Factoring Company Guide
The First Step: The Client Application
First, you fill out a basic profile for your company that we provide. This profile will ask for simple things like your company's name, address, what your business does, and some info about your customers.
You might also need to give us things like an accounts receivable aging report or the credit limits of your existing customers. Keep in mind that we're trying to figure out how creditworthy your customers are, beyond their credit history with your business. We're interested in their overall financial health.
At this stage, you'll also discuss basic financial details with us. For example, you'll decide how many invoices you want to factor each month (which helps us know how much cash you need to have on hand), what the advance rate and discount rate will be, and how fast we'll get the advance to you.
Most of the time, the answers to these questions will depend on how financially solid your customers are, how many sales you expect to factor each month, the industry you're in, how long you've been running, and how risky your customers might be. So, if you have lots of risky clients, you'll end up paying more in factoring fees than if you just have a few government agencies that are slow to pay.
In the factoring industry, the more you factor (in terms of dollar amount), the better your rates will be. That's why volume is crucial.
We'll look at the client profile you filled out to decide if factoring is a good fit for your business. Essentially, we're weighing the risks against the potential benefits, using the info you gave us.
Once we say yes, you can expect to start negotiating the terms and conditions. This negotiation will consider different aspects of the deal. So, if you want to factor $10,000, you can't expect to get as good a deal as a company that wants to factor $500,000.
During these negotiations, you'll get a good understanding of what it costs to factor your accounts receivable. After you agree on terms with us, we start the funding process. We'll check out your customers' credit and any liens against your company. We also need to make sure your invoice is legit before we buy your receivables and give you cash.
Factoring Company Benefits
Factoring Benefits: Your Strategic Advantage
- Redirect your energies from cash flow management to business growth.
- Eliminate the worry of loan repayments with fast, accessible cash.
- Maintain full autonomy over your business operations.
- Cut down or eliminate the cost of chasing payments.
- Gain precise control of your cash flow with targeted invoice selling.
- Stay ahead of slow-paying clients, securing your financial future.
- Boost your production and sales with a steady cash influx.
- Capitalize on professional services for efficient payment collection and credit checks.
- Ensure consistent, timely payroll management.
- Always be ready for payroll tax commitments.
- Access bulk purchase discounts, enhancing your bottom line.
- Strengthen your purchasing power and unlock more savings.
- Enhance your credit score through timely bill payments.
- Amass the capital needed for expansive business growth.
- Allocate more funds towards effective marketing.
- Witness an improvement in your financial statements' quality.
- Receive detailed, actionable insights on your accounts receivable.
Is Factoring For You
The Value of Factoring for Your Business
"When you don't collect payment, a sale remains unfinished."
Do you often find yourself playing 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. It's worth acknowledging that you're effectively extending credit to those customers. By not receiving prompt payment for your products or services, you're essentially offering interest-free financing to your customers. This might not align with your original business intentions, does it?
Let's think about this:
If your customers were to borrow the same amount of money from a bank, they would undoubtedly expect to pay a significant amount of interest for that privilege.
What's more:
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 asking you to finance their business by granting extended payment terms, often exceeding 30 days.
However, have you considered 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 the benefits that factoring can bring.
Factoring History
Factoring: Empowering Businesses for Success
Welcome to the world of factoring, where businesses find the financial support they need to thrive. Whether you're a business owner, an aspiring entrepreneur, or seeking innovative financial solutions for your employer, factoring can play a crucial role in helping you achieve your financial goals.
It's interesting to note that factoring has often been overlooked and remains relatively unknown in the business world. Despite this, it serves as the backbone for many successful American businesses, unlocking billions of dollars each year and enabling thousands of enterprises to grow and prosper.
So, what exactly is factoring? Simply put, it involves purchasing commercial accounts receivable (invoices) from businesses at a discounted rate. In today's competitive landscape, offering credit terms to customers is often necessary to secure business. However, this can create cash flow challenges, particularly for new or struggling companies that rely on steady and timely payments.
Factoring, with its long and rich history, traces back 4,000 years to the time of Hammurabi, the king of Mesopotamia, often considered the birthplace of civilization. Mesopotamians were pioneers in developing writing, establishing business codes, and introducing the concept of factoring.
Over time, factoring gained traction in various civilizations. The Romans, for instance, were early adopters, introducing the sale of promissory notes at discounted rates. In the American colonies, factoring played a crucial role before the revolution. Merchant bankers in London and Europe provided funds in advance for goods such as cotton, furs, and timber, allowing colonists to continue their operations without being hindered by delayed payments from European customers.
It's important to highlight that these historical arrangements differ from modern banking relationships. In fact, modern banks would have caused delays, waiting to collect payments from European buyers before disbursing funds to the colonists. This impractical process led to the emergence of factors in colonial times who provided advances against accounts receivable, enabling clients to maintain their operations while awaiting payment.
As the Industrial Revolution unfolded, factoring adapted to address credit concerns while maintaining its core principles. Factors began assisting clients in assessing customer creditworthiness, establishing credit limits, and guaranteeing payment for approved customers. Today, this approach, known as non-recourse factoring, is commonly practiced in the business world.
Before the 1930s, factoring primarily served the textile and garment industries, which inherited the practice from the colonial economy. However, after the war years, factors recognized the potential to expand factoring to other industries reliant on invoicing, leading to its broader adoption.
