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Stories Tagged ‘Invoice Finance Broker’

14 Feb

Recruitment Finance »

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Recruitment finance can take various formats. Typically it depends on the type of recruitment and also the size of the company. We will look at the three main options available:

Recruitment factoring: this is suitable for recruitment companies of all sizes and for both temporary recruitment companies and permanent recruitment companies. It provides an advance against invoices raised of up to 90% allowing temps wages to be paid. It is also suitable for permanent recruitment companies but prepayments are typically around 70% for perms. Recruitment factoring is available to new start businesses aswell as larger well established companies. It includes a credit control service and can also include credit protection to reduce the risk of bad debts.

Recruitment invoice Discounting: suitable for companies that are better established and have a good credit control function within the business. This type of recruitment finance does not include a credit control service. It can be confidential or discolsed and can include credit protection to reduce the risk of bad debts. Again it can be used for either temporary recruitment or permanent recruitment.

Recruitment back office solutions: well suited to recruitment companies that want to outsource the full back office function. This service can provide finance in the same way as factoring but 100% prepayment levels can be achieved. It also includes payroll and admin services aswell as optional credit protection and credit control.

If you have a requirement for recruitment finance it is worth contacting Smart Factoring Quotes to discuss your options in detail.

30 Nov

Invoice Finance Brokers Owned by Insolvency Practitioners – Why? »

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There seem to be several invoice finance brokerages appearing that are linked to insolvency practitioners. Only today I was asked by a client of mine why this was so I thought a post may be due on the topic.

In short the insolvency practitioners see the invoice finance leads that give to lenders as a carrot to attract insolvency work from the lenders. In fact some of the IP owned brokers will only give leads to lenders if they give them insolvency work in return. I have seen some e-mail marketing from one such broker offering 2 new deals to a lender in return for a ‘fee generative appointment’.

Reciprocity is a buzz word in many industries these days and the invoice finance industry is no different.

However, in my opinion it does raise concerns for business owners who approach these brokerages looking for independent and impartial advice about factoring or invoice discounting. There is every chance that the business will simply be placed with the lender that they ‘owe’ a deal to. If this is the case it means that they are not really acting in the best interests of that client.

03 Nov

Confidential Invoice Finance »

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I am quite often approached by clients who insist on using confidential facilities. The reasons for this can be varied and I always try to accomodate their requirement.

Traditionally confidential invoice finance has been hard to obtain as the only product available was confidential invoice discounting. The criteria for this were quite rigid and it was reserved for large, profitable business with a good finance and administration function.

The good news is that confidential facilities are now more readily available than ever. This makes the life of an invoice finance broker much easier as it means we have a wider range of products to offer clients based on their unique requirements.

Confidential facilities now include confidential factoring, confidential CHOCS there is a new confidential product due to be launched in January 2012 which we are quite excited about.

If you have a business that is looking for a confidential invoice finance facility please contact Smart Factoring Quotes on 0845 863 0738

 

20 Oct

Is spot factoring the future of invoice finance? »

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Spot factoring seems to be gaining popularity within the UK and is a fairly common procedure in the US. We are talking about factoring a single invoice as opposed to factoring whole turnover as you would with a traditional factoring facility.

Obviously if you have an ongoing requirement to factor each invoice or the majority of your invoices it makes sense to seek a suitable factoring facility.

However, if you are looking for a short term solution to a cash flow “hiccup” then spot factoring can be ideal. It means that you can factor a single invoice and once that is paid you have no contractual obligation. You can also revisit the “facility” further down the track if you have another invoice you wish to factor. In essence you can “dip in and out” as you need to.

This can be quite attractive to some businesses. So what are the down sides?

In short the interest rates can put some people off. Most lenders will quote a daily interest rate which sounds nominal. However, this can equate to an APR of circa 80%. But does this make it more expensive than traditional factoring?

Well the interest rate is 10 – 20 times more than what you will pay on a traditional factoring facility but your debt may only be outstanding for 30 days. Traditional factoring can attract minimum service fees and minimum contract periods which can mean if you have a genuine short term requirement traditional factoring can be expensive.

While rates for spot factoring may well be higher than the rates for whole turnover factoring, if you have a genuine short term requirement spot factoring will typically be your cheaper option in terms of pounds and pence!!

So is it the future? I am not sure but it is another valid solution for many businesses so it should be embraced.

14 Oct

Invoice Finance Newcastle »

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Invoice Finance is available in Newcastle from a large selection of lenders.

The challenge is to find the best lender to meet the needs of your Newcastle based business.

This will depend on a large number of factors including your financial status, turnover, sector, how you raise invoices and who your customers are. Each invoice finance company has their own individual criteria and characteristics and because of this there will be on particular lender who is best suited to meet your needs.

