Most Important Things To Look For In Business Credit Report

Introduction

When carrying out credit checks on potential and existing customers you will almost always be drawn to the credit limit of the company and feel assured that if the credit agency states a credit limit then that is all you need to look at, this is not always the case.

This blog looks at some of the other main factors that we suggest are looked at when carrying out credit reports and setting credit terms for customers.

The following points will give you a better view of a respective company as a whole and ensure that you are more aware of potential risk of failure:-

1). Age of Company: This will give an indication if a company has operated for a substantial amount of time, where the likelyhood of failure is statistically less than a newly incorporated company.

2). Filing Dates of Annual Accounts and Returns: Statistically companies who file financial information close to or beyond the year end date are more likely to file poor financial information.

3). Group Structure/Share Capital: If a company is privately owned or as part of a group can give and indication of the likelyhood of failure.

4). Derogatory Information: Within a credit report there will be a section for derogatory information and within this section it will show and CCJ's, Winding Up Petitions, Liquidations and Receiverships.

5). Director Database Information: Within our credit reports we offer a full director database check on the director of said company, this will enable you to look at this Director's other limited companies and show you the credit limit associated with these companies. 

6). Financial Information: Looking at a company's balance sheet and if available profit and loss account will give you a detailed picture of the subjects financial position at the time those accounts are filed at Companies House. Please keep in mind that limited company filing regulations state that a limited company has 9 months from year end date to file the next years accounts. Therefore financial information becomes historical.

Creditserve offers online credit reporting packages to suit all requirements and budgets so please feel free to visit www.creditserve.co.uk or contact me directly on 01992 414222 or email martin@creditserve.co.uk for a free no obligation demonstration.

A bit of fun!

Obviously with Mr Franklin endorsing our product I just wanted to inform you that we have an offer on our uk business credit reporting - £350 gets you all of the below:-

Unlimited access to any UK limited company

Unlimited access to over 3 million non limited businesses

Unlimited access to director database information

Access to 200 companies house documents

Unlimited access to company monitoring

Debt recovery on a no collection no commission basis.

Just email martin@creditserve.co.uk or visit www.creditserve.co.uk for more information. You can also follow @creditserve on twitter or Facebook to receive daily updates and offers.

Hertfordshire Business Expo - 19th November 2013

Creditserve Business Information Ltd are very pleased to announce that we are exhibiting at the Hertfordshire Business Expo on the 19th November 2013. 

The exhibition is the perfect place to showcase our new on-line credit reporting system, which enables customers to instantly evaluate their suppliers, customers or competitors credit worthiness.

Creditserve provide credit reports on all UK and Rep of Ireland limited companies and non limited companies, on-line international business information, director database information including credit score and risk analysis, company monitoring and access to Companies House documents. 

Along side Creditserve' business information we are a professional debt recovery agency working on a 'no collection-no commission' basis for our customers. We actively try to recover monies with our tried and tested internal procedures and try to negate the need to 'go legal' therefore saving you time and money. 

Creditserve are also able to offer in-depth consumer credit information allowing companies to carry out detailed consumer credit checks on individuals (Please be aware that you do need consent from the individual as well as the correct data protection licence in place). These reports are used by companies that deal with non limited companies, insurance brokers and independent financial advisers which may need to keep in line with due diligence.

Finally I would like to inform you that you can book free tickets for The Hertfordshire Business Expo via http://www.thehertfordshirebusinessexpo.co.uk/ or should you want to discuss any of our services featured above please either contact Martin on 01992 414222 or martin@creditserve.co.uk. 

New Business Owner? Concerned About Your Credit Limit and Risk Score?

There is no doubt about it, being a business owner in todays financial climate is not easy, sometimes risky, but with the right help I can be very lucrative.

In today's blog I want to advise you that the perception of potential suppliers or customers will definitely make or break your business venture. 

a staggering 88% of businesses fail within the first 12 months of starting, this is truly astounding but to some extent this comes down to being perceived in a bad light by suppliers or customers.

One thing they will be doing before entering into a business relationship with a new business is looking at any financial records available, so for limited companies they will carry out an online credit report, for sole traders or partnerships they will almost certainly look at a consumer report along with trade or bank reference information. 