In the present day, factors come in various shapes and sizes. Some operate as divisions within large financial institutions, while many others are independently owned entrepreneurial endeavors. The popularity of privately owned factors surged in the 1960s and 1970s when high-interest rates made traditional bank financing less accessible. This trend continued in the 1980s, driven by increasing interest rates and changes in the banking industry. As banks became more expensive and inflexible due to regulatory constraints, small business owners sought alternative financing options. Factoring emerged as an increasingly popular choice.
Each year, thousands of businesses leverage factoring to sell billions of dollars in accounts receivable. By doing so, they unlock cash flow, achieve profitability, drive growth, and, in some cases, secure their very survival. Factoring empowers businesses by providing them with the financial support they need to thrive in today's competitive market.
Credit Risk
Unleash Your Business Potential with Quick and Reliable Cash Flow
Expert Credit Risk Assessment Included at No Additional Cost
Accurately assessing credit risk is a critical aspect of our factoring business. Very few clients can perform this function as objectively as we do.
As part of our comprehensive service, we act as your dedicated credit department for both new and existing customers, providing you with a valuable advantage over handling these tasks in-house.
Imagine a scenario where a salesperson is pursuing a new account with significant potential for sales. In their eagerness to secure the business, they might overlook warning signs of credit difficulties and bypass your internal credit checks. While this approach may lead to a quick sale, it doesn't guarantee timely 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 exercise caution by not purchasing invoices from customers with poor credit ratings, minimizing the risk of nonpayment. It's important to note that our involvement does not imply a tightening of credit that would negatively impact your business beyond your control.
Ultimately, the decision to engage with a new customer of questionable creditworthiness remains yours. (However, we reserve the right to say, "We warned you!")
While we may not purchase those invoices, you still have the freedom to extend credit terms as you see fit. You retain full 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 diligently 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, which can lead to costly mistakes.
Most businesses conduct credit checks only when it's too late and the problem has already escalated. In contrast, we promptly inform you of any changes in the credit status of your existing customers, allowing you to take proactive measures.
In addition to providing specific customer credit information, we offer detailed reports on your accounts receivables as a whole. Our comprehensive reports include accounting details, transactional insights, aging reports, and financial management reports. This data empowers you to analyze your sales performance, track account history, and make informed decisions.
With over 70 years of successful experience in managing cash flow and credit, we are eager to leverage our expertise for your benefit. Let us put our knowledge to work for you, helping you achieve your financial goals and unlocking your business's true potential. Experience the benefits of quick and reliable cash flow, supported by expert credit risk assessment at no additional cost.
How To Change Factoring Companies
How to Change Invoice Factoring Companies
All you need to learn about switching your invoice factoring service.
Looking for a different invoice factoring service? Not happy with your current one? Thinking about saying goodbye to your current factoring service? What should you know before you switch invoice factoring services?
Here's what you need to know and more:
What's a UCC and why does it matter if I want to change factoring services?
Usually, an invoice factoring service will file a Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) to ensure their claim on the invoices they fund is priority. This is standard. The UCC helps invoice factoring services, banks, and commercial lenders keep track of who has a claim on which assets. Because the invoices you collect and pay change every day, factoring services need to file a 'blanket' UCC to claim all your receivables. The UCC simply warns other lenders that a Security Agreement exists between your business and the invoice factoring service. Your factoring deal details, such as the rates and which accounts are factored, are explained in the Security Agreement, which isn't public. A UCC is kind of like a first mortgage on your business.
The Process of Buyout
The lender with the earliest dated UCC filing is said to have first dibs on the pledged assets. To switch factoring services, the new service must pay off the old one. A 'buyout' is when the new factoring service pays off the old one with the money from your first funding with them. The Buyout Agreement outlines the transition process and is a three-party agreement signed by the old factoring service, the new factoring service, and your business.
How the Buyout Amount is Calculated:
Generally, the buyout amount is calculated by taking the total outstanding Gross Receivables, subtracting any reserves, and then adding in fees due to the old factoring service. Understanding the buyout amount is important because once you authorize that amount and the old service is paid off, you are only dealing with the new service.
What is the cost of the buyout?
If you can provide brand new invoices to the new factoring service, which they can use to pay off the outstanding invoices at your old service, then there would be no extra cost for you to make the change. But in most cases, companies need to resubmit at least a portion of invoices already factored with the old service to the new service. Depending on the size of the transaction, some factoring services offer reduced fees on invoices part of a buyout.
How long does a buyout take?
When you're changing factoring services, expect the first funding to take a two to three more days than the normal setup process. By aligning yourself with a factoring service familiar with the buyout process they can guide you through timing to minimize any delays in your funding as a result of the transition.
What if my situation is more complicated?
Although it is not common practice, it's possible that the old and the new factoring services can work together via an Intercreditor or Subordination Agreement until the old service is paid off.
Questions You Should Have Asked Your Current Factoring Company
- How many factoring companies can I use at one time? (You can only use one)
- What's the process and penalty for leaving without giving notice?
- Do you use a bank lockbox to process my customer payments?
- How long do you keep my original invoices before sending them to my customers?
- Who will be my contact at your company? Is it one person or multiple?
- Do I need to pay for postage for mailing my invoices?
- Do you charge me for credit checks on new customers?
- Do you hold my invoices in batches and charge fees on all invoices in a batch until the last one is collected?
- Do you start holding reserves once a customer's invoice is 60 days old, even though I have a 90-day recourse period?
Understanding these factors will help you make a better decision when choosing a new factoring company and avoiding unnecessary costs or complications in the future.
