Everything you need to know about
changing factoring
companies.
Looking for a new factoring company?
Unhappy with your current factor?
Thinking of leaving your factoring company?
What do I need to know if I want
to change factoring
companies?
Here are the answers to these questions and more:
What is a UCC and how
does it apply
to me wanting to change factoring companies?
It is standard industry practice for a factoring company to
file a blanket Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) to secure the factor’s first
position security interest on the invoices funded.
The UCC is a way for factoring companies,
banks and commercial lenders to keep straight who is lending on what
assets. Because receivables change on
daily basis as new invoices collect and old invoices are paid, factors must
file what is called a “blanket” UCC filing collateralizing all of your
receivables even though you may only be
factoring a portion of your sales.
It’s
simply impossible for factors to file a new UCC for each invoice funded. The UCC is simply a flag for other lenders
who chose to run a search indicating a Security Agreement exists between your
company and the factoring company.
The details of your particular factoring
arrangement, such as rates and which accounts are factored, are outlined in the
Security Agreement itself which is not public not.
A UCC is similar to a first mortgage on your
business.
The Buyout Process
The lender with the oldest dated UCC filing is said to be in
“First Position” on the pledged collateral. For example, a factor has first
rights to collect payments on your invoices and all the related surrounding
instruments.
Factoring companies do not
take a second position because the lender in first position could legally take
the check right out of the hands of the second position factor
at any time and
have every legal right to do so.
It’s
a similar concept to ensuring you get the pink slip when purchasing a vehicle.
You wouldn’t want to have someone come along one day, unannounced and take the
vehicle you thought you owned and have every legal right to do so!
To change factoring companies the old factor
must be paid off by the new factor.
Simultaneously the old factor’s lien is released
and the factor’s lien
is filed which is
similar to refinancing your home.
A “buyout” is the practice where the new factoring company
pays off the old factoring company using proceeds from your first funding.
The Buyout Agreement outlines the transition
process and is a three party agreement signed by the old factoring company, new
factoring company and your company.
In
the Buyout Agreement you approve the “buyout figure” provided by the old
factoring company.
How is the Buyout
Figure Calculated:
The buyout figure is generally calculated by taking the
Gross Receivables Outstanding subtracting any reserves and then adding in fees
due to the old factoring company. If not
automatically provided, it’s best to ask for a breakdown as to how your figure
was calculated. This way you can be sure
you understand if any early termination fees or other fees on top of your usual
factoring charges have been included.
It’s important to understand the buyout figure because once you
authorize that amount the old factor is paid off you have released any recourse
to old factor. From that point forward
you are only dealing with the new factor.
If you are going from a factoring agreement with an 80% advance rate to
a 90% advance rate it’s possible there will be enough proceeds to payoff the
old factor without your having to come up with additional invoices.
How much does the
buyout cost?
If you are able to submit brand new invoices to the new
factoring company which they can use to payoff the outstanding invoices at your
old factor then there would be no additional cost to you to make the change. Then,
as the payments come in on the old invoices outstanding from the old factor, as
part of the buyout agreement, those payments are forwarded to the new factor
who would turn around and forward those to you as non-factored at no cost.
That is an ideal situation however, to come
up with the payoff figure most companies need to resubmit at least a portion of
invoices already factored with the old factor to the new factor. If that is the case, the invoices part of the
“overlap” will incur factoring fees from both factors.
Therefore, depending on
your fee structure your factoring fees the first month of the change could be
higher than normal. If you’ll be getting
a lower rate from your new factoring company you can calculate how many months
it will take you to recoup that expense and run a cost benefit analysis.
Depending on the size of the transaction, some
factoring companies offer reduced fees on invoices part of a buyout. You also want to make sure you give the
proper notice of intent to terminate to your old factor (if required) to avoid
any early termination fees to leave their contract early (refer to the Security
Agreement Section titled “termination or early termination.”
How long does a
buyout take?
When you are changing factoring companies it’s best to plan
on the first funding taking a two to three more days than the normal factoring
application setup process. The added days will be needed at the time of invoice
verification and just before funding as buyout figures are calculated and sent
to you for your approval.
It’s not uncommon
for buyout figures to change because fees continue to accrue and invoices
collect so it’s sometimes necessary to get updated buyout figure at the very
last minute. By aligning yourself with a factoring company familiar with the
buyout process they can guide you through timing to minimize any delays in your
funding as a result of the transition. This is especially critical if you have
weekly payroll to meet and cannot spare a few days delay in funding.
