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Personal Guarantees: Mar-26-2012; Murray S. Lubitz, principal in the Murray Lubitz Law Firm located in White Plains, New York discusses this important collection tool, including the key elements of a solid personal guarantee.

The Proforma Invoice and Its Value in Export Sales: Mar-23-2012; There are a number of advantages in using a proforma invoice to create a sale. Learn what they are – and the specific information that comprises a well-drafted pro forma invoice.

Basic Outline for Developing a Credit Policy: Dec-08-2011; If your goal is to effectively manage your credit process and make it an integral part of your organization's success, developing a well-defined credit policy should be at the top of your list.

D/P, D/A and Their Use in International Sales Transactions: Dec-07-2011; What sales transaction offers a risk level lower than an Open Account (O/A), but greater than a Letter of Credit (L/C)? There are actually two. Read about them here.

Basics of Writing a Good Debt Collection RFP: Nov-02-2011; Selecting the right outside collection agency often starts with a well-written request for proposal. Here's a detailed outline of how write one.

Receivables Based Financing: Sep-27-2011; Find out how you can use your A/R portfolio to get the money you need to keep your business going and growing – without selling them to a factor.

Escheatment: Aug-19-2011; Businesses are paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in penalties and interest for failure to comply with unclaimed property laws. Find out how to avoid running afoul of these laws.

Measure and Manage Collection Efficiency Using DSO: Mar-28-2011; Here's plenty of good information and resources to help you use Days Sales Outstanding to analyze the effectiveness of your credit and collection process.

Credit Extensions are Loans: Jun-29-2010; When selling on account, why do many credit grantors shy away from one of the most effective tools for limiting credit risk? Find out how getting back to a credit basic - the credit application - can help you improve the collectibility of your accounts.

Final and Binding Arbitration: Jun-28-2010; Interested in slashing your international litigation budget and speeding up your recoveries? Consider this approach for handling your international bad debt accounts.

Understanding the Cash Flow Statement: May-26-2010; The final piece of the puzzle! No, we're not talking about the conclusion of the TV series, LOST. This is better. This final episode reveals how to use a company's Cash Flow Statement to find important information regarding its financial health. When used together with our previous articles on analyzing financials, you'll be able to penetrate the smoke screen and make those tough credit decisions you face every day.

Understanding the Income Statement: Apr-27-2010; What does the Income Statement reveal about a company's creditworthiness? More practical information that will help you make better informed credit decisions.

Understanding the Balance Sheet: Feb-22-2010; Finally, some practical help in sorting through the information found in financials. Here's an easy to understand, usable explanation of the Balance Sheet, what to look at and what it means.

Credit and Collection Policy Basics: Jan-25-2010; If you don't have a credit and collections policy or if you haven’t reviewed your policy in awhile – here's some practical help for developing a policy that will ensure consistency and breathe new life into your credit-to-cash process.

DuPont Analysis: Jan-24-2010; The DuPont Analysis provides a starting point for determining a company's strengths and weaknesses. Here's a breakdown of the three components that comprise this Return on Equity ratio and what they reveal about the financial position of an organization.

Collection Effectiveness Index: Dec-14-2009; How’s your collection process doing? Here’s a quick and easy calculation that can help you give a quantitative response to that question.

Altman Z Score: Corporate Health Check-up: Oct-28-2009; If you’re not familiar with the Altman Z Score, you should be. Find out why. And learn how to calculate it and what it means about your buyer’s company.

Setting a Reasonable Credit Limit: Oct-28-2009; How do you know what initial credit limit to set for that new buyer? Here are a few calculations that may help you make that important decision.

Red Flags: Sep-29-2009; US Federal Red Flags Rule to be implemented by November 1, 2009 addresses identity theft affecting consumers. Do corporations need to worry about theft of their identity? Read what two ABC-Amega collection clients ran into.

Chinese Credit Management: Any progress made?: Jul-28-2009; In Part 2 of this article, William Bastiaan, ABC-Amega Director - Global Markets, looks at Chinese credit management as it relates to credit information, and collections and the legal process.

Chinese Credit Management: Any progress made?: Jun-23-2009; William Bastiaan, CICE, ABC-Amega’s Director of Global Markets has more than 25 years experience working with Chinese entities. In Part One of this two-part article, he offers a solid introduction to what makes doing business in China different from the West, and sets the stages for a discussion on credit information, collections and litigation.

Political Risk Insurance in a Nutshell: Mar-25-2009; Here’s an opportunity to get familiar with political risk insurance, an increasingly important tool for mitigating risk when operating in the global marketplace.

International Financial Reporting Standards Slated to Replace GAAP: Mar-25-2009; IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) is fast becoming the global norm for financial accounting. So what is IFRS? How does it differ from GAAP? How will its adoption impact credit management?

Industry Credit Groups: Cost Effective Way to Reduce Risk: Dec-11-2008; Have you looked into industry credit groups lately? You should. Latest survey shows that many group members are getting a 50-fold return on their credit group investment – and making better credit decisions that reduce risk.

