Primary risks in invoice factoring include potential client defaults, impacting the factor's recovery; high costs due to fees and interest rates; customer relationships strain from third-party involvement; and hidden fees or contractual obligations.
The invoice finance industry has chosen to be self-regulated in regards to the factoring facilities they offer.
Invoice factoring is an agreement to assign your accounts receivable (A/R) to a factoring company. So the letter communicates that a third party (factoring company) is managing and collecting your A/R.
Factoring Companies Rely on Self-Regulation Similar to most alternative finance institutions, invoice factoring companies in the U.S. are not regulated by a formal government body.
Recourse factoring is the most common and means that your company must buy back any invoices that the factoring company is unable to collect payment on. You are ultimately responsible for any non-payment. Non-recourse factoring means the factoring company assumes most of the risk of non-payment by your customers.
The factoring company assesses the creditworthiness of the customers and the overall financial stability of the business. Typically, the factoring rates range from 1% to 5% of the invoice value, but they can be higher or lower depending on the specific circumstances.
A factoring agreement involves three key parties: The business selling its outstanding invoices or accounts receivable. The factor, which is the company providing factoring services. The company's client, responsible for making payments directly to the factor for the invoiced amount.
The factoring company assesses the creditworthiness of the customers and the overall financial stability of the business. Typically, the factoring rates range from 1% to 5% of the invoice value, but they can be higher or lower depending on the specific circumstances.