The First Step: The Client profile

You begin by filling out a simple client profile, which we will personally and privately discuss with you. This profile will cover basics such as your company's name and address, the nature of your business, and information about your customers.

You may need to supply an accounts receivable aging report, existing customers' credit limits, or other related documents. Remember the factor will attempt to determine the creditworthiness of your customers independent of their credit history with your business. We want a broader view of their overall credit status.

During this initial stage you will also cover basic financial arrangements with the factor. For instance, what will be the monthly volume of invoices you want to factor (i.e. how liquid do you need to be)? What will the advance rate and the discount rate be? How quickly will the factor issue the advance to you?

Variations between industries, length of time in operation, and general reputation of how risky a customer of yours may be will also be analyzed.  In most cases, the answers to these questions will vary depending on the financial strength of your customer(s) and the anticipated monthly sales volume to be factored. Variations between industries, length of time in operation, and general reputation of how risky a customer of yours may be. For instance, a long list of high-risk clients will cost you more in factoring fees than a short list of government agencies with a slow-pay history.

In the factoring business, volume is all important. The higher your volume(the dollar amount of invoices you factor), the more favorable your rates will be.

The factor will use the client profile you submit to determine if your business is suitable for factoring. This process is simply the factor analyzing the risks versus the rewards, using the information you provided.

During the negotiation process, you will become well aware of what it costs to factor your accounts receivable. After you reach an agreement with the factor, the funding wheels begin to roll. The factor conducts due diligence by researching your customers' credit and any liens placed against your company. The factor also confirms the legitimacy of your invoice before buying your receivables and advancing cash to you.

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Factoring - How It Works

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