Banking Finance

Poor credit bank accounts are available to be opened for those who are bankrupt. These bank accounts are not available in the traditional high street banks, instead they are opened up and available direct for you to open.

Poor Credit Bank Accounts- How different they are from the traditional bank accounts?

Bankruptcy is legal financial status applicable to those individuals who are unable to repay their debts, due to their lack of funds. The traditional banks are reluctant to open the current and savings accounts of these bankrupts in their banks. If ever they open up the accounts of the bankrupts in their banks, they provide no other facilities with the account, which may generally come with a normal bank account. Hence, opening up bad credit current accounts or savings accounts with these traditional banks are useless.

Unlike these traditional banks, the monetary firms providing poor credit bank accounts have facilitated all the items attached with a normal bank account.

Poor Credit Bank Accounts- The Features

These poor credit bank accounts have the following features attached to them.
Each of these bank accounts come with MasterCard® that may be used to draw money from the ATMs and like a debit card, can be used online or in a shop to purchase goods or service.
Pay-in online or at any RBS branches across the country.
You will also be given a personal sort code and the bank account number for your poor credit bank account.
Set up Direct Debits or Standing Orders
Internet banking facility allows access to your bank account 24/7
SMS balance updates or amend regular payments by text

How to apply for the poor credit bank accounts?

There are many monetary firms that open up these types of bank accounts. You may contact them online for opening these accounts. You will have to fulfill certain easy terms and conditions to open these accounts. You may also contact them individually for any specific questions you have regarding setting this basic bank account.

It’s no secret: the varieties of bank accounts available to consumers are many, and banks will often extend a number of special offers and account deals to gain more customers. As a result, it can be confusing for consumers to choose a bank – as well as an account – that’s right for them. However, there are a set of guidelines that can help consumers secure an account that suits their specific needs.

To begin, you need to choose a bank to host your bank accounts. There are many ways to go about doing this – from seeking referrals and suggestions to researching products and customer service ratings for various banks. But one of the most common requirements for many consumers looking to open bank accounts is accessibility – that is, to do business with a bank that has a branch near them, and which is easily accessible from other locales. Many people will narrow their choices down to a few banks in their area, then proceed to researching each of those banks.

Most banks offer savings, current and business accounts – so you’re likely to find the type of bank accounts you’re after at a number of different banks. There’s a great deal of information – whether in the form of official statistics or customer forums – online, to help you get an idea of customer service offerings for each bank. Another way to research a bank in detail is to visit a branch in person, in order to speak with a representative – which also gives you a good opportunity to start enquiring about the types of accounts they offer.

And finally, word-of-mouth is always a great way to find out more about a bank that you’re considering doing business with.

Once you’ve found your bank, you’re ready to look into the specifics of available bank accounts. Of course, you’ll need a general idea of what type of bank accounts you’re looking for – whether a savings account, current account, or a business account – although most bank customers usually have or want to open some sort of a current account. Based on your general account needs, you can then start to hone in on the details.

One of the most common qualities that consumers look out for in their current account is the AER (annual equivalent rate) – the rate of interest that is accumulated on an account by the end of the year. If this is an important factor to you, ask your potential bank about the different accounts they offer, while specifying that you’re particularly looking for a competitive AER. Another quality that consumers look out for is free banking. Many banks offer some form of free current accounts – so if this is the type of account you’re after, tell your banking specialist from the outset of your search. There are, of course, bank accounts that charge a monthly or yearly fee, but which offer a range of benefits that free accounts may not offer – and it’s always worth taking such benefits into consideration.

There are a number of other factors that consumers should consider before choosing any of their bank accounts – all of which can be explained by a banking specialist. If you go into a bank with an idea of how you want to handle your money, a banker can help you achieve your banking goals.

