However there are two types of brokers. Some of the websites you see on the net are more like like cost comparison sites and will give the business the opportunity to compare quotes. These sites will link into half a dozen factoring and invoice discounting companies and as a result you will be bombarded with calls from half a dozen companies. We are not sure how this type of service can be providing best adviser particularly when no one actually speaks with you to discuss your business.

Surely the best type of broker is the one that either has a meaningful conversation with you in order to find out about your business or even better they take time to visit. At XL Business finance we have access to all the finance companies on the cost comparison sites and far more in addition. Following an initial interview or meeting we can pinpoint the two or three most appropriate invoice finance providers. And the good news is that this service is absolutely free. If XL Business Finance makes an introduction to finance company and they take you on board as a customer a fee will be paid by the finance company to ourselves. This fee is in no way loaded to the charges paid by your selves.  ALL invoice discounting and factoring companies pay the same level of fees because the broker market is one of their biggest sources of business. Therefore you can ensure you are getting  totally independent viewpoint

Invoice finance which can either be factoring or invoice discounting cannot be withdrawn at a moments notice and so long as you are operating within the terms of the facility should provide you with a reliable and consistent form of cash flow finance. Unlike a bank overdraft which is secured by bricks and mortar and or a personal guarantee invoice finance is secured against your unpaid debts. So long as your customers pay their debts you should never be at risk. In addition it is often possible to obtain credit insurance for if any of these customers god forbid go bust on you.

Confidential invoice discounting is a form of invoice finance and as the name suggests the facility is provided in a format whereby your customers are unaware that you are discounting your invoices. Many businesses for a variety of reason would rather keep these matters confidential. However confidential invoice discounting is not on offer for every type of business. Invoice discounting can be susceptible to fraud and as such a business must be well established, be profitable with a sound and profitable trading history. A suitable credit control system must also be in place which the potential finance company will require to check o ensure you are capable of collecting your invoices.

Factoring which is similar to invoice discounting provides credit control as an additional feature. The factoring company will chase your customers ( usually by phone) on your behalf to ensure your invoices are paid in an efficient and timely manner. As your customers are aware that you are factoring your invoices and the finance company is in regular contact with your customers the facility is less susceptible to fraud.  Therefore just about any type of business will be able to obtain a factoring facility. New starts, loss making businesses, phoenix companies are all welcome to apply!

Invoice Finance can either be in the form of factoring or invoice discounting. As a business you provide goods or services to your customers and provide credit terms. Invoice finance provides immediate cash of up to 80% of these unpaid invoices on a revolving credit basis. Whether it is factoring or invoice discounting that you desire as son as your customer payd the outstanding invoice you receive the remaining 20% of the invoice less any charges.

Factoring provides crdit control in addition to the cash and is provided on a disclossed basis so theat your customers are awrae that you are factoring your invoices. Becauseth the factoring company is able to verify invoices this form of funding is also available for new start businesses, insolvent or businesses that have been struggling

Invoice discounting is provided in a confidential manner and as the finance company is unable to verify invoices this form of invoice finance tends to be made available for established businesses with a good performance history who are unklikely to take the invoice discounting company for a ride.

XL Business Finance has years of experinec in helping businesses choose the right invoice financing company for their particular needs

First of all there are bank operated invoice finance companies probably high street names that we all recognise. Secondly there are the independent lenders that do exactly the same as bank owned factoring companies however they are non bank owned and get their funds from other sources. Thirdly there are independent finance brokers like XL Business Finance that are not lenders but provide advise as to which will be the best invoice finance company for a particular business.

In our opinion we believe you will get the best advise from an independent factoring broker. They make their living making sure that they introduce the most appropriate funder to the customer. A number of sensible questions concerning the turnover, profitability , length of time trading quality and quantity of the debtor book will determine the most appropriate two or three funders. Not all finance companies are good at funding the same businesses. They all have their sweet spot and with over ten years experience in advising clients XL Business fiannce can find the most appropriate funder for your particular needs and requirements.

A good example we have dealt with recently was a business trading with a turnover in excess of £100m. The business was funded by a well known high street bank but the amount of the facility required was above the level this bank was comfortable with. The client had a number of meetings with other high street banks that again could not get comfortable with the required facility. We were able to recommend a couple of lessor known finance companies with the expertise and financial clout to take on such a business.  To date the customer is absolutely delighted.

