Factoring Company Guide
First Step: Filling Out the Application
Begin your path to financial freedom with our straightforward application process. Just a few simple details about your company and its operations, and you're on your way to unlocking new financial opportunities.
Be prepared to provide documentation like accounts receivable reports. Our goal is to understand the broader financial context of your customers, beyond just their interactions with your business.
This initial step also involves discussing your specific financial requirements, such as the volume of invoices you wish to factor and the rates you can expect. These terms depend on various factors, including the strength of your customers' finances and your business's industry.
The more invoices you factor, the more advantageous your rates can be. We cater to your business's scale and financial aspirations.
We use your application to evaluate if our factoring services match your business's needs. Approval leads to detailed negotiations, where we tailor the agreement to your business's size and factoring volume.
Our negotiation process is transparent, ensuring you understand the cost implications. Once terms are agreed upon, we proceed with due diligence on your customers and invoices before commencing the funding.
Factoring Company Benefits
Advantages of Using Factoring Services:
- Focus on expanding your business rather than dealing with cash flow issues.
- Avoid the obligation of repaying monthly loan installments. You can receive the funds in as little as two to four days.
- Retain total authority over your business.
- Minimize or get rid of the costs associated with chasing payments.
- Take control of your cash flow by selecting which invoices to sell and when to do it.
- Combat slow-paying customers effectively.
- Boost your production and sales.
- Access professional collection and credit checking services.
- Easily meet your payroll obligations.
- Pay your payroll taxes without any hiccups.
- Take advantage of cash discounts when buying materials.
- Amplify your purchasing power, allowing you to enjoy discounts on bulk purchases or early payments.
- Improve your credit rating by having cash available to pay bills on time.
- Have the cash ready for your business expansion plans.
- Allocate funds for your marketing strategies.
- Enhance your financial statements.
- Receive detailed reports on your accounts receivable portfolio.
Is Factoring For You
The Importance of Factoring
"Remember, a sale isn't complete until the money is in your hands."
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?
Imagine if your customers got the same amount of money from a bank. They'd be paying significant interest. But here you are, not earning any interest and, worse, losing the chance to invest that money back into your business. What could you be achieving with that capital right now?
The real cost isn't just the interest you're not earning; it's the growth opportunities you're missing every day that money isn't working for you. It's time to rethink if you should be financing your customers' businesses.
>The Importance of Factoring
Factoring History
Factoring History
Introducing factoring: a foundational financial tool for American businesses. Whether you are a seasoned business owner or an aspiring entrepreneur, understanding factoring is essential for your financial toolkit.
Despite its critical role in business finance, factoring is often overlooked in educational curricula. Yet, it is instrumental in releasing billions of dollars, enabling businesses to thrive.
Factoring involves purchasing accounts receivable at a discount. This practice, vital in a business landscape where credit terms are common, has deep roots in history, dating back to Hammurabi's Mesopotamia.
Factoring has been a key financial strategy throughout history, from the ancient Romans to American colonists. It offered a quicker, more practical financial solution than traditional banking, especially evident in colonial times.
Today, factoring is a crucial financial tool, available in various forms, from large financial institutions to private ventures. It's particularly valuable in times of high interest rates and stringent banking regulations, helping businesses sell billions in receivables for growth and stability.
Credit Risk
Quick Continuous Cash: Get Expert Credit Risk Assessment at No Extra Cost!
Accurately evaluating credit risk is a crucial aspect of our factoring business. Very few, if any, clients can perform this function as objectively as we can.
At no additional fee, we act as your dedicated credit department for both new and existing customers. This gives you a significant advantage over handling these functions in-house.
Imagine a scenario where a salesperson is pursuing a new account with the potential for substantial purchases. The salesperson may be so focused on winning the business that they overlook warning signs related to credit difficulties. They might even bypass your internal credit checks to expedite the process. While this may secure the sale, it won't guarantee payment, and without payment, there is no sale.
With us, this situation won't occur. We make credit decisions based on a comprehensive understanding of the new customer's credit situation. We won't purchase the invoices of customers with poor credit ratings, minimizing the risk of nonpayment. However, please don't view our involvement as a tightening of credit to the extent that it negatively impacts your business beyond your control.
If you have a new customer with questionable creditworthiness, the ultimate decision to do business with them remains yours. (Nevertheless, we reserve the right to say, ""I told you so!"")