Wondering whether you’ll be able to get a loan for your business? Getting a business loan is one of the toughest tasks to accomplish for a company owner. Although banks represent a very cost effective source of funds, they are very selective about the customers they take. This is especially true nowadays were commercial credit at banks is very tight. Most banks will only provide business loans to companies that have a solid track record and substantial assets. But, what if your company does not meet the banks criteria? What is you are a startup or if your company does not have traditional assets such as real estate? One business financing alternative that has been recently gaining traction could be the right solution for you. It’s called accounts receivable financing.

Accounts receivable financing, commonly called factoring, is a type of financing that helps companies that need to wait 30 to 60 days to get their invoices paid. It provides funds to pay employees and suppliers while you wait to get paid by your commercial clients. Accounts receivable factoring is different than a business loan because the factoring company does not lend you money. Rather, the factoring company advances you money based on your open invoices and gets paid once your customer pays.

A typical transaction would work as follows. Once you deliver your product and send the invoice to the client, you submit a copy of the invoice for financing. Within one to two business days, the factoring company advances you about 80% of the invoice. Once your client submits the payment in full for the invoice, you get the remaining 20% less a small fee charged for the service. Costs are usually determined based on the size of the financing line and can go from 2% to 5% for 30 days depending on the specific details of the transaction.

One of the major benefits of receivables factoring is the flexibility that it provides. Your maximum financing line is determined by the invoices you submit and is tied directly to your monthly sales. This means that your financing line increases dynamically, as your business grows. This provides the liquidity you need to stay current on your obligations and enables you to maximize sales opportunities.

Another benefit of factoring invoices is that it’s relatively easy to obtain. The biggest requirement is that you do business with reliable companies (or government agencies) that pay in 30 to 60 days. This is critical because your invoice is the collateral, for lack of a better term, that the factoring company is financing. Aside from that, your business needs to be properly organized and well managed.

Invoice factoring has been around for quite a while and has been gaining traction in recent times as a flexible solution to finance business growth. Due to its structure it’s the ideal source of financing for startup and growing companies alike.

For the growth of your business or to meet the cash flow shortages, you have to struggle to attain capital. But, for small business houses, if the loan and credit are limited, then you can opt for accounts receivable financing. Account receivable financing is selling your invoices at a discount to a factoring company, which is prepared to take risks on the receivables and offers instant cash.

Extending payment terms is quite common in the business world. Your company is bound to run in problems, unless you have sufficient cash for business expenses such as rent, salaries and suppliers. The ultimate result would be, either you will settle for low pay orders to conserve cash or delay the payments of your staff and key suppliers.

Obtaining a business loan from bank is quite difficult, unless you have a good record and substantial assets. Banks only lend to organizations, which can provide a profitable operations for many years and a detailed financial statement. Apart from the loan, there would also be a fixed amount. For additional expenses, again you may have to go through the same process.

So the best option would be going for accounts receivable financing also known as factoring, which will pay you immediately to meet your business expenses. Moreover accounts receivable financing can be easily obtained than a bank loan. The work process of receivable factoring is quite simple. It gives you an advance payment, which ranges from 80 to 90% of the invoice depending upon the kind of industry and your clients. Now this advance helps you to pay the current expenses rather than waiting for the delayed payments from the clients. The remaining transaction that is 10 to 20% with a deduction of factoring fee is settled as soon as your client pays the open invoice.

Factoring fees are determined by the amount of financing you receive and on the payment reliability of customers. The monthly cost may vary from 1.5% to 3.5%. Accounts receivable is a cost effective solution and a best tool to make financing and sales grow in your organization. This accounts receivable will also help you to go for better pay orders too.

One of the major benefits of accounts receivable financing is the flexibility. The financing lines of your organization by the invoices you submit are tied directly to your monthly sales. This means that as your financing line increases your business grows. This will provide you cash and enables you to maximize the sales opportunities. Accounts receivable financing helps you to maintain a steady cash flow in your organization. It increases working capital of your business.