There are very few invoice finance companies that will offer a true stocking facility. There are some that they say provide finance against stock but it usually on the back of a factoring or invoice discounting facility to provide no more than 100% of your debtor book. In addition the loan or overpayment is only on a short term basis that will need repaying over a relatively short period of time. However there are definitely two or three UK based invoice discounting providers that provide a true revolving stocking facility. Again this must be provided in conjunction with the factoring or invoice discounting facility. As far as we aware there are no finance companies that will provide a stocking facility on a stand alone basis.

How much of a facility you can obtain against stock depends on the type of business you are in, how specialist the product is and the potential market for the stock. As a rule of thumb expect to get no more than 30% of our initial outlay. We are looking at a invoice discounting and stocking facility for one customer at the moment and their total stock is in excess of £2.m can potential provide a facility oF £600k over and above the 85% debtor book. This will provide much more working capital than the bank can ever provide and as such is known as a no brainer!

To make sure you are speaking to a funder that provides a true revolving stocking facility give XL Business Finance a call today and we will point you in the right direction.

Once upon a time invoice finance such as factoring and invoice discounting was deemed to be a lend of last resort. Refinancing existing plant and machinery was considered unnecessary and expensive compared with what the banks could provide. How times have changed. Both these specialist areas of finance can provide a life line to many struggling businesses or indeed any business which isn’t getting enough working capital from their incumbent bankers.

XL Business Finance has been providing innovative finance solutions for over 10 years. We are one of the leading independent experts in providing refinancing options against existing plant and machinery. We also have a vast knowledge and experience of the many factoring and invoice discounting companies. No matter how difficult your situation or indeed how well your business is trading we can certainly add value to your business when it comes to obtaining the right funding solution for your business. Any search on the world wide web will reveal hundreds of different factoring and invoice discounting companies. We will use our knowledge and experience to provide only two or three of the most appropriate finance providers

One of the providers is a high street bank and depending on the knowledge of your point of contact  we have had mixed reports as to their ability to provide a decent service. The other provider is one of the larger independents and their level of service is more consistent.

The problem with contractual invoicing is that that amount and value of work undertaken at a particular point can be very subjective. Most invoice finance companies don’t want to get involved with disputes over work undertaken in relation to larger projects.  As a rule the high street bank will only advance against certification whereas the independent will provide funding on application of the invoice. Due to the nature of the debt prepayments to be at a lower level than normal factoring or invoice discounting. Traditionally invoice finance will release up to 85% of your unpaid invoices however with these contractual deals it may be allot lower.

If your business is quite large than as a rule of thumb we would recommend the independent because they appear to have the consistency in understanding ow the invoice is structured. They also have their QS working for them to verify  the invoices if need be. The bank may provide a higher headline prepayment however in reality they are not as good as collating stage payments and as such they are more likely to disallow certain invoices and payments.

On the other hand if your business is relatively small the bank provider takes a view on their overall portfolio and as such if they fell they have a good mix of customers they may not look too closely as to what and ow you are invoicing and such you may end with more cash.

At the moment there are no finance companies providing stand alone stocking facilities. Any stock finance is provided on the back of a factoring or invoice discounting facility. However beware there are only one or two funders that provide a true revolving stocking facility. Most invoice discounting companies suggest they provide  finance against stock however what they actually do is provide a further advance up to 100% of the debtor book using the stock as the additional security. In addition they claw back the overpayment over a 12 month period for example. A true revolving stocking facility will provide a percentage of the total stock in addition to the agreed prepayment against the debtor book.

However the two finance companies are very different indeed. One is a bank owned finance company and the other is an independent finance company. The independent company  is in our opinion the leading finance company in this sector and will fund  uncertified application. It also understands that actual payments against application maybe slightly different from the money received and it also understands that VAT and PAYE may have been deducted. In our experience finance via the bank maybe a bit hit or miss. Their  headline prepayment might be higher however they will have a very strict funding limit therefore as the business grows it might be difficult to obtain increased funding. As this is one of the big banks the level of service tends to be a bit hit or miss and not all the account managers understand contractual invoicing. If payments are slightly different they will put the cash to a suspense account because it doesn’t exactly match leading to disallowed credit limits and further reduction in funding.

I addition not all their account managers will pay against uncertified applications preferring to pay against certified invoices which can delay payment further!!!