November 2009 - XL Business Finance XL Business Finance

Archive for November, 2009

Single Debtor Invoice Finance

Monday, November 30th, 2009

It is now possible to obtain one off factoring against a single debtor. One finance company has entered the market whereby once you are set up with the finance company you can pick and choose which invoices you factor.

Needless to say this facility will not work if the debtor is of a poor quality and has a bad credit rating. Single debtor invoice finance can sit alongside other banking facilities however it wont work if you are already factoring or invoice discounting. A single invoice can be discounted at any point up to 90 days of it being issued. The minimum size invoice that can be discounted is £5,000 and there is an initial minimum charge of 5% for the first 21 days that the money remains unpaid. Depending on the remaining number of days the invoice remains unpaid a small amount accrues on a daily basis over and bove the initial 21 days.

This facility can be used for a one off invoice however it can also be used as as little or as often as you require. There is no on going fee just the standard charges and and when you decide to factor your invoices. The advantages of this kind of funding are obvious particularly for those businesses not wishing to be tied up for a full factoring facility. In addition if a business finds its self using the funding more and more often then it is possible to switch to a full factoring or invoice discounting facility.

Tags: Factoring, invoice discounting, invoice finance
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Refinancing Printing Equipment

Sunday, November 29th, 2009

XL Business Finance has been helping printing companies raise cash against unencumbered printing equipment or equipment which is coming to the end of its finance. The ability to raise cash is providing a life line for many cash strapped businesses especially as the banks are still being very selective in whom they will advance money. In fact any industry sector which has large and expensive items of capital equipment, such as printing, is in a fortunate position.

Cash can be raised just for about any purpose, however if your business is struggling you may expect to pay higher interest rates than if your business is trading well. Many asset based lenders will only advance money if your business has had difficulties however the finance company will probably need to make a few checks to verify the future viability of the business. You may also find that the loan to value may be reduced as you will be considered a higher risk. Business that are trading well may command a more favourable rate however don’t expect bank rates. Refinancing capital equipment is s very specialist market and as a rule of thumb high street banks and finance companies wont refinance equipment. More profitable businesses might want to refinance equipment to provide a deposit for another project . We are seeing more and more businesses wishing to refinance to reduce their exposure with the banks or where they have been refused finance from the banks because of their outstanding exposure.

It may even be possible to use cash from refinancing in conjunction with factoring or invoice discounting to provude a new funding package.

Tags: Factoring, invoice discounting, refinance equipment
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Is EFG Funding working?

Saturday, November 28th, 2009

EFG Funding was supposed to rescue many business from the economic gloom. It was supposed to provide a life line and the ability for businesses to borrow money where they wouldn’t have normally been able to. So whats been happening? We get many calls from businesses wishing to apply for EFG Funding wondering why their own banks have declined them. In reality there are two banks who have accountable for 90% of the lending to date. If you want to know which ones they are then give us a call and we will be happy to have a chat.

Many businesses are under the misconception that EFG funding is there to help them irrelevant of their financial status. The reality couldn’t be further from the truth. Before a business can be approved for EFG funding it must go through all the banks normal stringent lending criteria. In addition they will need to obtain a minimum of 30% of the total funding as a contribution to the project. And when I say the banks sstringent lending criteria I mean the banks stringent lending criteria. Your business will need to have been trading for more than 3 years , it must be profitable and from the banks point of view you must be able to evidence to serviceability and must have a very strong rational for the investment.

Now if you tick all the boxes from the banks point of view and there is a desire to lend you money then EFG funding may be offered but only if there is a lack of securityin the deal. The bank must have exhausted all possible avenues for security including any security that the directors may be able to offer including property!!!!

Tags: efg funding
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Invoice Factoring for a new start business

Friday, November 27th, 2009

In the current economic climate it is still just as difficult for a new start business to obtain any sort of funding. As a general rule of thumb in order to be eligible for funding from a high street bank or finance company you must have been trading for at least 3 years, be profitable, provide a good old business plan, provide inside leg measurements and of course they will need your wife and kids as security. Hey and what about the EFG funding. Does anyone know a business who has managed to secure any EFG funding? The good news invoice factoring is probably the easiest form of finance available for any new start business. And that includes asset finance of which are bloody experts!