Increase in USD Value Abroad Poses Difficult Foreign Exchange Issue for US Exporter: Oct-28-2008; Q&A: One exporter raises the timely question: How do you handle payment situations with customers effected by fluctuating foreign exchange rates? Although directed in particular at trade between the US and South Korea, responses from two credit group members contain valuable insight for exporters in general.

5 Keys to Effective Credit Management: Oct-24-2008; The current economic crisis demands that credit professionals get serious about improving their approach to receivable management. Here are five keys that will help you boost your credit function’s efficiency and effectiveness.

5 Key Considerations When Asked to Extend Credit to a Troubled Company: Sep-24-2008; Is there ever a situation where it’s a good move to sell on open terms to a company that’s having financial problems? Maybe. Find out what you can do to make that decision.

Cash Flow and DSO: May-01-2008; Cash flow – when it slows down or stops, so does the health of your business. This article provides a clear and practical application that will help credit professionals avoid a major "cash trap" and contribute to the overall health of their company.

Six Essential Elements of an Effective Credit and Collections Policy: Apr-28-2008; Been putting off drafting a credit and collections policy because you’re not sure where to start? Or maybe you haven’t updated yours in awhile and need to make improvements to get it in step with the current business climate? Here’s what you need to get started.

Credit Crunch Increases Reliance on Trade Credit: Mar-31-2008; As current credit difficulties increase, businesses seeking alternative sources of working capital are expected to request extended credit terms from suppliers.

Accounting for Uncollectible Accounts: Mar-31-2008; Sarbanes-Oxley has raised the bar for accuracy in valuing and reporting assets. So how do credit managers meet the challenge when it comes to account receivable?

Hello? Do You Speak English?: Oct-24-2007; Hello. Do you speak English? An increasing number of emerging markets don't. Here's some food for thought for companies looking to extend their global reach.

Reducing Delinquent Accounts: Aug-30-2007; Nine practical tips to help small businesses reduce delinquent accounts.

New LC Rules Take Effect July 1st: Jun-27-2007; The first revision of the rules effecting Letters of Credit since 1993 has at long last been approved. Here's an overview of the UCP 600 together with highlights of some important changes this latest revision incorporates.

Reliability of Financial Statements on U.S. Firms: Apr-25-2007; All financial information is not equal. Find out how to assess the reliability of financial reports provided by your potential customers.

Export Trade to Latin America: Apr-24-2007; What does a company need to have a firm grasp of when looking to extend its global footprint into the major economies of Latin America? Patrick O. Connelly, Ph.D. suggests the answer lies close to home.

It Isn't Just the Four Cs of Credit Anymore: Mar-28-2007; Robert Schultz, consultant with Quote-to-Cash Process Consulting, introduces Five Cs of Credit Management and thirteen tips to facilitate a successful cross-functional improvement process in the credit management environment.

Trade Credit Insurance Primer: Dec-28-2006; Credit insurance can help mitigate your risk when a customer defaults on a credit obligation due to commercial or political reasons.

The Rules for Letters of Credit are Changing!: Aug-25-2006; In less than a year, the rules governing almost all commercial letters of credit is scheduled to undergo a long awaited revision. Don Smith, V.P. Client Services at Norman Technology, offers a sneak preview and some valuable resources.

International Sales Contracts: Aug-24-2006; With today's ease of access to multinational markets and Internet-generated commerce, just about every company has become involved in international trade in one way or another. But not many understand how international law effects their sales transactions.

Business Credit Fraud: Let the Seller Beware: Feb-20-2006; A degree of trust is essential in business transactions involving credit. But trust should never be mistaken for blind faith. The best course of action is described in President Reagan's now famous, "Trust, but verify."

Credit and Collections in the U.S.: Sep-28-2005; Almost every company worldwide has an eye toward selling to the U.S. market. Exporters need to be aware, however, of challenges presented by the American approach to buying on credit.

Comparing DSO Figures: Apr-26-2005; If your DSO calculation is based on A/R that includes sales tax and finance charges, are you getting an "apples to apples" comparison with other firms in the industry?

Three Essential Steps to Getting Paid on Exports: Nov-17-2004; The principles presented in this article by Romelio Hernández of HMH Legal provide useful applications for international trade.

Credit Insurance Q&A: Oct-21-2004; Answers to common questions about business credit insurance coverage.

Improving Your Chances of Collecting from a Risky Customer: Sep-23-2004; Nicholas D. Krawec of the Bernstein Law Firm offers suggestions to those looking for ways to minimize risk and improve the likelihood of receiving payment from customers.

Resolving A/R Disputes: Aug-19-2004; A large percentage of accounts submitted for collection are the result of unresolved disputes and deductions. Here are some practices that may help avoid some common dispute and invoicing problems.

Who is Your Customer?: Jan-22-2004; We turn the tables and ask you the question, Who is Your Customer? And it's one you'll need to be prepared to answer when you run into payment problems on an account.

Selling without Financials: Jul-17-2003; What can you do to develop a more complete risk profile for a customer who refuses to submit financials and whose credit report yields no information? We offer some suggestions that you may want to consider before you decide to kill the sale.

Sales vs. Credit: Jul-17-2003; In the classic style of sibling rivalry these two corporate family members appear to be in a constant push-and-shove. Is there any way to help them shake hands and agree to work together? Here are a few ideas that just might help.