While we may not purchase those invoices, you still retain the freedom to extend credit terms as you see fit. You remain in control. Regardless of the decisions you make, thanks to our participation, you can be confident that you'll have access to more comprehensive, objective, and high-quality information for informed credit decisions compared to your past practices.
We thoroughly research new clients and, equally importantly, regularly monitor the credit ratings of your existing customers. This is in stark contrast to most businesses where routine credit updates on the established customer base are rare. Such neglect can be a grave mistake.
Typically, businesses only conduct a credit check when it's too late and the problem has already spiraled out of control. On the other hand, we will promptly inform you if there are any changes in the credit status of your existing customers.
In addition to providing specific customer credit information, you'll also enjoy the benefits of comprehensive, detailed reports on your accounts receivables as a whole. As part of our process, you'll receive accounting details, transactional insights, aging reports, and financial management reports. This data empowers you to incorporate it into your sales tracking, account history, and in-depth analysis.
With over 70 years of successful cash flow and credit management experience, we are eager to leverage our expertise for your benefit. Let us put our knowledge to work for you and help you achieve your financial goals.
How To Change Factoring Companies
Changing Your Invoice Factoring Service Provider
Need-to-know info about switching invoice factoring firms.
Are you considering a different invoice factoring firm?
Are you dissatisfied with your current one?
Planning on ditching your current factoring firm?
What should I know before I switch factoring companies?
Here's a guide answering all these queries and more:
Understanding UCC and its role in switching factoring firms:
Usually, factoring companies file a general Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) to secure their claim over the invoices they've funded.
The UCC helps factoring companies, banks, and lenders know who's lent money on which assets. As invoices change daily, factoring companies need to file a 'blanket' UCC that secures all your receivables, even if you're only factoring a part of your sales. This 'blanket' UCC acts as a signal to other lenders, showing a Security Agreement exists between you and the factoring company.
Your specific factoring details, like rates and which accounts are factored, are laid out in the Security Agreement, which is not publicly accessible. Essentially, a UCC works like a first mortgage on your business.
The Process of Switching Companies
The lender with the earliest UCC filing gets 'First Position' on the promised collateral. For instance, a factoring firm has first rights to collect payments on your invoices.
To switch factoring firms, the new factoring firm has to pay off the old one. At the same time, the old factoring company's claim is released, and the new company's claim is filed, similar to refinancing a house.
A 'buyout' is when the new factoring firm pays off the old one using funds from your first financing.
The Buyout Agreement details the transition process and is signed by the old factoring firm, new factoring firm, and your company. In this agreement, you agree to the 'buyout figure' provided by the old factoring company.
How is the Buyout Figure Determined:
The buyout figure is usually the total outstanding receivables minus any reserves and then plus any fees owed to the old factoring firm. It's a good idea to ask for a detailed breakdown of your figure to ensure you understand if there are any early termination fees or additional charges.
What does the buyout cost?
If you can provide new invoices to the new factoring company, which they can use to pay off the outstanding invoices at your old firm, then you wouldn't incur additional costs for the switch. However, most companies need to resubmit some of the invoices already factored with the old company to the new one. In this case, the 'overlap' invoices will incur fees from both factoring firms.
How long does a buyout take?
When you're switching factoring firms, plan for the first funding to take two to three more days than the normal setup process. The extra days will be used to verify the invoices and calculate buyout figures for your approval.
What if my situation is more complex?
Although it's not usual, the old and new factoring firms can collaborate via an Intercreditor or Subordination Agreement until the old firm is paid off. Depending on the situation, factoring firms have managed to 'draw a line in the sand,' where the old firm has rights to invoices up to a certain date, and the new firm has rights to all invoices after that date.
Questions you should have asked before signing up with your current factoring firm:
- Can I use multiple factoring firms at once? The universal answer is one, according to the Uniform Commercial Code/UCC.
- If I decide to switch factoring firms, how much notice do I need to give?
- What is the penalty for leaving without giving the required notice and can you provide an example of how the fees are calculated? Beware of 13-month contracts that require a certain monthly factoring volume.
For example, a 13-month contract where you've agreed to factor $100,000 per month at a rate of 3% means you promise to pay them $3,000 per month in factoring fees or $34,000 in total over the next year. If you want to leave after 6 months, they will charge you the fees for the remaining 6 months, which equals $13,000. This can be too expensive for most companies, especially those with low profit margins. You're stuck!