Invoice factoring which enables a business to raise cash against unpaid invoices will provide most new start business with the ability to trade within the most difficult period of any new start business. As a business raises an invoice a factoring facility will provide up to 90% of your cash immediately. When your customer pays your invoice to your factoring company they will repay the remaining 10% of your invoice less any charges. As a new start business you will only be offered factoring which will also provide a full credit control service and depending on the spread of your customers you may be able to obtain non recourse factoring which will offer credit insurance. It is even relatively easy to obtain funding if you adverse credit. The best plan of action here would be to be fully open in your dealings as it is better to get all those skeletons out in one go.

XL Business can help you choose the appropriate factoring company for your business. How we guide you to the right factoring company will depend on your location, the expected turnover and the particular sector of your business. Please will free to give us a call to discuss your own requirements.

Tags: factoring company, invoice factoring
Posted in invoice factoring | No Comments »

How to choose an invoice financing company

Thursday, November 26th, 2009

There are many factors which you should take into consideration when choosing an invoice financing company. probably the most important two are the geographical location of the finance company and does that company have experience in your particular industry.

XL Business Finance advises many clients as to the best choice of finance company and we are continually amazed that the lengths some funders go to to try and win business hundreds and hundreds of miles from their head office. We believe that there is a good finance company no more than one hours drive from any location within most major cities in the UK. What is the point of choosing a finance company whose head office is based in London if you operate out of Manchester or Liverpool. Surely if you have any issues you want to jump in a car and be having a face to face chat to someone within the hour.

Secondly it is important that your particular finance company has the expertise in your particular industry or sector. You will tend to find areas of specialism in recruitment, haulage, printing, engineering, construction and export factoring and trade finance. It is worth asking for a few references.

Tags: export factoring, invoice financing
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How does confidential factoring work?

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

Confidential factoring gives a business the same benefits of a full credit control service however the facility is set up in a way that your customers will be unaware that you are factoring your debts. Businesses which have been used to invoice discounting but have been experiencing difficult trading conditions may find that their banks are pushing them towards a full factoring service.

Invoice discounting is perceived as a more risky funding product as the finance company do not phone your customers to chase your debts. They leave it down to you and therefore you must have good credit control systems in place. In difficult times it is more likely a struggling businesses will try and put through fictitious invoices. With a factoring facility there is less chance of a fraudulent transaction because the finance company has a better control and understanding of your debts.

Confidential factoring could just be the facility that gives you the best of both worlds. It basically works by the finance company giving you a dedicated credit controller who will chase debts in your business name. Your customers are also given a unique telephone number which is answered in your name. As and when monies are collected they are paid to a trust account. By doing this the finance company maintains a far greater control on your financial matters and therefore they are at less risk. You as a customer is happy because you maintain the confidentiality which maintains your reputation and status with your customers.

At the time of writing this blog we are aware of only one finance company that provides a confidential factoring product. Most businesses are unaware that such a product exists and again we can use our expertise and experience to make sure you get the best possible funding solution for your business.

Tags: Confidential factoring, Factoring, invoice discounting
Posted in Factoring | No Comments »

Which invoice discounting company is best for financing contractual debt.

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

Not all invoice discounting companies are the same. This is especially true if there is a certain amount of contractual debt within your invoicing procedure. Contractual debt is most relevant in the construction sector whereby invoice are produced at certain stages within a project. There are only two invoice finance companies that are capable of handling contractual debt and both are very different finance companies indeed

Most finance companies have been told that it is not possible to raise cash against contracts ( normally by their bank) however XL Business Finance has been helping clients obtain debtor finance where contracts are involved. The problem with contractual debt if that the job isn’t finished then the end customer can with hold payment. For this reason if you mention contracts nearly every invoice discounting company in the land will not be able to provide funding.

There is one high street bank that can provide invoice discounting against contractual debt. I have told you in previous blogs that we are not totally against the high street banks as there are a few exceptions to the rule and this is certainly one of them! The other finance company is a larger independent that uses in house quantitative surveyors to check the value of the work undertaken. Which finance company is best for you depends upon your location, length of time trading and how profitable you are. XL Business Finance is very capable of assisting you with finding the right funding partner.

