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Distressed or Insolvent Debtors
A debtor with liabilities exceeding assets is deemed to be "insolvent." A customer that cannot pay debts as they mature due to a shortage of cash is considered "illiquid" or "not liquid." In this instance, the term liquidity refers to the debtor's ability to convert current assets other than cash into cash quickly enough to pay debts as they come due. A distressed debtor may be:
- Insolvent,
- Illiquid,
- Solvent but illiquid,
- Insolvent but liquid.
If a credit professional finds that a debtor is distressed, prompt action must be taken. The astute credit professional learns to recognize the following warning signs of potential business difficulties among its customers:
1. The customer stops discounting [ assuming the creditor company offers a discount for early payment ].
2. Accounts payable stops accepting calls and/or the customer's accounts payable department will not return calls.
3. Accounts payable acknowledges the fact that the account is past due, but can make no payment commitment.
4. Accounts payable offers an unrealistic and unreasonably long repayment plan.
5. The customer makes and then breaks one or more payment commitments.
6. The customer promises one amount but pays a lesser amount.
7. The customer lies to you about payments being made, or claims that a payment was made as agreed but was somehow lost in transit.
8. The debtor's routinely misses invoice due dates.
9. Payments become progressively slower.
10. Other creditors report they are holding orders, or other creditors have placed the debtor company for collection.
11. Other creditors institute lawsuits against the debtor.
12. Tax liens are being filed against the debtor by local, state or federal taxing authorities.
13. The debtor constantly is shifting from one supplier to another.
14. The party that signed a personal guarantee withdraws their guarantee.
15. The debtor is in violation of one or more loan covenants with its secured creditors.
16. The debtor is in default with its bank on payments.
17. The financial condition of the company is deteriorating.
18. The customer bounces one or more checks and cannot replace them with clear funds.
Reprinted with the permission of Credit Research Foundation.
Edited by Michael C. Dennis, author of "Credit and Collection Handbook."