Business Credit articles from March 2006

Business Credit archives from March 2006

World Risk Assessment, 2006.(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... According to Coface, world growth should remain steady in 2006, still underpinned by strong American and Chinese demand. However, concerns remain about persistent pressure on company margins, especially in industrialized countries and in Asia....

Critical business value.(front page)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Today there are many sources for getting information you need in your dairy life... books and other publications in print and online, CDs/DVDs, the Internet, NACM's Resource Library, web blogs and other media. But it's important to understand...

Hermes ACI chief economist encourages "careful observation".(front page)(financial markets analysis)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... The potential for another increase in the Fed Funds rate, philosophical changes with a new Fed chairman, and a worrisome declining trend in the Credit Manager's Index (CMI) could impact business and economic conditions in the spring, according...

New York, Nigeria sustain "riskiest eCommerce" titles.(front page)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... For the second time in as many years, eCommerce merchants named New York City as the riskiest North American metro area for eCommerce in an annual online fraud survey undertaken by CyberSource. Nigeria was chosen as riskiest country, also for...

March/April.(calendar)(Calendar)
March 1, 2006... MARCH March 1 FCIB Book Publishers Export Credit Group Meeting Time-Life Building, New York, NY For more information, please contact FCIB at 410.423.1840. March 6 Nationwide Certification (CBA, CBF, CCE) Exam Test Date For more...

Change the odds.(COMMENTARY)
March 1, 2006... A former United States President once said, "Volunteering is an act of heroism on a grand scale. And it matters profoundly. It does more than help people beat the odds; it changes the odds." I've spent quite a lot of time thinking about that...

Meet Dennis Walsh, CCE, CEW.(B/E Aerospace Inc.)(Interview)
March 1, 2006... Dennis Walsh, CCE, CEW is Director of Credit for B/E Aerospace, Inc.--and like many members, entered the workforce with expectations of a different career; originally planning to become an accountant. However, his first job out of college was...

NACM: the one-stop credit information source.(National Association of Credit Management)
March 1, 2006... There are a number of ways belonging to NACM makes life easier for credit professionals--and the ability to get good and timely credit information is one of them. Credit professionals need instant access to credit information on new customers...

Credit groups: a best practice for credit managers.
March 1, 2006... As industries become increasingly national, even global, credit managers find less opportunity to get together, network and exchange useful information. Fortunately, they can stilt gather at industry credit group meetings organized through the...

Selected credit and legal hurdles in the wake of a natural disaster.(REQUIRED READING)
March 1, 2006... Louisiana remains in the early stages of economic recovery from the hurricanes of 2005. Although a state of unique culture, food and music, it may take many years to return to the pre-hurricane world of "laissez les bons temps rouler" (let the...

Preventive measures to avoid bankruptcy risk.(SELECTED TOPIC)
March 1, 2006... For most unsecured creditors, a corporate bankruptcy filing spells disaster. Bankruptcy has increasingly become a vehicle for controlled auctions by Chapter 11 debtors that primarily benefit their banks. Unsecured creditors face the prospect of...

NACM Credit Manager's Index: report for January 2006.(CREDIT MANAGER'S INDEX)(National Association of Credit Managers)(Statistical data)
March 1, 2006... January's Credit Manager's Index continues to suggest that the economy is reasonably strong, but it also shows a worrisome downward trend, advises Dan North, Chief Economist with credit insurer Euler Hermes ACI. While the Index now stands at...

Small business credit scoring.(REQUIRED READING)
March 1, 2006... Lending to small business has traditionally been a very time-consuming and costly proposition for banks and other financial intermediaries. The main reason for this is the extent of asymmetric information in the small business credit market,...

2006 CFO outlook: a survey of what manufacturing chiefs expect.(chief financial officers)
March 1, 2006... Nearly three out of four manufacturing chief financial officers (73 percent) expect their company's revenues to increase in the coming year--and nearly half (46 percent) predict increased profit margins. That's according to the eighth annual...

Alan Greenspan: unique methodology, uncommon insight.(Federal Reserve Board)
March 1, 2006... As Alan Greenspan prepares to step down from a post he has held nearly two decades, he leaves behind a legacy that can be called eventful, at the very least. Many on Wall Street and in economic academia refer to Greenspan as the greatest...

Financial statements are still valuable tools for predicting bankruptcy.(SELECTED TOPIC)
March 1, 2006... Despite growing public skepticism over how useful financial statements are in providing information to investors, researchers at Stanford's Graduate School of Business have found that the value of financial ratios for predicting bankruptcy has...

B2B electronic payments: putting wind in the sails.
March 1, 2006... Despite the formidable incumbent status of the check in business-to-business transactions, its dominance will wane. Various industry, technological and regulatory trends will propel the adoption of e-payments. The economic interests of banks,...

Ten hiding places for business credit risk.(REQUIRED READING)(commercial credit insurance analysis)
March 1, 2006... Business credit risk often poses a dilemma for both borrowers and lenders. A bank's first B I priority when extending credit collateralized by trade receivables is to protect the interests of its investors. Lenders typically rely on...

