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: 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 Importance of Factoring
"Without payment, a sale is just a promise."
Ask yourself, are you inadvertently funding your customers’ businesses? Take a close look at your accounts receivable. Those overdue payments? They're essentially interest-free loans you're giving to your customers. This diverges from your core business goals, doesn't it?
Imagine if your customers were borrowing from a bank. They would certainly be paying interest. Meanwhile, you're not earning any interest, and more importantly, you're missing out on using that capital to grow your own business. What's the real cost of having your money tied up in receivables?
It's not just about the interest you're losing; it's the growth opportunities you're missing while your funds are locked in accounts receivable. Are you sure you want to be in the business of financing your customers?
>Consider this: You might be acting as a lender to your customers without even realizing it. Look at your accounts receivable. Those overdue payments? They're interest-free loans you're giving out. This isn't what you planned when you started your business, right?
Factoring History
Factoring: Unleashing Business Potential and Fueling Success
Welcome to the world of factoring, where businesses discover the secret to unlocking their true potential and achieving remarkable success. Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or a budding business owner, factoring can be the key to accelerating your growth and propelling your business towards new horizons.
It's surprising that factoring often remains an unsung hero, with many business owners unaware of its incredible benefits. However, factoring holds the power to revolutionize your cash flow, provide stability, and unleash a wave of opportunities.
But what exactly is factoring? At its core, factoring involves selling your accounts receivable (invoices) to a specialized financing company at a discounted rate. In today's competitive business landscape, offering credit terms to customers is essential for attracting and retaining clients. However, waiting for payments can strain your working capital and hinder your ability to invest, expand, and seize growth opportunities.
Factoring boasts a long and storied history, adapting and evolving alongside the needs of businesses over time. Today, factoring serves as a catalyst for growth, providing businesses with immediate access to the funds locked within their unpaid invoices. This infusion of working capital empowers you to cover expenses, invest in innovation, explore new markets, and achieve sustainable success.
Factoring knows no boundaries when it comes to industries or business sizes. Whether you're in manufacturing, services, wholesale, or beyond, factoring can be tailored to meet your specific needs. It offers flexibility, scalability, and the ability to adapt as your business evolves, ensuring you always have the resources to thrive.
Collaborating with a reputable factor brings even more advantages to the table. Factors bring expertise in credit analysis, collections, and risk management, alleviating the burden of managing receivables and allowing you to focus on core business activities. This partnership ensures a smooth cash flow, minimizes the risks of late payments, and provides the financial stability necessary to navigate challenges and seize opportunities.
Factoring liberates businesses from the limitations of traditional financing options. It offers a faster, more accessible alternative that empowers you to drive growth, invest in expansion, and realize your vision. With factoring, you can unlock working capital, fuel innovation, hire top talent, and position your business for long-term success.
Join the ranks of businesses that have harnessed the power of factoring and experience the transformation it brings. Embrace a future of financial stability, enhanced liquidity, and accelerated growth. Factoring is the secret weapon that unlocks your business's true potential and propels you towards unprecedented success.
Credit Risk
Gain a Competitive Edge with Quick and Continuous Cash Flow
Expert Credit Risk Assessment Included at No Extra Cost
Accurately assessing credit risk is a critical component of our factoring business. Our objective approach sets us apart from other providers.
We act as your dedicated credit department for both new and existing customers, providing you with a distinct advantage over managing these functions internally.
Imagine a scenario where a salesperson pursues a new account with the potential for substantial purchases. In their eagerness to secure the business, they may overlook credit warning signs and bypass internal credit checks. While this might result in a sale, it offers no guarantee of payment – and without payment, there is no sale.
With us, such situations are avoided. We make credit decisions based on a comprehensive understanding of the new customer's credit situation. We do not purchase invoices from customers with poor credit ratings, mitigating the risk of nonpayment. However, please understand that our involvement does not restrict your credit flexibility or negatively impact your business beyond your control.
Ultimately, the decision to do business with a new customer of questionable creditworthiness remains yours. (Nevertheless, we 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 deem appropriate. You remain in control. With our participation, you gain access to comprehensive, objective, and high-quality information that empowers you to make informed credit decisions, surpassing your previous practices.
