans, and remains relatively unknown to the majority of American businesspeople. However, it plays a crucial role in freeing up billions of dollars every year, enabling thousands of businesses to thrive and prosper.
So, what exactly is factoring? It is the process of purchasing commercial accounts receivable (invoices) from a business at a discount. In today's business landscape, offering credit terms to customers has become a common practice in order to secure business. However, these terms can strain the financial health of new or struggling companies, as cash flow is the lifeblood of any business.
Factoring has a rich and ancient tradition, dating back 4,000 years to the days of Hammurabi, the king of Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia, often called the "cradle of civilization," contributed numerous advancements including writing, structured business codes, government regulations, and the concept of factoring.
Over time, various civilizations embraced factoring. The Romans, for example, were the first to sell promissory notes at a discount. In the American colonies before the revolution, factoring gained widespread documented use. The colonists relied on merchant bankers in London and Europe who provided funds in advance for shipping cotton, furs, and timber before they reached the continent. This allowed the colonists to continue their operations without waiting for payment from European customers.
It's important to note that these arrangements differed from modern banking relationships. If the colonists had relied on traditional banking services in eighteenth-century England, the process would have been much slower. Banks would have awaited payment from the European buyers before paying the colonists. This impractical process led to the emergence of factors in colonial times, who advanced funds against accounts receivable, enabling clients to continue their operations before receiving payment.
During the Industrial Revolution, factoring evolved to focus more on credit issues while preserving its core principle. Factors assisted clients in assessing the creditworthiness of their customers and establishing credit limits, thus guaranteeing payment for approved customers. This practice, known as non-recourse factoring, is common in today's business landscape.
Prior to the 1930s, factoring primarily occurred in the textile and garment industries, as these industries directly inherited the colonial economy's reliance on factoring. After the war years, factors recognized the potential to extend factoring to other industries that relied on invoices, leading to its expansion.
Today, factors come in various forms and sizes. They exist as divisions within large financial institutions, but more frequently as privately owned entrepreneurial endeavors. The rise of private factors surged in the 1960s and 1970s when interest rates soared to unprecedented heights. This trend continued in the 1980s due to increasing interest rates and changes in the banking industry. With banks becoming costly and inflexible due to heavy regulations (recall the Savings and Loan crisis), small business owners sought alternative sources of financing for their expansion and growth. As more banks distanced themselves from small business owners, factoring emerged as a popular option.
Each year, thousands of businesses sell billions of dollars in accounts receivable through factoring. They do so to achieve profitability, fuel growth, and, in some cases, ensure their very survival.
Credit Risk
Quick Cash Flow Solution: Unlocking Success with Expert Credit Risk Assessment
No Additional Cost for Access to Comprehensive Credit Expertise
Accurately evaluating credit risk is a vital aspect of our factoring business. Few clients possess the same level of objectivity as we do in performing this function.
At no extra cost, we serve as your dedicated credit department, supporting both new and existing customers. This provides you with a significant advantage compared to handling credit evaluations internally.
Imagine a scenario where a salesperson pursues a new account with potential for substantial purchases. In their eagerness to secure the business, they might overlook warning signs related to credit difficulties and bypass your internal credit checks. While this approach may lead to a sale, it does not guarantee payment, and without payment, there is no true success.
With us, such situations are avoided. We make credit decisions based on a comprehensive understanding of the new customer's credit situation. We refrain from purchasing invoices from customers with poor credit ratings, minimizing the risk of nonpayment. However, please note that our involvement does not imply a tightening of credit to the extent that it negatively impacts your business beyond your control.
Ultimately, the decision to engage with a new customer of questionable creditworthiness remains yours. (Although, we do reserve the right to say, ""We told you so!"")
While we may not purchase those invoices, you retain the freedom to extend credit terms as you see fit. You remain in control. Regardless of the decisions you make, our participation ensures that you have access to comprehensive, objective, and high-quality information to make informed credit decisions, surpassing your previous practices.
We conduct thorough research on new clients and, equally important, regularly monitor the credit ratings of your existing customers. This stands in stark contrast to the common practice of neglecting routine credit updates on the established customer base. Such oversight can prove to be a costly mistake.
Typically, businesses conduct credit checks only when it's too late, and the problem has already escalated. In contrast, we promptly notify you of any changes in the credit status of your existing customers.
In addition to providing specific customer credit information, we offer comprehensive and detailed reports on your accounts receivables as a whole. Our process includes accounting details, transactional insights, aging reports, and financial management reports. This valuable data empowers you to integrate it into your sales tracking, account history, and in-depth analysis.
With over 70 years of successful experience in managing cash flow and credit, we are excited to leverage our expertise for your benefit. Let us put our knowledge to work for you, helping you achieve your financial goals, unlocking your business's true potential, and paving the way for sustained success.
How To Change Factoring Companies
Changing Your Invoice Finance Provider
Are you thinking of changing your invoice finance provider? This guide is designed to help you navigate the process. Learn about UCCs, understand the transition process, and discover the key questions to ask before selecting a new financial partner.
Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) Explained
A UCC filing by your finance company helps protect their interests in your invoices. This legal tool:
- Keeps track of asset rights.
- Alerts other lenders to existing financial agreements.
- Secures the financier's priority claim on your invoices, similar to mortgage or vehicle title rights.
Transitioning Between Providers
Switching to a new provider is akin to refinancing a mortgage. The new company will settle any balance with your old provider, a process governed by a mutually agreed-upon Buyout Agreement.
Calculating the Buyout Amount
The buyout amount is typically calculated as your total unpaid invoices minus reserves, plus any fees from your previous financier. Ensure you get a full breakdown to understand all associated costs, including any early termination fees.
Cost Implications of a Buyout
Transitioning can be cost-effective, particularly if you use new invoices with your new financier. However, be aware that reusing previously financed invoices might result in double fees. Timely communication with your old provider is key to avoiding additional charges.
Time Considerations
Changing providers may add additional time to the usual process, due to the complexities of buyout calculations. Partnering with an experienced financier can streamline this process.
Complex Scenarios
In some situations, rights to your invoices may be shared between your old and new financiers during the transition period, though this is not typically the case.
Questions to Ponder Before Committing
- Is using multiple invoice finance companies at the same time feasible?
- What are the notice periods and penalties for changing providers?
- What is the payment processing timeframe with the new provider?
- Who will be your main contacts at the finance company?
- Are there postage costs for mailing invoices?
- What additional fees, such as for credit checks or new customer setups, are involved?
- When does the financier begin holding reserves?