Now the best thing to do is ensure that if you file any and all information or fill out any application with as much information you can so as to give the perception of transparency. Your suppliers will definitely look at this in a positive manner. 

With this in mind you will need to credit check your suppliers to ensure they are able to fulfil your requirements, so many new businesses are affected by poor supply lines, so do the checks to make sure you don't get caught out.

Creditserve are a provider of quality online credit reports and can cater for any and all requirements so if you would like to view a credit report on a company please feel free to contact us via email sales@creditserve.co.uk or 01992 414222 Or visit our website www.creditserve.co.uk. 

The Four Pillars For A Successful Credit Control

Many thousands of businesses go bust every year simply because they are owed money and can’t juggle the cash flow. Systematic, well planned credit control practises must be put in place right at the start otherwise your company will join the mountain of other failed firms. Checking references, getting credit reports and examining company business information is a sign of strength for a business and lets your customers know you are serious about credit control

1. Get a detailed application form filled out correctly by your potential customer.

So many businesses are in the rush to get orders that they do not do the necessary groundwork when setting up customers, in some instances not even knowing the correct legal entity or billing address. All of these minor details can slow up getting paid on time!

2. Do the necessary credit checks on ALL customers small or large.

When you are looking to supply a customer you need to carry out a credit report, these reports are instantly available through credit reference agencies online and can be purchased on a 'Pay As You Go' basis at under £10 per search or within bundles which can cover you for a years unlimited credit reports. 

In my professional opinion the bundles are the way to go as you get so much more within them.

3. Stick to your credit limit and credit terms.

From the outset you will need to be tough as customers will look to bully or bluff a higher credit limit from you, so stick to your limit! This also happens when it comes to payment with some customers looking to set their own terms of payment. You will need to be firm and not waiver because if you allow them an inch they will no doubt take a mile! 

You could even make a telephone call or send an email gently reminding your customers that payment is due on a certain date, this shows good customer relations but also that you have your finger on the pulse.

4. Don't be afraid to use debt recovery agents to recover outstanding monies owed to you.

This is one step that businesses do not grasp as much as they possibly should. You can utilise the professionalism of an outside debt recovery agency without costing yourself or your company time and lots of money. Any debt recovery agency worth its sort will not charge upfront fees, they simply apply a commission charge if and when they are successful. 

Obviously doing the chasing and sending letters has an expense to yourself so if you are getting nowhere with a delinquent debtor why not pass it on to the agency and let them recover the money for you. 

Usually a good commission rate is between 7 - 12% on any monies recovered, but remember it is your right to add costs and interest to the debt from the date it becomes overdue.

If you would like to know more or have any questions please email me on martin@creditserve.co.uk or follow me on twitter @creditserve

Top 10 Tips For a Secure Business Future!

Creditserve provides an online, affordable and up to date credit checking system which allows you to carry out credit checks on your new and existing customers and/or suppliers to ensure they have the financial means to honour payments/contracts.

Key Features: 

• Instant credit checks online
• Full range of credit reports
• Discounted rates
• Up to date information
• Debt recovery service

Instant credit checks online 

Clients can access Creditserve online credit checking service for instant reports on a company’s or an individual’s credit rating and history.

 

Extensive range of credit reports 

Reports range from in-depth business reports, including full accounts and credit ratings, through to simple registered information, we also offer Companies House documents and monitoring service.

 

Beneficial rates 

We offer extremely cost effective rates for one off credit checks. Regular credit checks should form part of your credit management routine on new customers, defaulting customers and those seeking an increase in their credit limit and therefore an annual subscription is often the most cost effective way to credit check your customers and suppliers.

 

Up to date information 

Our range of credit reports are updated on a live feed to ensure they include the most recent and accurate information.

 

Debt Recovery Service

Creditserve also offer this back up service to the online credit reporting and work on a no collection no commission basis. We work on all cases on pre legal basis and add costs and interests to the debt value which you are entitled to from the time the debt becomes overdue.