We diligently research new clients and regularly monitor the credit ratings of your existing customers. This stands in contrast to the neglect seen in many businesses, where routine credit updates on the established customer base are scarce. Such oversight can be a significant mistake.
Typically, businesses conduct credit checks only when it's too late – when problems have already escalated. In contrast, we promptly inform you of any changes in the credit status of your existing customers.
In addition to providing specific customer credit information, you benefit from 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 invaluable data allows 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 eager to leverage our expertise for your benefit. Let us harness our knowledge to help you achieve your financial goals, gain a competitive edge, and ensure the continuous flow of cash for your business.
How To Change Factoring Companies
Changing Invoice Financing Providers
Want to switch your invoice financing provider? Not satisfied with your current one? Planning to bid goodbye to your present provider? Not sure what to know before making the switch? Here's a simple guide with all the answers.
Understanding UCC and its role in changing providers
Typically, an invoice financing company (also called a factor) will file a Uniform Commercial Code (UCC). This is like staking a claim on the invoices they've funded. This helps to keep track of who's got a claim on what assets, especially because invoices change every day - some are paid, some are collected, and some new ones are created.
So, the factor files a 'blanket' UCC covering all your invoices, even though you might not be getting funding for all your sales. It's just not practical to file a new UCC for every single invoice. The UCC is like a warning sign for other lenders that there's a deal between your business and the factor.
The specifics of your agreement with the factor, like rates and which accounts are factored, are outlined in a private Security Agreement. A UCC is kind of like having a first mortgage on your business.
The process of changing factors
The factor with the oldest UCC is said to be in the 'First Position' on the collateral. This means they have the first right to collect payments on your invoices and any related items.
If you want to change factors, the old one must be paid off by the new one. This is similar to refinancing your house. The old factor's claim is released and the new one's claim is filed.
The process where the new factor pays off the old one using money from your first funding is called a 'buyout'. The Buyout Agreement, which outlines the transition process, is signed by the old factor, new factor, and your company. In this agreement, you approve the 'buyout figure' provided by the old factor.
How is the Buyout Figure Calculated:
The buyout figure is usually calculated by subtracting any reserves from the Gross Receivables Outstanding and adding in fees due to the old factor. It's good to ask for a breakdown of this figure so you can understand if there are any early termination fees or other charges added to your usual factoring fees.
Once the old factor is paid off, you only have to deal with the new factor. If you're changing from an 80% advance rate to a 90% advance rate, you might have enough money to pay off the old factor without needing more invoices.
How much does the buyout cost?
If you can give the new factor new invoices to pay off the old ones, there's no additional cost for the switch. As payments come in on the old invoices, those payments are forwarded to the new factor who then sends them to you.
However, if you need to resubmit some invoices already factored with the old factor to the new one, those invoices will incur fees from both factors. As a result, your factoring fees for the first month after the change could be higher than normal. If the new factor's rate is lower, you can calculate how long it will take to recover this cost and make a cost-benefit analysis.
How long does a buyout take?
When changing factors, expect the first funding to take a couple of days more than the usual setup process. This extra time is needed for invoice verification and for calculating the buyout figures.
What if my situation is not that easy?
In some cases, the old factor and the new one can work together via an Intercreditor or Subordination Agreement until the old factor is paid off. The old factor has rights to invoices up to a certain date and the new one has rights to all invoices after that date.
Questions you might have wished you asked before signing up with your current factor:
- How many factors can I use at one time? (The universal answer is one, according to the UCC.)
- If I want to change factors, how much notice do I need to give?
- What is the penalty if I leave without giving the required notice?
- Do you use a bank lock box to post my customer payments? If so, how long does it take for a customer's payment to post to my account from the date the bank receives it?
- How long do you hold my original invoices before sending them to my customers?
- How many different people will I work with at your company?
- Do I need to pay for postage for you to mail my invoices?
- Do you charge me every time I have a new customer to check or set up?
- Do you start holding reserves once a customer hits 60 days even though I have 90 day recourse?