Invoice factoring is still rone of the most buoyant forms of finance available in the UK today. There are still plenty of finance companies offering various forms of invoice finance. Unlike the asset financing and leasing market which seems to have dried up somewhat the choice and availability in the invoice factoring market appears to be plentiful with plenty of options and choices. A quick search on the internet search engines will reveal numerous finance companies offering invoice factoring. There are just so many to choose from. How do you know which product is best for your business and how do you know which invoice factoring company will be best suited ti delivering the right sort of service to your business. In short a good independent factoring broker will be well placed to advise you of the may products and services available. XL Business Finance provides a free factoring and invoice discounting service which ensures  the most suitable finance companies are recommended to your business.

OK it is free in that we will not charge you a fee however we do take an introductory commission from the finance company. We are confident that we will provide y0u with the names of  two possible finance companies that are most suited to financing your business. Unlike some independent invoice  factoring brokers we are not tied into any one particular finance company. We have access to over twenty or so different finance companies. Brae some factoring brokers ( particularily  the ones that have different finance company logos on their site) take an introductory commission just for passing the referral. Nothing else happens except you get bombarded with loads of calls. By using XL Business Finance we control the referral part of the process which keeps appointments and provision of information to a minimum. If you happen to read this blog before the end of Jan 2010 you will be entitled to a free Mars bar!!!!!!!!

The ability to release cash against unpaid invoices undoubtedly can have a positive impact on the cash flow of a business. The extra cash can provide the freedom to grow the business and the added value of having someone chase your debts will also provide a massive bonus and a boost to the business. Typically a factoring facility can release up to 90% of your unpaid invoices with the added benefit of credit control.  However if things are not working out how easy or difficult is it to switch factoring companies?

There are so many factoring companies to choose from and not all factoring companies are the same. Some are bank owned, some are independent PLCs and some are small private companies. Which is the best factoring company for you will depend on the turnover, the length of time you have been trading and the profitability for  your business. In addition factoring is very much a value added service. Factoring can provide credit control on the back of the  funding your invoices. As such there are two elements to the charging. An interest rate at around 1-3 over bank base rate is applied to the money you borrow and there is a service fee for the credit control. For the smaller business this starts at a couple of hundrded pounds per month. The cost of using a factoring company for credit control can be very cost effective compared with the cost of employing a full time credit controller.

However as factoring is not as simple as just borrowing money there are occasions when the relationship between the factoring company and business breaks down to the point that the customer has no option but to  seek a new factor. The most difficult part of changing factoring companies is that the charges can be onerous especially if a new contract has been signed. Sometimes with some careful negotiation these amounts can be reduced however it is best timing any move to coincide with the expiry of any contract. It is not unusual for factoring companies to have a 3 months notice period so this must be taken into consideration as well. In addition if you factor with the bank and they have a overdraft as well as a factoring facility the overdraft maybe withdrawn if they are loosing the factoring. A good independent factoring broker may be able to add some value in any transfer as many of us know many of he funders very well and sometimes we can have some influence over the exiting factoring company.