 

Crucial Top 10 tips for all credit control departments:- 
1. Always perform credit checks to ensure you know your customer 
2. Get your customer to complete a credit application form 
3. Wherever possible obtain a personal guarantee from company directors 
4. Get a signed contract incorporating your terms and conditions 
5. Give your customer a credit limit and review this regularly 
6. Invoice on time and ensure details are accurate 
7. Phone your customers before payments are due to ensure there are no queries 
8. Send monthly statements 
9. Use properly drafted collection letters 
10. Consider outsourcing your non paying accounts to a reputable debt collection agency like Creditserve Collections

If you would like any further information please feel free to contact me on 01992 414222 or emailmartin@creditserve.co.uk LinkedIn Martin Brown or follow on Twitter @creditserve

Why Carry Out Company Credit Checks

Doing business in the current environment is difficult enough without having to worry about getting paid. For non-retail businesses, where credit is expected by wholesale customers, there is nothing worse than providing goods and services only to end up with a bad debt.

For new customers, it is good business practice to carry out a company credit check to try and get some indication that the company with whom you will be dealing will be able to pay your bill. Whilst such a check is no guarantee of payment, a company credit check with a credit score provides some degree of comfort.

Even with existing customers, it is good practice to regularly check their credit worthiness as part of your credit control system. Diarising regular business credit checks is an important process for every business, however monitoring systems are used to do this automatically for you. It is a system that once you have added your desired companies will send details of any changes via email at the time change occurs.

Even if the businesses that you are dealing with do not leave you with a bad debt, delayed payments can cause almost as many problems particularly in an environment of limited finance. Additionally, it can of course cost you time and money in chasing outstanding amounts.

Every business should have a clear system to deal with credit risk and should involve credit limits, procedures for chasing debts, all in line with your terms and conditions of business.

Company credit reports help build such a system.

Creditserve offer differing packages to suit any and all requirements, so please feel free to visit www.creditserve.co.uk to view the differing services we offer.

Company House Filings relating to UK SIC codes.

This blog is to discuss UK SIC codes beings that more and more recently we have experienced companies either filing under incorrect UK SIC codes within their annual return creating confusion when applying for trade accounts.

Companies House and SIC 2007

The United Kingdom Standard Industrial Classification of Economic Activities (SIC) is used to classify business establishments and other standard units by the type of economic activity in which they are engaged. The new version of these codes (SIC 2007) was adopted by the UK as from 1st January 2008. This Q & A notice explains why we are replacing the SIC 2003 codings with the SIC 2007 codings for companies to use when giving their principal business activity.

1. What is SIC 2007?

It’s the latest version of the Standard Industrial Classification which was last revised in 2003. It’s a numerical classification that Companies House adopted to identify company principal business activities which are required to be stated on the annual return (form AR01) each year. The new classification system was adopted by the UK on 1st January 2008.

2. When did Companies House adopt SIC 2007?

We adopted SIC 2007 from 01 October 2011. Companies are required to change their SIC code to the latest classification (SIC 07) upon filing their annual return with a made up date of 1st October 2011 onwards.

3. What are the changes to Annual Return information required in the Companies Act 2006 (Annual Returns) Regulations 2011?

The new regulations contain changes to shareholder details required on the annual return with made up dates 1st Oct 2011 or later which can be summarised as follows:

For returns made up to 1st October 2011 or later:

a) Companies whose shares have not been at any time admitted to trading on a relevant market must provide a 'full list' of all shareholders on the first annual return following incorporation; and thereafter on every third annual return. Any details of transfers of shares that have taken place during the year will be required for intervening annual returns

b) Companies any of whose shares have been admitted to trading on a relevant market, must provide the names and addresses of shareholders who hold 5% or more of the company’s issued share capital as at the made up date of the return every year. The Regulations remove the requirement for a full list every third year and details of transfers of shares that have taken place to be shown on intervening annual returns

c) Companies any of whose shares have been admitted to trading on a relevant market throughout the return period and who were subject to the Vote Holder and Issuer Notification Rules contained in Chapter 5 of the Disclosure and Transparency Rules source book issued by the Financial Services Authority (DTR5) throughout the return period; shareholder details do not have to be provided. Since September 2010 all major shareholder notifications required under DTR have been available online on the National Storage Mechanism ; this means that there is no longer a significant public interest in Companies House holding historic information on the holdings of major shareholders of companies subject to DTR.