You now have control on your money, even if your clients pay after 30 or 60 days. Your running expenses can be easily taken care of. Due to this increased working capital, the factoring financing availability grows automatically. Unlike banks, you don’t need approval every year for additional funding and have a 30 day rest period every year, before drawing on a line. Moreover, you don’t have to pay any kind of monthly loan payments. You can take advantage of trade discounts, which are offered by the suppliers. Now you can concentrate more on the company’s growth than on managing your receivables. This will lead you on the road of success.

Until the early 1900’s staffing agencies, also known as employment agencies, generally did not exist. Communities were smaller, and because there was no telephone or internet, people communicated face to face. People in small towns knew each other and hiring was based on that personal knowledge. One of the first staffing agencies was created in 1906 in response to the enormous calamity of the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. With an entire city of people displaced, there was an urgent need to hire workers on a mass scale to re-establish businesses that had been destroyed by the earthquake and fire, and to rebuild the city. Out of this urgent need to match workers to jobs the staffing agency industry was born.

Today the staffing industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. There are many staffing companies with more than $1 Billion in sales; the number of companies with over $100 Million in sales grew in 2006. According to the American Staffing Association, “America’s staffing companies employed an average of 2.96 million temporary and contract workers per day in 2006…and they added an average of 52,000 jobs per day in 2006”.

Why are staffing agencies so popular? In a word, it’s because of flexibility. Staffing agencies help workers to find work when they want, and they help business hire workers when they are needed. Staffing agencies provide workers to fill in when regular workers are absent, to provide extra help during busy times such as Christmas, and to work on special projects. The variety of jobs provided by staffing agencies is enormous.

A partial listing of staffing agency jobs include the fields of engineering, aviation, environmental services, architecture, administrative services, automotive services, energy, manufacturing, construction, mortgage banking, contact centers, science, health care, secretarial, manual labor, accounting, finance, executive recruitment, temporary staffing and student employment. One staffing agency specializes in administrative staffing by Microsoft Office Certified Professionals.

Most parents encourage their children to go to college and learn something that will help them get a job after they graduate. After four or more years of college, many graduates would prefer to take some time off to see the world, or just find themselves. In the movie, Back to School, Rodney Dangerfield was cast as a parent who goes back to school primarily to get his son to stay in school so his son can get an education and a job. Rodney is invited to give the college commencement address. ”It’s a jungle out there,” he says. ”So my advice is don’t go. Live at home. Let your parents worry about it.” Perhaps this is the sociological reason for the growth of staffing agencies to provide people with jobs.

According to MSN Encarta, the word job is a “noun and a verb:

noun (plural jobs) Definition: 1. paid occupation: an activity such as a trade or profession that somebody does regularly for pay, or a paid position doing this

She’s got a new job.

2. task: something that remains to be done or dealt with

I have a couple jobs to do this afternoon.

several jobs around the house

3. assignment: an individual piece of work of a particular nature

We managed to complete the job in under a week.

4. function: the role that somebody or something fulfills

It’s her job to look after the finances.

5. difficulty: something that is difficult to accomplish

I had quite a job getting it to start.

6. quality of work done: a completed piece of work of a particular quality

They did a very good job on the exterior.

7. particular kind of object: a particular kind of object, especially a manufactured item ( informal )

one of those big four-wheel-drive jobs

8. crime: a criminal act, especially a robbery ( informal )

a bank job

9. computer programming task: a computer programming task run as a single application or unit”

All of the nouns, with the exception of crime, relate to what staffing agencies provide. As a verb, with the exception of a jobber who deals in wholesale merchandise, most of the definitions relate to what staffing agencies do:

“verb (past and past participle jobbed, present participle job•bing, 3rd person present singular jobs) Definition:

1. intransitive verb work occasionally: to take occasional or casual work

He jobs as a gardener from time to time…

2. transitive verb distribute work to others: to subcontract portions of contract work to others

job out the plumbing work on the house”

It would be unusual for most staffing agencies to provide a songwriter or an artist to a business. This is a pity because there are so many songwriters and artists that need jobs. One of the greatest vocal rock and roll songs ever written was called Get A Job by the Silhouettes. It was recorded in the late 1950’s. It was a number one hit on the pop charts and it sold over one million copies. The song was written by Richard Lewis after he completed his military service. When he came home he had no work and his mother told him to “Get A Job” and this inspired him to write the song.

