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As you will gather if you care to read through any of blogs that this is a favourite subject of mine. And for good reason too. We have seen a number of what looked like very strong businesses fall foul to the banks in terms of having too many eggs in one basket. Although the banks will never publicly admit there appears still to be a tendency to call in their security if they think they have half a chance of clearing their debt. A bank that has a debenture over the business can appoint an administrator at any point they wish to do so. And how do they obtain a debenture. well you would normally give it when you take out an overdraft. Just one of those documents that they slip under your nose when signing all the other paperwork. Overdrafts are always repayable on demand and for this reason we believe that any form of invoice finance is a far better alternative.

Invoice finance which can either be factoring or invoice discounting cannot be withdrawn at a moments notice and so long as you are operating within the terms of the facility should provide you with a reliable and consistent form of cash flow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.

Invoice Finance is the means of obtaining cash against unpaid invoices. More and more debtors or customers require up to ninety days credit terms in order to pay for their goods and services. Invoice finance provides up to 80% of these invoices immediately providing a valuable working capital facility.

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!

We had a request yesterday from a web development company wanting some form of  invoice finance. They had aboiut fifty customers on twelve month contracts all of which paid a ten percent deposit on the work to be done and then on a monthly basis thereafter. They were invoicing at the beginning of each month for the work to be carried out for the following month. Invoice financing only works for work that has already been carried out and that is being invoiced with credit terms of thirty, sixty or ninety days. Although we were not able to help we put this enquirer in touch with a company that can offer contract finance , a totally different product.

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

Any business which operates in the construction industry or any business which invoices stage payments as part of a contract knows how difficult it is to obtain funding . Some banks maybe prepared to offer some form of overdraft however as soon as you mention contracts to most factoring and invoice discounting companies they will run a mile. The good news is that there two finance companies providing invoice finance against applications in the construction or any industry involved in stage payments. Depending on your own particular circumstances XL business finance will help you find the most appropriate invoice finance company.

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!!!

There are so many invoice finance products and companies to choose from. A quick search on the internet will reveal hundreds of finance companies all offering similar products and services. Although invoice finance is mainly about getting cash against unpaid invoices there can be a big difference between the many different companies and how they deliver their product. To make sure you get the best factoring or invoice discounting facility for your business it is advisable that you speak with a specialist independent factoring and invoice discounting broker. A good one will know the market better than any accountant and going to your bank for financial advise will be like going to your butcher for open heart surgery.

Thankfully XL Business finance has access to twenty or more factoring and invoice discounting providers. We know the market extremely well and following a brief consultation we know exactly which provider will be best suited for your own particular requirements. We will recommended two possibly three finance companies that we believe will provide the best service for your own unique set of circumstances. The good news is that this does not cost you a penny. We will get an introductory commission from the finance company. All factoring companies pay roughly the same commission so we are not tied in one any one finance company. It would be pointless introducing a business to a finance company that wont provide the best service. The most important thing is that we get you with the right finance company and that you stay with that finance company.

There are many different factors which will influence our choice of finance company. Do you need factoring or invoice discounting, geographical location is important, turnover, number of debtors, quality of debtors, debt turn, how long your business has been established and the level of profitability are all important aspects and ill have a bearing on the right finance company.