4. Apart from the Annual Return, are there other forms that should be using SIC 2007 after 01 October 2011?

The new SIC 2007 codes should also be used on the following forms; SE FM01, SE FM02, SE FM03, SE FM04, SE FM05, SE TR02, and SE TR03

5. Where can I get more information about SIC 2007?

The website of the Office for National Statistics

Alternatively contact ONS by email: classifications.helpdesk@ons.gov.uk

Please feel free to contact us relating any company filings whatsoever as we can provide up to date hard copy filings direct from Companies House either on a PAYG basis or within packages via www.creditserve.co.uk. 01992 414222

Creditserve Offer Of The Week

For the month of March Creditserve are offering unlimited online credit checks for UK and Irish Businesses, 10 online overseas credit reports, 100 consumer credit checks and access to our debt recovery department on a no collection no commission basis for a one off annual subscription of £750 + VAT!!!!!

UNLIMITED UK & IRISH BUSINESS CREDIT REPORTS

These reports include Statutory Information, Risk Score and Credit Limit, Shareholder and Group Structure, 5 Years Full Profit and Loss and Balance Sheet, Industry Average Ratios, Company Director Information, Company Monitoring. We also offer non limited credit reports via this same system.

10 ONLINE OVERSEAS CREDIT REPORTS

The countries in which we can offer instantly available online business credit reports are Belgium, Czech Rep, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and USA.

100 CONSUMER CREDIT CHECKS

Our consumer credit checks are essential when dealing with non limited entities or if you have guarantees in place for directors. These credit reports include the following information: Confirmation of Name and Address, Electoral Roll Confirmation, Insolvency, County Court Search, Address Links, Geo Demographic Profile, Consumer Search History and Credit Score.

ALL FOR £750 + VAT !!!!

Feel free to contact martin@creditserve.co.uk or 01992 414222

Spanish business information, credit checks and filing requirements.

Creditserve have a corporate website blog which discusses all forms of business information both within the UK and Internationally. This blog link will give details pertaining to Spanish company filing requirements.

http://www.creditserve.co.uk/Media-Centre/Blog/February-2013/Online-credit-checks-on-companies-in-Spain

Feel free to view our blog page and should you be interested in credit information, whether it be domestic or international please feel free to contact us direct on sales@creditserve.co.uk twitter @creditserve, LinkedIn Martin Brown or 01992 414222.

Belgian company credit checks and legal obligation

Creditserve have a corporate website blog which discusses all forms of business information both within the UK and Internationally. This blog link will give details pertaining to Belgian company filing requirements.

http://www.creditserve.co.uk/Media-Centre/Blog/February-2013/Belgian-company-credit-checks-and-legal-obligation

Feel free to view our blog page and should you be interested in credit information, whether it be domestic or international please feel free to contact us direct on sales@creditserve.co.uk twitter @creditserve, LinkedIn Martin Brown or 01992 414222.

German company credit reports and their filing requirements

Creditserve have a corporate website blog which discusses all forms of business information both within the UK and Internationally. This blog link will give details pertaining to German company filing requirements

http://www.creditserve.co.uk/Media-Centre/Blog/February-2013/German-company-credit-reports-and-their-filing-req

Feel free to view our blog page and should you be interested in credit information, whether it be domestic or international please feel free to contact us direct on sales@creditserve.co.uk twitter @creditserve, LinkedIn Martin Brown or 01992 414222.

Creditserve Credit Checking Facility/Credit Management Offer For Online Business Information

MARCH MADNESS!!!

For One Month Only Creditserve Are Able To Offer Our UK & IRISH Unlimited Credit Checking Database For A Guaranteed Reduction In Annual Subscription of 50%! Yes, 50%!!!

Creditserve will give you unlimited access to business information which includes the following:-

ü Unlimited access to online credit reports on alllimited companies in both the UK and Ireland.

ü Unlimited access to individual directors reportson every director in both UK and Ireland.

ü Unlimited access to companies house imagedocuments.

ü Unlimited access to sole traders andpartnerships in UK.

ü  Unlimitedaccess to online monitoring of any UK & Irish limited companies.

However, this is not all... As well as access to our unlimited credit checking facilities you will also have access to our debt recovery department to assist you in recovering any outstanding monies on delinquent debtors on a 'no collection no commission basis'. 

