 |
Investopedia explains 'Factor'
For example, assume a factor has agreed to purchase an invoice of $1 million from Clothing Manufacturers Inc., representing outstanding receivables from Behemoth Co. The factor may discount the invoice by say 4%, and will advance $720,000 to Clothing Manufacturers Inc. The balance of $240,000 will be forwarded by the factor to Clothing Manufacturers Inc. upon receipt of the $1 million from Behemoth Co. The factor's fees and commissions from this factoring deal amount to $40,000.
Note that the factor is more concerned with the creditworthiness of the invoiced party - Behemoth Co. in the example above - rather than the company from which it has purchased the receivables (Clothing Manufacturers Inc. in this case).
Although factoring is a relatively expensive form of financing, factors provide a valuable service to (a) companies that operate in industries where it takes a long time to convert receivables to cash, and (b) companies that are growing rapidly and need cash to take advantage of new business opportunities.
|
