Factoring Company Guide
First Step: Filling Out the Application
You start by completing a basic application we give you. This application asks for simple details like your company's name and address, what your business does, and information about your customers.
You might also have to give us documents like an accounts receivable aging report or information about your customers' credit limits. Keep in mind that the factoring company will try to figure out how likely your customers are to pay their bills, regardless of their past history with your business. We want a bigger picture of their overall financial situation.
In this first step, you'll also discuss the financial setup with the factoring company. This includes things like how many invoices you want to factor every month (or how much money you need to have on hand), what the advance rate and discount rate will be, and how fast the factoring company will give you the advance.
Usually, the answers to these questions change based on how financially strong your customers are and how much you expect to sell and factor every month. There might be differences based on what industry you're in, how long you've been in business, and how risky your customers are. For example, if you have many high-risk customers, you'll likely pay more in factoring fees than if you only have a few government customers who pay slowly.
In the factoring world, the amount of money you're factoring is really important. The more invoices you factor (or the more money you're dealing with), the better your rates will be.
The factoring company will use the application you give them to decide if factoring is a good fit for your business. They'll do this by weighing the risks and rewards based on the information you gave them.
Once you're approved, you can expect to start negotiating the specifics of the deal. These negotiations take many parts of the deal into account. For example, if you want to factor $10,000, you won't get as good a deal as a company that wants to factor $500,000.
During these negotiations, you'll get a clear idea of how much it costs to factor your accounts receivable. After you and the factoring company agree on the terms, they'll start the funding process. They do this by checking your customers' credit, looking for any issues with your company, and making sure your invoice is legitimate before they buy your receivables and give you the cash advance.
Factoring Company Benefits
Advantages of Factoring:
- No more worrying about cash flow problems - now you can focus on running your business.
- Forget about repaying a loan every month. You can get your cash in just two to four days.
- Keep full control over your business operations.
- Save on costs related to payment collection procedures.
- Have more control over your cash flow by choosing the exact number and timing of invoices to sell.
- Deal effectively with clients who delay payments.
- Boost your productivity and increase your sales volume.
- Enjoy access to professional services for debt collection and credit checks.
- Ensure timely payroll disbursement.
- Easily cover your payroll tax obligations.
- Offer cash discounts on your products or services.
- Enhance your purchasing power, enabling you to benefit from discounts on bulk purchases or early payments.
- Improve your credit standing by always having the necessary cash to settle bills on time.
- Get the funds you need for business expansion.
- Allocate sufficient budget for your marketing initiatives.
- Strengthen your financial position.
- Get comprehensive reports about your accounts receivable portfolio.
Is Factoring For You
Recognizing the Importance of Factoring
"When you don't collect the money, a sale remains unfinished."
Have you ever felt like you're taking on the role of a part-time banker for your customers?
Take a moment to examine your accounts receivable aging schedule and count how many accounts are overdue by more than 30 days. Congratulations, you're essentially providing credit to those customers. By not receiving timely payment for your products or services, you're essentially offering interest-free financing to your customers. This may not align with your original business intentions, does it?
Let's consider this:
If your customers were to approach a bank and borrow the same amount of money, they would undoubtedly expect to pay a significant amount of interest for that privilege.
Moreover:
Not only are you missing out on earning any interest on that money, but more importantly, you're also losing the opportunity to utilize that capital while waiting for your customers to settle their debts. What is the cost of not having this money readily available? Essentially, your customers are essentially requesting you to finance their business by granting them extended payment terms, often exceeding 30 days.
However, have you ever taken a moment to contemplate the expenses incurred due to "missed opportunities" when your funds are tied up in accounts receivable? It's worth reflecting on the impact this has on your business and exploring how factoring can help alleviate these challenges.
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 Financing Provider
All the essential info on changing your invoice financing provider:
Looking to change your invoice financing provider for various reasons? We've got answers to your questions and more.
What is a UCC and Its Role?
Typically, an invoice financing company files a general Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) to protect their first-position claim on the invoices they finance. ... [content truncated for brevity] ... A UCC is comparable to a first mortgage on your business.
The Transfer Process
The financier with the earliest dated UCC filing is said to hold 'First Position' on the pledged collateral. ... [content truncated for brevity] ... A 'buyout' happens when the new financing company pays off the old one using proceeds from your first funding.
How is the Buyout Figure Calculated?
The buyout figure is usually calculated by ... [content truncated for brevity] ... If you're moving from an 80% advance rate to a 90% advance rate, it's possible there will be enough funds to pay off the old financier without needing additional invoices.
Cost and Duration of the Buyout
How much does the buyout cost? If you can provide brand new invoices ... [content truncated for brevity] ... When changing financing companies, expect the first funding to take a few days longer than the typical application setup process.
Complex Situations in Buyout
What if my situation isn't straightforward? Though it's not a common practice, ... [content truncated for brevity] ... Depending on the situation, financiers have been able to 'draw a line in the sand' where the old financier has rights to invoices up to a certain date, and the new financier has rights to all invoices after that date.
Questions Before Committing to a Financier
- How many financing companies can I use at once? (The standard answer is one, according to the Uniform Commercial Code/UCC).
- How much notice do I need to give if I want to change financing companies?
- What's the penalty if I want to leave without giving the required notice, and can you provide an example of how the fees would be calculated?