Tags: invoice discounting, invoice finance
Posted in invoice discounting | No Comments »

Is invoice finance better than an overdraft

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

In our opinion most definitely yes! Invoice finance will provide instantaneous cash against your unpaid invoices. The facility within reason will grow with your business and in terms of security it is far less onerous than any bank overdraft facility.

The problem with overdrafts is that it is very difficult to get an adequate facility unless the business is very profitable or a business has a significant amount of property they can put up as security. And less face it 99% of businesses nowadays don’t fall into this category. The other big problem with bank overdrafts is that they are repayable on demand. If you file a poor set of figures or present your bank manager with a iffy management accounts you run the risk of having your overdraft pulled from under you. Once upon a time most people new that this was the case but had never actually heard of it happening. Unfortunately nowadays it is happening all the time. We are constantly hearing of horror stories of high street lenders being unable to renew overdraft facilities and leaving businesses in a right old pickle.

This would never happen with an invoice discounting or factoring facility. These forms of debtor finance are secured against the unpaid invoices. The facility grows with the business and the invoice finance facility use their expertise to collect the debt on your behalf. The problem is that banks will try and persuade their customers to use their own factoring companies and in our experience these bank based lender don’t always provide the same flexibility and expertise of some of the independent companies.

XL Business Finance has over 10 years of helping and advising businesses as to which is the best funder for their specific requirements. For a totally impartial and independent view give Mark Redman a call on 07748 635 206.

Tags: fcatoring, invoice discounting, invoice finance
Posted in Invoice Finance | No Comments »

I want to sell my business

Sunday, November 22nd, 2009

As a leading business finance provider XL Business Finance runs a database of individuals and organisations wishing to acquire businesses via amalgamation and acquisition. If you feel that the recession has taken its toll and you have been considering your long term goals and exit strategy XL Businesses Finance will be able to help. Through our extensive network of professionals and existing client database we have been successful matching business buyers and sellers together.

Although the mergers and acquisitions market has not been as buoyant as it has been there are still organisations wishing to acquire similar businesses. Some of these organisations will to use their own cash to fund the acquisitions however others will use the assets within the business to provide the funding.

More often than not the key personnel are required to run the business on an earn out therefore providing the opportunities for the previous owners to keep involved within the business. Most acquisitions and mergers will provide some economies of scale within the market sector resulting in cost savings and increased sales opportunities. We have recently being doing work with a group of engineering companies. Previously they operated as 6 individual business and although only a small area of business overlapped they would definitely have seen each other as a threat and a competitor. They are now all working together passing non core business to each other and as a result turnover across the group is increasing. Safety in numbers.

Tags: business finance
Posted in General | No Comments »

How do I refinance existing Equipment

Saturday, November 21st, 2009

More and more businesses are looking to refinance existing equipment, plant and machinery to assist we cash flow. XL Business Finance has been helping customers for 10 years and is one of the UK leading independent finance companies in this area. Not only can refinancing equipment provide cash for any purpose and provide financial freedom, it is quite possible to refinance plant and machinery already on finance and provide a massive cash flow benefit by having a lower monthly payment.

The first thing we have to do is obtain a valuation for your existing machinery. Any heavy goods such as engineering equipment, printing equipment yellow, goods commercial vehicles, buses and coaches are all suitable security. We will age make model and any details of any extras which might positively enhance the valuation. We will then obtain valuations for various different sources. As this doesn’t cost anything we will only have indicative valuations only. XL Business Finance has the expertise and knowledge in various sectors to know which finance companies and valuers will provide the best valuations in various sectors

If the valuation stacks up we will obtain accounting information and bank statements to obtain a funding facility. If equipment is already on finance if we can obtain copies of the finance agreements and we will be able to calculate approx settlement figures and if there is any equity in any of the equipment. It is possible to refinance the equipment by ay of a sale and lease back, sale and hire purchase back and a loan and chattel mortgage. Which facility is best for you depends upon the written down value in your accounts and your preferred finance method.

Tags: finance lease, refinance plant and machinery
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