What is a Letter of Release (“LOR”)? A letter of release is a legal document provided to customers that releases the factoring company's Notice of Assignment (NOA) and assigns account receivables back to the carrier.
In the process of factoring, businesses sell their slow-paying invoices — or accounts receivable — to a third-party factoring company. This company immediately pays most of the invoice amount and assumes the responsibility of collecting the full invoice amount from the customer.
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.
Factoring Application Applications vary depending on the factor's needs, but most of them ask for things like business and personal phone numbers, email addresses, and business details. Applications also normally ask for your business' industry sector and your monthly invoicing volume.
A factoring contract establishes the legal relationship between your business and the factor. It outlines the process for transferring invoices, clarifies who is responsible for collecting payments, and specifies whether the factor assumes the risk of bad debt.
Here's a breakdown of the basic invoice factoring requirements: Bank statements. Factoring application. Invoices you want to factor. Proof of delivery or service. Customer credit information. Accounts receivable aging report. Articles of incorporation or business registration.
Invoice factoring eligibility depends on what type of business you have, where you're located, the type of industry you work in, and whether or not you have any outstanding liens or tax balance. You'll also need to work with creditworthy customers, who aren't at risk of not paying their outstanding receivables.
The disadvantages can include higher costs than alternative services—like trade credit insurance. Invoice factoring can also potentially impact customer relationships due to the involvement of the factoring company in the collections process.
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.