Business Credit articles from May 2006

Business Credit archives from May 2006

Beware powerful new strain of internet attacks.(front page)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Security experts say a new variety of unusually powerful Internet attacks, which can overwhelm popular websites and disrupt emails, has been unleashed. The attacks exploit computers that help manage global Internet traffic and direct massive...

Egypt set to provide economic growth, stability.(front page)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Charged almost two years ago with transforming the Egyptian economy, Egypt's reform-minded cabinet has ushered in a dramatic period of change. In 2005, the stock market surged over 150 percent, GDP 5.2 percent and industrial growth reached 8.0...

Risk, tax and compliance challenges abound.(front page)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Global companies prefer short-term assignments over traditional long-term expatriate engagements, according to a new survey from the International Assignment Services practice of Deloitte Tax LLP. More than 70 percent of 200 companies worldwide...

Federal Reserve announces policy changes.(Federal Reserve Board)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... The Federal Reserve Board announced the approval of policy changes that seek to reduce the overuse of Federal Reserve Bank cash-processing services by providing incentives for depository institutions to recirculate currency among their...

SEC, UK FSA sign landmark regulatory cooperation arrangement.(front page)(Securities and Exchange Commission)(United Kingdom Financial Services Authority)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... The Securities and Exchange Commission and the United Kingdom Financial Services Authority signed a comprehensive arrangement to increase cooperation in market oversight and supervision. The landmark arrangement will facilitate the exchange of...

U.S. transportation sector increasingly looking to public-private partnership.(front page)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... With the recent multibillion-dollar privatizations of the Indiana Toll Road and Chicago Skyway, many state, local and regional providers of roadway infrastructure are reevaluating their capital programs in the context of the evolving...

May/June.(Calendar)
May 1, 2006... MAY May 1 Teleconference: Using a Credit Agreement to Your Advantage in Winning the Battle of the Forms Presenter: Mark Berman, Esq. For more information, please contact the NACM Meetings Dept. at 410.740.5560. May...

NACM update on privacy legislation affecting business creditors.(commentary)(National Association of Credit Management)
May 1, 2006... THIS MONTH, NACM HOSTED ADVOCACY DAY on Capitol Hill for members to visit the Hill and learn about significant legislative issues... an opportunity to share a credit professional's perspective on the legislative needs and desired focus of the...

Meet Toni Drake, CCE.(Interview)
May 1, 2006... "How could I go wrong?" asks Toni Drake, when discussing how she got into the credit field. "I don't think that anyone really plans to be a Credit Executive when they 'grow up'... but strangely, when I was given the opportunity to enter...

Is your business prepared for pandemic influenza?(REQUIRED READING)
May 1, 2006... A deadly strain of bird flu could appear in the United States in the next few a months as wild birds migrate from infected nations, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said recently in a press conference. "There will be a reasonable...

Tough talk: keep your cool and be heard in even the toughest conversations.(Headline)(Interview)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... We've all had those moments--when you have to say something to a client, vendor or employee that's just not easy. From confronting someone about a missed product shipment to dealing with an angry customer, difficult conversations are sometimes...

Tips to reduce days sales outstanding.(SELECTED TOPIC)
May 1, 2006... Wouldn't it be great to discover an easy way to reduce DSO? Even better, what if there were techniques available under the direct control of the creditor that can achieve a lower DSO? Few will argue that most issues that lengthen the collection...

Establish operational risk and compliance management as a sustainable business process.(SELECTED TOPIC)
May 1, 2006... Basel II and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act represent a new challenge to financial institutions by virtue of their requirements for financial transparency and ensuing market discipline. While FDI-CIA covered much of the same territory in its...

Management + production = a winning team: 8 "simple" tips that lead to manufacturing success.(SELECTED TOPIC)
May 1, 2006... Millions of dollars are lost each year because manufacturing companies are not addressing an essential, straightforward issue. The problem? Groups within the company are just not working together. Regardless of organizational structure or...

Credit scoring gaining worldwide popularity in assessing commercial credit risk.(SELECTED TOPIC)
May 1, 2006... During 2005, more than 18,000 limited companies failed (liquidation, receivership, administration or voluntary arrangement). In the final three months of 2005, 4,501 businesses failed--an increase of 7 percent, compared to 4,193 in the fourth...

Handling marginal accounts.(business credit)
May 1, 2006... What goes into the decision making of extending credit to another business? Maybe it's their reputation or their financial strength. Whatever the reason may be, we put our respective companies at risk. Decision-making processes such as...

How a limited liability company affects creditors.(REQUIRED READING)
May 1, 2006... Even though the Limited Liability Company (LLC) has been in existence for over a decade, it is still a mysterious entity for many creditors. Most people do not understand what rights an LLC gives its members, or what challenges it presents to...

S&P 500 4th quarter buyback activity soars to $104 billion.(Headline: Standard & Poor's)
May 1, 2006... Standard & Poor's announced that S&P 500 fourth quarter buyback activity has surged 57 percent from that of the fourth quarter 2004. Standard & Poor's data shows that stock buybacks in the S&P 500 has increased to $104 billion for the fourth...