Smart Factoring Quotes understand each lenders criteria and capabilities. This allows us to source the best possible facility for your business. If you are looking for invoice finance newcastle contact Smart Factoring Quotes today on 0845 863 0738

12 Oct

Factoring in Birmingham »

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We have recently been approach by several businesses in and around Birmingham who are looking for factoring facilities. Being based in Birmingham has some serious advantages as it means that virtually every factoring company in the UK can service businesses there as they are so central in terms of location.

The challenge for any business based in Birmingham is choosing the right lender. Not all factoring facilities are the same – far from it. As most require a contract to be signed it is important you choose the right factoring facility and lender.

Invoice finance companies each have their own target market and this will be based on business turnover, sector, geography, debtor profile, etc..

Smart Factoring Quotes will look to understand your business and can recommend which factoring company is best placed to help your business.

If you are looking for factoring Birmingham please call Smart factoring Quotes today on 0845 863 0738.

12 Oct

Factoring in Scotland – A Case Study »

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Smart Factoring Quotes were approached by a residential care provider just outside Glasgow.

They were keen to source factoring scotland. They were paying staff on a weekly basis but were having to wait a considerable amount of time to get paid by the local authorities.

We explored several options for them including full factoring, CHOCS and invoice discounting. As the credit control was not really an issue they decided that factoring was not good value as they were paying for a credit control service they just did not need.

We were able to source an invoice discounting facility that was much cheaper but still met all their requirements.

We have a lot of clients in Scotland and have an excellent network of lenders covering scotland.

If you have a business in Scotland and wish to explore the factoring and invoice discounting options open to you please call Smart Factoring Quotes on 0845 863 0738

01 Oct

Invoice Finance – advantages and disadvantages »

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Invoice finance is a form of finance that can provide valuable working capital to your business. I want to explore objectively the advantages and disadvantages of invoice finance.

Advantages of invoice finance

  • invoice finance can provide up to 90% of the value of your sales ledger and ongoing invoices as cash to use within your business.
  • this may allow you to take advantage of settlement discounts
  • if you use factoring you can outsource the credit control of your business freeing up more time to concentrate on growth
  • by taking up credit protection you can eliminate the risk of bad debts
  • an invoice finance facility should grow in line with your sales

Disadvanatge of invoice finance

  • an invoice finance facility can be costly when compared to an overdraft facility. However, this is not always a real option.
  • some people perceive factoring as losing control of your sales ledger rather than outsourcing.
  • some poeple also feel that there is a stigma attached to factoring
  • you can be tied into lengthy contracts and notice periods which can be restrictive
  • hidden costs or at least costs beyond the headline rates can cause frustrations
  • retentions and other restrictions on the funding can also mean that the true prepayment level is not what is expected or anywhere near the headline rate

I believe that an invoice finance facility can work very well in the right circumstances. However, it is important to understand exactly what is on offer. hat means you must understand the total costs involved and also the mechanics of calculating the cash made available.

26 Sep

Factoring Companies Leeds »

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We are often approached by companies looking for factoring companies in Leeds.

This request usually comes from companies who are in and around Leeds and want a local provider. Fortunately there are a good choice of factoring companies in and around Leeds. The right one for you will depend on the size of your business, your sector and your financial performance.

There are also a large number of factoring companies outside Leeds who are happy to help Leeds based businesses with a factoring facility.

Smart factoring Quotes would be delighted to help you frind a suitable provider.

22 Sep

Factoring Advice – Who to trust? »

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When looking for factoring advice I am always amazed at who people approach. I accept that my views may be tainted somewhat as I am a factoring broker but it is what I specialise in and I know and am 100% impartial.

Let’s have a look at who business owners will approach to obtain a recommendation for factoring:

Bank managers – your bank manager will only ever recommend their own bank’s factoring company. They are heavily targeted to sell this product so you will receive a single recommendation not taking into account what your requirement is or what the market can offer. In contrast a factoring broker can look at your requirement and recommend the lenders best placed to meet your needs.

Accountants – unfortunately a lot of accountants take commissions from invoice finance providers (as do invoice finance brokers) The problem is that accountants do not specialise in setting up invoice factoring facilities and often do not look at it as in depth as they should. They will also have a few localised relationships rather than using the whole market.

Brokers owned by factoring companies – some brokers are actually owned by factoring companies. As such guess who they are most likely to recommend? If you are using a broker at least ensure they are independent and impartial.

Brokers owned by insolvency practitioners – this may seem like a strange relationship but insolvency practitioners are keen to be appointed by factoring companies. If they can offer factoring companies new business they are likely to receive more appointments. As such you could find yourself placed with a factoring company they owe a favour to rather than the one best placed to meet your needs.

In my opinion you should be taking factoring advice from a specialist and someone who is 100% impartial and independent.

There are a lot of good brokers in the market who are specialists and totally impartial.

At Smart Factoring Quotes we are totally independent and impartial. We are also specialists as invoice finance is all we do.

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