ü Debt recovery on a ‘no collection no commissionbasis’

We can also give you access to business information in 18 Countries throughout Europe and inluding the USA. These reports are usually charged at £30 + VAT per report, however with this offer we can give you access to 10 online overseas reports for £200 + VAT... Please see below the countries you can obtain instant online information in:-

Belgium, Czech Rep, Denmark,Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Malta,Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland andUSA.  

Creditserve also provides access to consumer credit checking information, however you would require the correct data protection licence to obtain this type of information. Please see below the degree of information available within our consumer reports:-

CONFIRMATION OF NAME & ADDRESS,ELECTORAL ROLL CONFIRMATION, INSOLVENCY SEARCH, COUNTY COURT JUDGMENT SEARCH,ADDRESS LINKS, GEO-DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE, CONSUMER SEARCH HISTORY, CREDIT SCORE.

If you would like any further information or would like to trial the system please do not hesitate in contacting me on 01992 414222 or email martin@creditserve.co.uk on LinkedIn Martin Brown or on Twitter @creditserve
 






 

Consumer Credit Reports

This blog is to give you an insight into why to carry out consumer credit reports, what you can receive and how these reports benefit your company when carrying them out.

A recent study has show that 2013 has seen a marked increase in company credit checking and this is almost certainly down to the recent company failures of some of what we call the 'blue chip' companies like HMV and Comet.

However, with the new found awareness of company credit reporting there is still often a problem in obtaining good quality information for sole proprietorship and partnership businesses.

As long as you have the relevant permission and data protection licence you are able to carry out consumer credit reports on the individuals operating the businesses. The benefit of these types reports is that you can obtain current information on the owners which will assist in not only setting credit limits but also ensure that you have information so if there is a problem with payment, you have a confirmed residential address to assist in recovering your outstanding monies.

Our consumer credit reports confirm information such as:-

ü CONFIRMATION OF NAME& ADDRESS.

ü ELECTORAL ROLLCONFIRMATION.

ü INSOLVENCY SEARCH.

ü COUNTY COURT JUDGMENT &BANKRUPTCY SEARCH.

ü ADDRESS LINKS.

ü GEO-DEMOGRAPHICPROFILE.

ü CONSUMER SEARCHHISTORY.

ü CREDIT SCORE.

The main companies/industries that use this form of information are food & drink wholesalers and distributors, plumbing & building merchants, agricultural merchants and insurance brokers for their due diligence purposes. However this service is becoming widely used is assistance to credit checking the directors or shareholders of Limited Companies.

I am pleased to confirm that creditserve offer cost effective packages for all of your credit checking requirements, so please do not hesitate in contacting us direct sales@creditserve.co.uk, on twitter @creditserve or LinkedIn Martin Brown. 

Giving Credit Terms to Foreign Companies : European Credit Reports & Business Information

Does your company deal internationally?

If your company deals with European or International suppliers and/or customers it can often be a treturous proposition, as often you may not realise what is available help minimise the risk of dealing with these companies.

One of the misconceptions is that foreign companies do not file the same degree of information as we do in the UK, this is a potential problem in itself because if you do not try and achieve the best data available you are already leaving your company open to the possibility of bad debt.

European or International credit reports and business information is now available on-line via credit reference agencies such as Creditserve and is often very cost effective and detailed.

European credit reports for the most part contain statutory information, company accounts, derogatory information, group structure, share holder information director information and credit limit and risk score. All of these pieces of information are compiled into a credit report which is easy to read and will help you make a informed credit decision.

The countries which you can obtain on-line credit information are:-

Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and USA.

The European and International credit reports are often used by UK companies who deal with UK customers but in-turn have parent companies overseas and therefore would need to know group strength as well, as this may have implications on the UK subsidiaries.

The European and International credit reports can be obtained on a pay as you go service or within bulk packages from websites like www.creditserve.co.uk and are very cost effective easy to download.

I have attached a sample European credit report which will give you an insight into the degree of information available within these reports.

If you have any questions relating to European Credit Reports please do not hesitate in contacting me direct via martin@creditserve.co.uk, @creditserve or LinkedIn Martin Brown