Business Credit articles from February 2001

Business Credit archives from February 2001

NACM: Representing the Business Credit Community.(National Association of Credit Management)
February 1, 2001... Associations have been around almost since time began, with some of the first having existed in ancient Egypt and China. Trade groups in Imperial Rome maintained protective regulations; in Phoenicia, trading and political problems brought...

The Right to Reimbursement of a Committee Member's Professional Fees: Yes and No.
February 1, 2001... INTRODUCTION Prior to 1994, the courts were divided on whether members of a chapter 11 creditors' committee were entitled to reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses arising from their participation on the committee, including, in...

Ruby Kerr: Director Representing CRF-- Walking the Talk.
February 1, 2001... Ruby Kerr is Vice President of Finance, Credit and Collection for R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company, which is located in Chicago, Illinois. She is also the newly elected Director Representing CRF to the NACM-National Board and attended her first...

Are You Considering Outsourcing for the Wrong Reasons?
February 1, 2001... Expand the Effectiveness of Deduction and Collection Efforts Beyond Your Department's Resource Restrictions Executives in credit and customer financial services constantly face challenges to improve productivity, to drive down accounts...

A New Year's Resolution.
February 1, 2001... I had the honor of being installed as National Chairman of CFDD at NACM-National's Credit Congress in Baltimore last year. As I reflected upon the year ahead, I set two major goals for the organization and myself. The first goal was to...

Automating Collections.
February 1, 2001... Computerization Without Automation... How'd We Get Here? We all know that the advent of the corporate computer brought about significant change. As accounts receivable departments became computerized, companies saved time because they were...

THE RIGHT TO RESTRUCTURE.
February 1, 2001... What are the criteria for determining if a company should be allowed court protection to restructure? Who should decide if a company should be allowed to restructure? Clearly, these are critical issues, particularly given the number of...

Mergers and Acquisitions Shrink the World.(saya)(Thomson Financial Securities Data report)
February 1, 2001... US corporations and their credit departments will face larger competitors in Europe, Latin America and Asia as global merger and acquisition activity steams ahead at near record-breaking levels. Worldwide merger and acquisition activity reached...

Deduction Resolution As a Change Agent.
February 1, 2001... Deduction resolution software can be a powerful tool, not only in its ability to track and resolve problems but also in preventing future problems. By employing deduction resolution software, you are, in effect, instituting a change management...

A Side Effect of the Mergers and Acquisitions and the Consolidation of Credit Departments: Missing Bar Dates to File Proofs of Claims and Losing Your Dividend.
February 1, 2001... Mergers and acquisitions of companies are at a record pace. Every industry seems to be transforming through mergers and acquisitions, from food to paper to telecommunications. As the credit professional knows, mergers of domestic companies may...

Dilution and a Down Economy.
February 1, 2001... An increasing number of negative economic forecasts have caused me to reflect on the impact a down economy has on dilution, the percentage of your receivables that is not collected. Not in terms of bad debt but rather percentages lost in...

Put the Buyer in a "Box".(sales contracts)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Protecting Against the "Defective-Goods" Defense in Sales Contracts Time to Inspect How often has your company been faced with a scenario where a buyer has a large delinquent balance, and after ignoring requests and demands for...

Thinking Outside the Box: Collecting From a Delinquent Debtor.
February 1, 2001... How Do You Measure Success? How do you measure collection success? We all would agree the ultimate measure of collection success is money in the bank. Several other indicators are finding a debtor who is delinquent on their account,...

The Organization Collective.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... What is the key to excellence in the extension of credit, protection of corporate assets and overall accounts receivable performance? There is no shortage of answers to the question: preparation, qualification, innovation, documentation,...

Customer Deductions: Impact on Receivables.
February 1, 2001... Credit and accounts receivable managers are increasingly aware of the money that is tied up in customer short payments and of the time and effort needed to resolve them. In many cases, the work has multiplied to a point where it is...

Financial Rewards: The Heyman Corporation and 9ci, Inc. Collaborative Experience.
February 1, 2001... For many credit professionals today, a sizable portion of your trade receivable can be attributed to the growth of unresolved customer deductions and invoice disputes. Various studies have shown that up to 80 percent of all deductions are...

Pro Bono Work Should Be the Attorney's Decision Before the Fact Not the Client's Decision After the Fact.
February 1, 2001... Debtors are Debtors When discussing collections with others interested in the subject, I frequently emphasize the fact that a dog is a dog, a communist is a communist and a debtor is a debtor. This comment is meant to reduce the surprise...

Mechanics' Liens In The District Of Columbia.
February 1, 2001... Construction subcontractors and suppliers must understand mechanic's lien security as a proactive credit management planning tool. You must understand your security opportunities from the beginning of each transaction so that you can properly...

Can Credit and Sales Peacefully Coexist?(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Ronald Reagan once told his gubernatorial staff, "The person that agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally--not a 20 percent traitor." That injunction applies to corporate dealings just as surely as it does nations. On a...

NACM's Government Receivables Department Receives High Marks From Its Members and Federal Agencies!(Transcript)
February 1, 2001... The following is a note sent to George Reaver, Director of NACM's Government Receivables Department, from Jack Flanagan, CFO, Marine Corps Exchange. Your organization and the annual Government Receivables Conference are valuable assets,...

CFOs Plan Strong Financial Hiring in First Quarter.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Chief Financial Officers anticipate a net 8 percent increase in the hiring of accounting and finance professionals in the first quarter of 2001, according to a national poll made by Robert Half International, Inc. The poll was from a random...

Hot Spots: Yugoslavia.
February 1, 2001... At a cursory glance, what is left of Yugoslavia--the two Republics of Serbia and Montenegro--may not seem to be an attractive place for potential exporters or investors. The economy is a shambles, political stability has yet to be secured, and...