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Home | Financial Analysis Search 
Budgets Are Tight! Financial Analysis
Financial Analysis Today

Sound credit management requires you to be proactive and there's no better tool for that purpose than the art and science of financial analysis. So here's your library of tools and resources relating to financial analysis in the credit field. Find plain English views and advice from the leading experts - both inside and outside the field.

Understanding the Balance Sheet
by Christine Newhouse, Feb 22, 2010
The following article originally appeared in the February 2010 issue of ABC-Amega's free client newsleter, "Credit-to-Cash Advisor". Assets = Shareholders' Equity + Liabilities The equatio . . . keep reading
Hackett's Finance Metric of the Month: Number of Secondary Finance Applications per Billion of Revenue
February 2, 2010
Hackett's Finance Metric of the Month: Number of Secondary Finance Applications per Billion of Revenue At most companies, business units are given leeway to choose the secondary applications that best support their business needs, but this comes at a cost: As use of technology increases, transactional process cost falls, but technology costs rise. World-class finance organizations rationalize the number of secondary applications they use to support both transactional and planning and reporting processes (Fig. 1). . . . keep reading
DuPont Analysis
January 31, 2010
Return on Equity Financial Expression Efficient use of assets is important for the profitability and growth of any organization. One of the easiest ways to gauge whether a company is an asset creator or cash user is to look at the return on equity (ROE) ratio. ROE is a strong measure of how well management is creating value for shareholders. . . . keep reading
Interpreting Financial Statements
The saying, "An account properly opened is at least 80% collectable" is an important one to remember. Excessive bad-debt write offs should not be used as an excuse for the cost of doing business. Many . . . keep reading
Loan Audit and Scoring System Keeps Portfolio Risks Low
"Given what happened with the S&L's, it is very important that financial institutions today have some kind of loan audit program and risk scoring system in place," states Sharon Hardy, CFE, Internal A . . . keep reading
What Customer Information Will a Successful Credit Analyst Need?
When he asks prospective customers for bank references, Larry O'Brien, CCE, also asks that they call or write their bankers to let them know he'll be calling and to authorize them to release informati . . . keep reading
Survey Results: The Battle For Financial Statement Information
Survey Results: The Battle For Financial Statement Information Credit professionals quickly learn that getting most customers to release financial information, much less audited financial statements, is never easy. That does not mean it's impossible; in fact, some firms are very good at getting financial statements. Our latest survey shows that roughly two out of three credit organizations make obtaining financial statement information a priority and are generally pretty good at getting them. . . . keep reading
Hackett Group's Finance Metric of the Month: Average Days Delinquent
November 13, 2009
Hackett Group's Finance Metric of the Month: Average Days Delinquent A hallmark of recessionary times is the slowing of customer payments, as evidenced in days sales outstanding (DSO). However, DSO is a lagging indicator; slowing payments become evident sooner in the percentage of current receivables and in the average days delinquent (ADD). ADD is defined as the difference between DSO and best possible DSO . . . keep reading
News Release: RMA's 2009--10 Annual Statement Studies® Available in Print and Online
November 2, 2009
News Release: RMA's 2009--10 Annual Statement Studies® Available in Print and Online Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (November 2, 2009) -- The 2009--10 edition of RMA's Annual Statement Studies is now available in book format and in an easy-to-use Web-based format, eStatement Studies. The latter allows users to download industry data into an Excel® spreadsheet, search using a query function, and analyze data by region. . . . keep reading
Press Release: Move Over GAAP, Preparation Begins Now for Move to New International Financial Reporting Standards
October 27, 2009
Press Release: Move Over GAAP, Preparation Begins Now for Move to New International Financial Reporting Standards MENLO PARK, Calif. -- Oct. 26, 2009 -- The expansion of the global economy continues to affect the way companies do business, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's current timeline for the adoption of international standards will have a significant impact . . . keep reading
Finance Metric of the Month: Percent of Finance Staff with the Skills and Business Acumen to Partner with the Business
August 28, 2009
Finance Metric of the Month: Percent of Finance Staff with the Skills and Business Acumen to Partner with the Business This month's "metric of the month" from Hackett Finance represents the percentage of business/finance analysts in finance who are perceived by the broader enterprise's stakeholders to have the skills and acumen needed to partner with operations management. Metric Definition The percent of finance analysts who have the skill set and business acumen to be able to act as advisors to business management (Fig. 1) is a direct reflection of finance's ability to drive enterprise-wide performance through effectiveness in controlling and FP&A-related . . . keep reading
Buffett: Forget Higher Math for Financial Decisions!
Warren Buffett really hates complex financial modeling when analyzing investments and you should, too, when making credit decisions. This past weekend at Berkshire Hathaway's annual meeting, dubb . . . keep reading
International Financial Reporting Standards Slated to Replace GAAP
March 25, 2009, By Loral A. Narayanan
In August 2008, the United States Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) unanimously agreed to provide U.S. companies and investors with a "roadmap" for moving toward potential mandatory filing of financial statements according to the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) versus U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). The SEC document, issued in November 2008, is titled "Roadmap for the Potential Use of Financial Statements Prepared in Accordance with the International Financial Reporting Standards by U.S. Issuers." In reference to changing the accounting standards, then SEC chairman, Christopher Cox, stated: . . . keep reading
Three Ways Warren Buffett Looks for Questionable Accounting
In one of his letters to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, legendary investor Warren Buffett offered three tips for ways to spot questionable accounting. While the advice is meant for investors, it is equally applicable for all credit execs. The problem this solves is significant. When looking for accounting problems, you've got to know where to start, and if you don't have a valid "filtering" mechanism, you'll have to dig very deeply when examining the financials at all of your accounts. These tips offer a great blue-print for which accounts to examine more closely. . . . keep reading
Promissory Notes and Bankruptcy
February 6, 2008
I have a customer in trouble and they are offering to give me a note for future payment on the balance owing and I have several questions: What is my position should the company file for bankruptcy? Does the automatic stay affect the note? or does the note survive intact regardless of a filing? Or do I just have a better position in a bankruptcy payout? Of course, offering the notes to suppliers is supposed to see them thru the economic down turn successfully, allowing them to purchase and stay current on those goods. Thanks in advance for your collective expertise. I appreciate the think-tank! . . . keep reading
Glossary of Financial & Accounting Terms in Business Credit
Here is a glossary of financial and accounting terms used in the field of trade (business) credit. . . . keep reading
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This month's topic: Processing of Credit Applications

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  • What information is being captured on credit applications
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  • What the primary challenges are relative to the processing of credit apps
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