Check 21 and the migration to electronic payments.(SELECTED TOPIC)(rules for banking system)
March 1, 2006... The implementation of Check 21 legislation in the fourth quarter of 2004 further accelerated the migration from paper to electronic payments. At the time, it was estimated that banking institutions would need to invest in the front-, middle-,...

Spotlight on Credit Congress speakers.(NACM's 110th Credit Congress Exposition)
March 1, 2006... Don't miss these and other engaging speakers as they share their expertise on a vast array of subjects, from leadership skills to finance and legal topics to international credit management issues. Wanda Borges, Esq. is a member of the...

Schedule at a glance.(NACM's 110th Credit Congress Exposition)(National Association of Credit Management)(Calendar)
March 1, 2006... For a detailed description of the educational sessions and event information, please visit our website at www.nacm.org. May 21-24, 2006 Nashville, Tennessee Gaylord Opryland Resort Saturday, May 20 8:00am-5:00pm ...

The right questions make workouts work.(SELECTED TOPIC)
March 1, 2006... Against a backdrop of uncertain economic conditions and excess financial leverage, the rise in underperforming companies comes as no surprise. For the credit manager, this forces decisions on complex and delicate issues. Deciding how to...

Getting the biggest bang for your new value preference defense buck.(CREDIT COLUMN)(Seneca Petroleum Co.)(Globe)(Column)
March 1, 2006... Recently, a bankruptcy court decision allowed a trade creditor to utilize the new value defense to escape most of its six-figure preference risk. The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Indiana, in In re Globe Building...

New Jersey Lien Law.(CONSTRUCTION CORNER)(Construction Lien Law )
March 1, 2006... New Jersey's Construction Lien Law ("CLL") offers statutory protection to contractors, subcontractors or suppliers who provide "work, services, material or equipment," pursuant to a written contract, (1) in connection with the "improvement" or...

Illinois Supreme Court rejects corporate officer pay liability.(CONSTRUCTION CORNER)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... The Illinois Supreme Court has ruled that a corporation's sole shareholder, officer and director, as well as a separate corporation he controlled that performed substantial administrative support for the first corporation, were not liable for...

Credit at work.(CONSTRUCTION CORNER)
March 1, 2006... Dear Andy: It is becoming more difficult to find qualified employees today than it was a year ago. What are the most effective screening techniques today for identifying the best job candidates? Because of the current high demand for credit...

Hot spots: Brazil.(INTERNATIONAL SECTION)
March 1, 2006... The country's money managers seem convinced that the recent pick-up in inflation is temporary and nothing to worry about. Since the economy is continuing to show soft spots, this means that interest rates will be cut quite a bit further. The...

Economic status looking up, down under.(INTERNATIONAL SECTION)
March 1, 2006... When a U.S. company is looking for foreign trading partners, the glimmer of the superheated economies of countries like China and India should not discourage a look "down under" to Australia. The Commonwealth of Australia has an abundance of...

Latin America's need for credit scores.(credit cards)
March 1, 2006... The Latin American credit card market has once again seen double-digit growth in 2005, proving that it is one of the most dynamic card markets in the world. Including both purchase and cash activity for all card products, transaction volume...

Data privacy and protection legislation working its way through Congress.
March 1, 2006... In the wake of the millions of cases of consumer and business financial records--such as credit and banking account information--being stolen through the Internet, the 109th Congress is considering a number of Bills that would help safeguard...

The right credit report: using the best data sources for your company.(SELECTED TOPIC)
March 1, 2006... Over the last several years there has been a significant amount of industry buzz touting the benefits of automating various aspects of the credit decision process including scoring, automated decision logic, workflow and a variety of other...

Secured creditors must be very careful in choosing their collateral.(SELECTED TOPIC)
March 1, 2006... Many creditors believe that the act of securing a loan or line of credit is much more important than choosing the actual collateral by which to secure the transaction. This is a huge mistake. It is absolutely essential to a creditor's claim...

Dan Fulton, CCE received the distinct honor of being named the 2005 Credit Executive of the Year Award from NACM Southwest.(MEMBER NEWS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Dan Fulton, CCE received the distinct honor of being named the 2005 Credit Executive of the Year Award from NACM Southwest. Dan is a long-time member of NACM Southwest and was one of the first NACM members...

From left, Ron Moore, Flowerwood Nursery, Inc.; Don Jeffers, CBF, Michigan Peat Company; and Julie Teal, Commerce Corporation, participate in a discussion conducted during an industry trade group meeting.(MEMBER NEWS)
March 1, 2006... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: From left, Ron Moore, Flowerwood Nursery, Inc.; Don Jeffers, CBF, Michigan Peat Company; and Julie Teal, Commerce Corporation, participate in a discussion conducted during an industry trade group meeting....

Smart businesses should take careful steps to establish business credit.(SELECTED TOPIC)
March 1, 2006... Small business owners are often preoccupied with developing new products or services, sales activities, establishing a place of business and other endeavors but often they neglect something that may increase their odds of financial...

Energy impact on global economy is understated.(SELECTED TOPIC)
March 1, 2006... The energy shock to economic growth will be felt worldwide through the increasing global imbalance between high investment and low consumer spending, according to an analysis by The Conference Board. The steady rise of global commodity prices...