The lyrics are:

“CHORUS

Sha na na na, sha na na na na(repeat 4x)

Yip dip dip dip dip dip, bum bum bum bum bum bum

Sha na na na, sha na na na na

Well, from about the time every morning when she wakes me up and cries,”Get a job!”

Well, after breakfast every day, she throws a polish on my way and never fails to say (bass)Get a job

REPEAT CHORUS

Oh, oh, and when I get the paper

I read it through and through

And my girl never fails to see

If there is any work for me

BRIDGE

And when I go back to my house

I hear my woman’s mouth

Preachin’ and a-cryin’, tell me that I’m lying ’bout a job”

Whoa-ooh-oh, and when I get the paper

I read it through and through

And my girl never fails to see

If there is any work for me”

If Mr. Lewis had other marketable skills he might have joined the legions of people working for the staffing agency industry. One of the biggest concerns of a growing staffing agency is cash flow. To grow into a multimillion dollar business, it takes a considerable amount of cash. Payroll obligations must be met every two weeks to pay staffing agency employees, but the actual employers (i.e. the companies that are using the staffing agency people) may take 30 to 60 days to pay their bills. Accounts receivable financing can provide staffing agencies with virtually unlimited cash for growth. The main requirement is to have staffing agency employees working for creditworthy businesses.

This financing technique can accelerate cash flow for exponential growth because the cash for the invoices is available immediately every time an employer is billed for services rendered. Commercial finance companies are the primary providers of accounts receivable financing for staffing agencies; some banks are involved in financing larger, multi-million dollar transactions that are low risk. As a general rule, banks will not provide accounts receivable financing for a staffing agency that is a start-up or for one that is growing very rapidly in the early years of their business.

The bottom line: if you need to get a job, a staffing agency may be an excellent choice to find work on your terms; if you need cash flow to grow a staffing agency, accounts receivable financing may be an excellent choice for financing growth without bank terms.

Copyright © 2007 Gregg Financial Services

www.greggfinancialservices.com

Most people intuitively understand the time value of money from first time they received an allowance from their parents. All other things being equal, you would rather get your allowance today instead of having to wait for the weekend. Go to the movies today instead of waiting for the money. Instant gratification.

In business, if you have the money today you are positioned to increase the future value of your business by increasing sales of services or products over a period of time. There are several mathematical concepts to compute the time value of money such as present value, future value, present value of an annuity, and future value of an annuity. These computations are beyond the scope of this article.

Uneven cash flow is a challenge to B2B businesses that have to meet regular obligations such as payroll, rent and supplies. One solution to this problem is accounts receivable financing which is also known as factoring, factoring receivables and asset based lending. With accounts receivable financing you can get cash for your invoices immediately and give terms to your customers to pay you in thirty, sixty or ninety days.

The financial markets today are exceptionally volatile. There are grave concerns regarding a meltdown in the mortgage finance market and several major providers of home mortgages than have declared bankruptcy or exited this market. The secondary market for certain types of mortgage securities has virtually closed the door on securities known as subprime home loan securitizations which makes these types of bonds, not having any liquidity, virtually worthless. Why is this relevant to accounts receivable financing?

A little known fact is that many commercial finance firms that provide accounts receivable financing are not using their own money to fund their transactions. This is sometimes called “refactoring”. Their funds may be available from three sources: bank lines of credit, investor participations and the equity of the firm. Bank lines of credit, or asset based credit lines from major non-bank commercial finance firms are by far the largest source of funds for most firms that offer “refactoring” accounts receivable financing.