Risk-based performance management--making it work.(SELECTED TOPIC)
May 1, 2006... Performance management is now more correctly being defined as a much broader umbrella concept of integrated methodologies--much broader than its previously misconceived narrow definition as simply being better strategy, financial budgeting, and...

Mechanic's liens in Utah.(CONSTRUCTION CORNER)(Law overview)
May 1, 2006... In Utah, a mechanic's lien is an involuntary encumbrance against the title to real property. This encumbrance serves as security for a debt incurred while improving the encumbered property. Thus, the right to file a mechanic's lien arises when...

E-mails and instant messages count as records too.(Headline: NACM)
May 1, 2006... Companies that can't retrieve appropriate e-mails and instant messages could be subject to a big fine. Appropriate policies for records retention, which includes e-mails and instant messages, are essential for many companies, says Marie...

Expectations for the U.S. economy are worsening.(Headline: Euler Hermes ACI)
May 1, 2006... U.S. business profits are continuing to slow steadily and some industry sectors are in a weakened condition, according to economic analysis by global trade credit insurer Euler Hermes ACI. As a result, expectations for the future of the economy...

Five good--but often overlooked--preference defenses.(Financial Markets Law Committee)
May 1, 2006... THERE ARE FEW THINGS, IF ANY, THAT RAISE THE ire of credit professionals more than preference lawsuits. One of the most common complaints is the time associated with preparing an ordinary course or new value defense. Retrieving old invoices,...

Understanding the relationship between credit and sales.(Headline)
May 1, 2006... Of the many relationships a company s credit manager will cultivate and attempt to maintain, the most important one may make, can be found within the office the credit manager works in: the sales person. The relationship between the two has the...

Collectors lack confidence in collections management metrics.(Headline: Aceva Technologies)
May 1, 2006... A survey of financial, collections and receivables executives at mid- to large-sized companies in varying industries discovered that collectors lack confidence in the reliability of collections management metrics most commonly used by...

DCAA's audit authority.(REQUIRED READING)(Defense Contract Audit Agency )
May 1, 2006... Recently, a Government Business Group (GBG) client received a "request from the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) that the client prepare contract briefs on several time-and-materials (T&M) subcontracts in order for DCAA to conduct an...

Credit applications: terms to bind your customer.
May 1, 2006... Why A Credit Application? The credit professional documenting the credit sale appreciates the importance of a credit application. A credit application can be central to setting forth the rights of the vendor in the event of a dispute with...

Evaluating collection software.(SELECTED TOPIC)
May 1, 2006... Companies often reach the point where their accounts receivables department simply needs better software to help track and collect outstanding debts. This can occur due to variety of reasons: the amount of outstanding debts has increased,...

Credit at work.(steps to improve credit management)(Column)
May 1, 2006... Dear Andy, I've recently been promoted to a management position within my credit department. This will be my first experience managing a group of individuals, which makes me a bit nervous. What advice do you have for this transition? ...

The ever-changing world of bankruptcy caselaw.(Cover story)
May 1, 2006... AS THE MAIN FOCUS OF MOST CREDIT executives is upon the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act (BAPCPA), one must still remember that a great deal of caselaw is being generated from those bankruptcy cases in existence prior to...

Sales of trade claims: the rewards and the risks.(CREDIT COLUMN)(chapter 11 bankruptcy filing rules)
May 1, 2006... A dreaded event in the life of any credit executive is the bankruptcy filing by a customer that has significant indebtedness to the credit executive's company. While a debtor's Chapter 11 might offer the promise of continued business, the...

NACM Credit Manager's Index: report for March 2006.(CMI)
May 1, 2006... Following gains seen last month, the Credit Manager's Index (CMI) posted even stronger indicators for March. While seasonal factors played a role in this increase," said Dan North, Chief Economist with credit insurer Euler Hermes ACI, "the...

Recover from motivational bankruptcy: six tips for motivating your staff and professional doers.(SELECTED TOPIC)
May 1, 2006... The president of an office supply company was recently lamenting that his sales people were not operating to their potential. "Motivationally bankrupt," he said. This is a very common complaint in any area of business. Many times it's the...

The seven minute difference: small steps to big changes.(SELECTED TOPIC)(Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980 legislation improvement)
May 1, 2006... We are now well into 2006. Research shows that by this point, 95 percent of New Year's Resolutions are distant memories, with very little change to show for them. Do you need to make some significant changes in your life? Perhaps you have...

Hot spots: Indonesia.(foreign exchange markets )
May 1, 2006... The risk premium on Indonesian foreign debt instruments has been declining ever since the government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono responded to the mini-crisis in the foreign exchange markets last year with an aggressive tightening of...

Canadian landscape changing for IP licenses in bankruptcy.(Reprint)
May 1, 2006... The technology explosion, the dot-com boom and its subsequent demise, and the continuing expansion of the North American economy--the constant thread through the last two decades has been the ever-increasing reliance by almost all businesses...

Thoughts on business credit from a trade group participant.(National Association of Credit Management)
May 1, 2006... During a meeting of NACM Southwest's National Telecommunications Credit Group, in Las Vegas, Feb. 9 and 10, Steve Pellegrene took a brief break to share some of his observations with NACM. Pellegrene is the Group Manager of Credit Risk...