What if my situation
is not that easy?
Although it is not common industry practice, it’s possible
the old factoring company and the new factoring company can work together via
an Intercreditor or Subordination Agreement until the old factor is paid off.
Depending on the circumstances, factors have
been able to “draw a line in the sand” where the old factor has rights to
invoices up to a certain date and the new factor has rights to all invoices
after that date.
Questions you wish
you had asked
before you signed up with your current factor:
How many factoring companies can I use at one time? By the way, the universal answer is one (per
the Uniform Commercial Code/UCC).
If I decide I want to change factoring companies how much
notice will I need to give?
What is the penalty if I want to leave without giving the
required notice and please provide an example of how the fees would be
calculated. Caution: be on the look out
for 12 month factoring contracts where requiring a certain factoring volume per
month.
For example, a 12 month contract where you’ve agreed to factor $100,000
per month at a rate of 2% means you promise to pay them $2,000 per month in
factoring fees or $24,000 in total
factoring fees over the next year.
If
you want to leave after 6 months they will charge you the fees you would owe
them for the remaining 6 months in the contract which in this example equals
$12,000. That is cost prohibitive for most companies especially trucking
companies working on very low profit margins.
You’re stuck!
Even worse, the trucking industry in specific is very
volatile and it’s hard to know how many trucks you will have running for you
over the course of the next year. Can you imagine committing to factor $100,000
per month and then having some unexpected circumstance require you to let go
half of your owner operators yet you still have to pay the factor $2,000 per month regardless of how many
trucks you are running?
Do you use a bank lock box to post my customer payments? If
so, how many days does it take for one of my customer’s payments to post to my
account from the date the bank receives my customers check? This process has
been known to artificially inflate the invoice turn and therefore increase your
factoring fees.
How many days do you hold my original invoices before
mailing them out to my customers? The answer should be same day. Invoices are
cash and should not be left sitting around. Not to mention, this is another way
to artificially inflate the invoice turn and increase the factors fees.
How many different people will I work with at your
company? Some factoring companies have
either a lot of turnover or operate call centers where you start with a new
representative every time you call in. Other factors offer dedicated account
administrators to be your point of contact.
Do I need to pay for postage for you to mail my invoices?
That should be included in the factoring fees.
Do you charge me every time I have a new customer to credit
check?
Do you charge me every time I setup a new customer?
Do you “batch” my invoices and make me pay fees on all the
invoices submitted in a particular batch until the very last invoice in that
batch has collected?
Do you start holding reserves once a customer hits 60 days
even though I have 90 day recourse?
Call our factoring specialists at
1-888-239-9162 for more information
We are a nationwide company offering
factoring programs the others can't
because of our unique funding capabilities.
The others are restricted by their banks on
what kind of factoring programs they can offer.
We are not restricted!
We have been providing factoring services
nationwide for decades and have clients
in
hundreds of industries
Our customers tell us that our combination
of low rates,flexible contracts and exceptional
service makes us the best choice for
factoring services.
Unlike other factoring companies,
our program includes the
following features at no additional charge:
• 12-24 hour funding on approved invoices
• Highest advance rates in the industry
• Credit analysis on new and existing customers
• Continuous collection management and follow up on factored invoices
• Invoice and statement mailing (postage included)
• Account status inquiries anytime;
24/7 online account access.
• We allow you to electronically
submit Invoices
• Free credit checking on new customers at no
additional cost
When you become our client you will
be served by our
staff that has an
average
of 11 years account receivable
factoring industry experience per
account executive.
(Well above the factoring industry
norm!)
You will have one dedicated person
and his or her assistant
who will handle
your account.
Unlike the others, you don't have
to
start over each time you call with a new
person
Our
flexibility allows you to maintain control:
• You select accounts you prefer to
factor on
an invoice by invoice basis.
• You control total factoring
costs by only
factoring on an "as needed" basis.
Up to 97%
Factoring Advance
Rates:
Advance rates are based on overall risk
associated with a particular industry
as well as experience and track record.
We
hold reserve accounts to accommodate
industries which typically experience
dilution and that we would otherwise
not be able to service.
Advance rates range
from
80% to 97% of the gross invoice amount.
Factoring Fee Structures:
Fees are determined based on
your
industry, the credit worthiness
of your customers, how quickly
your invoices
turn, and
monthly factoring volume.
GET YOUR CASH TODAY
Call our factoring
specialists at
1-888-239-9162 or
Email Us or
Complete our
ONLINE REQUEST
FORM
FACTORING
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