Specialist invoice finance companies use their own QS’s to asses work and provide funding that traditionally isn’t available via the high street banks. Whilst prepayments might not be as high as traditional invoice finance and factoring facilities the ability to get 50 or 60% of outstanding payments provides vital working capital for many businesses. As with any form of business finance the finance companies in question are all very different animals and provide slightly different forms of funding. XL Business Finance with over 12 years of experience can help you with speaking to the right funder.

In addition to trying to win new business, companies are equally concerned about whether their existing customers can pay, and on what terms.  Businesses often rely on loans and overdrafts to provide the capital they need; in recent years however, a variety of invoice finance options, such as factoring have helped SMEs to ease their funding gaps.

Not only do these arrangements have more flexibility than bank loans, but they are quicker and tailored to a company’s specific requirements. In both good and challenging markets, invoice finance can provide the flexibility and access to capital that a business needs to thrive and grow. The annual cost of a factoring facility starts as low as 1% of sales so it is a very cost effective option for business owners.

This is an even larger amount than the average £1.4 billion monthly drop seen over the previous six months; it is apparent that despite government policies and public calls to increase lending to this sector of the economy, there is still reluctance from banks to support those businesses that really need some help.

However, there are alternatives that are still available to smaller businesses; banks are not the only option. Invoice finance could be a viable solution for companies that would otherwise struggle to find the finance that they require. Without the need for additional security a bank may require, Invoice Finance can provide the necessary funding to smooth out your cash flow and provide the working capital you need to survive through these challenging times.

This news may be a welcome relief to businesses that have approached their own high street banks for EFG fundin,g but for one reason or another have been refused. It must be remembered that as far as banks are concerned the availability of a government guarantee doesn’t make a bad deal good. For a business to be available for EFG funding via a high street bank, they must meet that banks normal lending criteria and if there is a lack of security in the deal then that is where the EFG funding kicks in.

If you don’t meet the banks’ normal lending criteria then it won’t get past first base. The problem is that it appears that many commercial high street bank managers don’t know what they can and can’t do and rather than saying no, they string the customer along on a merry dance.

There are currently two invoice finance companies offering EFG funding on the back of invoice finance. One provider will provide an overpayment to a maximim of 100% of the outstanding debtor book whilst the other will provide EFG funding equivalent to any director’s loans that there might be in the business.

Obviously these companies use slightly different criteria and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out which invoice finance company might be best for you.

At a review meting the bank announced that they would no longer be able to finance the African invoices. A change of policy apparently. The customer during 15 years of trading had never had a bad debt into Africa and in any case most of the debtors could be credit insured. This obviously had a dramatic affect on the businesses cash flow and as such the £250k in case of need overdraft facility quickly reached its limit.

In our opinion a switch from one high street bank to another would certainly be out of the frying pan and into the fire. We therefore introduced our customer to a couple of lessor known invoice discounting ccompanies that specialise in bigger deals. They kind of start off where the high street banks start getting uncomfortable. They tend to be owned by foreign banks however unlike invoice discounting companies attached to high street banks they have their own autonomy. In addition because they are foreign owned they tend to be able to deal with world wide markets.

It is always worth getting an alternative to a high street bank and a good independent finance broker will undoubtedly be able to point you in the right direction

Firstly traditional high street banks provide trade finance based on the strength and performance of the business. We call this balance sheet lending and is based purely on the profitability and track record of your business It is more often than not nothing to do with the value of the goods you are purchasing and the security that they offer.

Secondly certain factoring and invoice discounting companies provide trade finance facilities on the back of an invoice finance facility however the goods in this instance must be pre sold. For example if you were inmporting Plasma TVs from China and you had an order from Costco for example it might be possible to obtain a complete funding solution. The factoring company will provide you with an import facility to purchase the TVs. On delivery of the TVs to cost and on raising an invoice a factoring facility will provide a further funding facility until Costco pay within the terms of the invoice. As factoring will only fund 80% of the end invoice the mark up on the imported goods must be at least 20% otherwise the invoice finance facility will not repay the trade facility.

Most business owners will say it is the latter however in a small number of cases it may genuinely be because a business is struggling. Any asset based finance company will always be willing to lend against the value of an asset providing they are doing so for a positive reason. On the other hand if a business is struggling they may insist that you take advice from a specialist accountant or insolvency practitioner.

It maybe that it it is better to fund a business following a pre packed administration particularly if there is a lot of creditor pressure and crown arrears. Many business owners think that it is not possible to obtain funding following a pre packed administration. In reality, asset based lenders would probably prefer to fund such a arrangement because the new business going forward will be leaner and meaner. It is true that a bank may not wish to assist with the funding however in reality this should not cause any major problem going forward. An independent invoice finance company will be happy to provide a factoring facility and as such there should be no need of a bank except for clearing cheques.

The problem with a  bank overdraft means that you are at the beck and call of the bank. An overdraft is repayable on demand and at the first sign of trouble it can be withdrawn at a moments notice. No one ever thinks this will happen but believe you me, we have seen it happen and the consequences are not pretty. Another problem with bank overdrafts is that the amount you can borrow is determined by the strength of your balance sheet or the level of  security available. Bank overdrafts of any significant amount are normally secured against bricks and mortar.

Invoice discounting couldn’t be different. A facility is secured against your unpaid invoices and within reason as your business expands so does the size of the facility available. Providing you are looking for standard trading terms borrowings of 80% of debtor book are the norm without the need to provide additional security.

Directors warranties are the normal comfort obtained from the invoice discounting company which provides an indemnity against any fraudulent activity. Fair enough one thinks

XL Business Finance has been helping the SME market for over 10 years sourcing the right kind of funding for a business’s particular needs. Give us a call today to see how we can help you

The problem with the bank based scheme is that a proposal for funding should meet all the banks normal lending criteria. If you have a proposition that they want to do but the only thing that is stopping them doing it is a lack of security then this is where the EFG scheme gives them the security to do the deal. If for some reason they don’t want to do the deal because your business hasn’t been trading long enough or the financials are not strong enough then it wont get passed first base. EFG funding does not make a bad deal good.

An alternative to bank based EFG loans could be funding via invoice finance companies. One funder provides EFG funding on the back of a factoring or invoice discounting company match funding any directors loans but up to a maximum of fifty percent of the debtor book. Another invoice finance company provides EFG funding to give a business 100% of its debtor book.

Invoice finance companies tend to be a little more flexible than the banks therefore if you have drawn a few blanks then it is worth giving them a call. We will gladly point you in the right direction.