These firms are under more pressure from their lenders to make safe and sound loans. The pressure comes from Banks, Federal regulators such as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Federal Reserve Banks. This may affect how long it takes to get financing.

There is a process called due diligence which is a pre-requisite to accounts receivable financing. Several components are: analyzing the credit of the borrower; analyzing the credit of their customers, and running a UCC-1 search in each state where the company operates. The UCC-1 search and filing is required to give the lenders the legal right to collect the accounts receivable that are being sold or pledged for the financing. This can take 5 to 10 days depending on the state bureaucracy and how busy they are with such requests. If the UCC-1 report is not “clean” meaning first lien status is not available to the lender, there will be no financing. Tax liens, legal judgment liens, and earlier financing liens can delay financing until they either are paid or subordinated.

When a B2B business is growing rapidly and needs more cash flow for operations the time value of money becomes critical. There is a common answer the question: “When do you need the money?” Answer: “Yesterday”.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney understood the time value of money and more importantly for them, the money value of time. They were the primary songwriters for the group, The Beatles, from 1960 to 1970. The group experienced major cash flow difficulties because of poor financial management of recording contracts, out of control costs of running their record business, Apple, and the pressures that caused them to renounce public performances (which was a major source of income). Some of their greatest songs (and a source of substantial future income) were created while they were on a hiatus to meditate with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in India in 1965. In 1970 The Beatles disbanded because of personality differences, the stresses of mass popularity and financial problems. Paul McCartney’s song, Yesterday, is considered to be the most recorded song in the history of popular music, if not the most popular song of all time. Here are the lyrics to Yesterday:

Yesterday,

All my troubles seemed so far away,

Now it looks as though they’re here to stay,

Oh, I believe in yesterday.

Suddenly,

I’m not half the man I used to be,

There’s a shadow hanging over me,

Oh, yesterday came suddenly.

Why she

Had to go I don’t know, she wouldn’t say.

I said,

Something wrong, now I long for yesterday.

Yesterday,

Love was such an easy game to play,

Now I need a place to hide away,

Oh, I believe in yesterday.

Why she

Had to go I don’t know, she wouldn’t say.

I said,

Something wrong, now I long for yesterday.

Yesterday,

Love was such an easy game to play,

Now I need a place to hide away,

Oh, I believe in yesterday.

Mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm.

The bottom line: If your B2B business needs money yesterday accounts receivable financing may be the answer to your cash flow challenges.

Copyright 2007 © Gregg Financial Services

www.greggfinancialservices.com

Several agencies of the US government support departments that have mandates to help you increase your export sales and minimize risks with regard to the sales of products and services to Africa. These departments exist within US agencies such as the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the Department of Commerce, and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. All are supported by a relatively recent law called: The African Growth and Opportunity Act. The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) was signed into law by President Bush on May 18, 2000 as Title 1 of The Trade and Development Act of 2000. The Act offers tangible incentives for African countries to continue their efforts to open their economies and build free markets.

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) has been modified three times to increase exports to Africa.

In the first modification, AGOA was changed in to substantially expand preferential access for imports from beneficiary Sub-Sarahan African countries in several ways: 1) The term “fabric” was previously interpreted by U.S. Customs as excluding components that are “knit-to-shape” (i.e. components that take their shape in the knitting process, rather than being cut from a bolt of cloth); now knit-to-shape apparel will qualify for AGOA benefits. 2) The definition of hybrid cutting was broadened to include cutting of fabric in the U.S. and/or AGOA countries. 3) The volume cap on duty-free treatment for apparel made from fabric made in AGOA regions or, for lesser developed beneficiary countries from fabric made anywhere was doubled. 4) Botswana and Nambia were specially designated as less developed countries.

In the second modification, AGOA’s periods for preferential treatment for African imports to the US were expanded.

In the third modification, known as AGOA “1V” was expanded and liberalized again. In essence, US laws were created to increase US exports to Africa and imports from Africa to the US.

Pursuant to AGOA the US organized a U.S.-Sub-Saharan Africa Trade and Economic Forum hosted by the Secretaries of State, Commerce, Treasury, and the U.S. Trade Representative. The Forum serves as the vehicle for regular dialogue between the United States and African countries on issues of economics, trade, and investment. This fosters a unique cooperation between US agencies, African countries, and US businesses that desire to increase export sales to Africa with minimal risk.

How does this work? It involves the Export Assistance Centers of the US Department of Commerce to assist you with your marketing and sales efforts to Africa and financial support from the Export-Import Bank of the United States to Banks that participate in and finance the export of goods and services to Africa in a variety of programs.

The Export Assistance Centers are part of the U.S. Commercial Services which is the trade promotion of the International Trade Administration (a part of the US Department of Commerce). Their mission is to provide 1) market research in the form of country specific commercial guides; 2) industry sector analysis; and 3) internal market insight reports. They provide trade counsel and advocacy through every step of the export process. They sponsor trade events that promote your product or services to qualified African buyers. They provide introductions to qualified buyers and distributors. They will help settle disputes and negotiate tariff issues. Once described as “glorified matchmakers” they will go as far as possible to help you export safely to Africa- even to the US Ambassador to facilitate these objectives, if appropriate.

And they help with the nuts and bolts of exporting to Africa such as setting up meetings for you with up to 5 prospective buyers per day, selecting drivers, translators and hotels. When you go to Africa to sell your goods or services you will not be making a cold call; you will be meeting with pre-qualified people when you participate in this program- all at a nominal cost to cover the agency’s expenses.

It is necessary for you to actually travel to Africa and meet face to face to successfully export to Africa. This is a cultural necessity. African businesses do not operate like American businesses where we trust negotiations conducted over the telephone and internet, and often transact without ever meeting the buyer or seller.

What exports are needed in Africa? You can read the research reports to find out specifically what is in demand. At the top of the list you will see products that purify water. Africa has a huge water infrastructure need. There is also a great interest in security related devices such as high tech devices to prevent theft of vehicles and increase recovery of stolen vehicles. Textile manufacturing equipment and telecommunications equipment also head the lists. Certain medical devices are also in demand.

What are some of the challenges regarding creating or increasing your export sales to Africa? It is difficult to qualify buyers; there are limited credit reporting facilities in Africa; African companies’ auditing and accounting systems are not “world class”. And it is difficult to ascertain who will actually pay as promised in you negotiations. To minimize these risks it is prudent to work with the Export-Import Bank and their correspondent banks and insurance brokers for international trade transactions to Africa.

There are specific Export-Import Bank standards for short-term and medium term credit; these may be located on their website at exim.gov. Financing guarantees and insurance are available for short term financing in 44 Sub-Sarahan African countries. They facilitate more competitive terms for African buyers. After the US correspondent bank has reviewed and approved you for financing, you can use these guarantees and insurance to minimize your accounts receivable financing risk when extending credit to African buyers. This applies to transactions wherein you have successfully delivered your products or services to African purchasers.

Unfortunately, there presently is no way to insure against contract frustration, also known as transactional risk. In other words, you take the risk of default if a prospective African buyer cancels the transaction before it is completed. You are at risk regarding disputes such as delivery or product specifications until they are resolved. And you cannot avoid devaluation of currency as a political risk either.

On the other hand, commercial risks such as insolvency, bankruptcy and protracted default are covered risks utilizing these programs; also covered are political risks such as war, revolution and insurrection.

The bottom line: you can use accounts receivable financing to export to Africa to increase your sales, minimize risks, and increase your working capital when you work with the appropriate US agencies, their correspondent banks and insurance brokers.

Copyright © 2007 Gregg Financial Services