- Home
- Bankruptcy and Bankruptcy Code
- Business Entities
- Departmental Operations
- Credit Practices
- Legal
- Risk Analysis
- Understanding Accounts Receivable Costs
- Accounts Receivable Forecasting
- Informing Customers of their Credit Limits
- Authorization for Bank to Release Credit Information
- Authorizing Release of Credit Information
- Bank Loans and Bank Credit
- Expediting Bank Reference Requests
- Understanding Banking Relationships
- Bounced Checks; Collecting on Bounced Checks, NSF Checks
- Business Credit; Trade Credit; Open Account Credit Terms
- The Five Cs of Credit Analysis
- Check Acceptance
- Check Kiting
- Classification of Risk; Customer Risk Score
- COD Terms; Slow Pay; High Risk; Risk Mitigation;
- Code of Ethics
- Confidentiality Agreement
- Consumer Credit Granting
- Commercial Credit Application; Necessary Components
- Credit Approval Process
- Credit Associations
- Credit Decision-Making
- Offering Open Account Terms; Credit Extension
- Customer Credit File; Credit File
- Credit Granting Authority
- Credit History and Strategy
- Credit Insurance; Trade Credit Insurance; Export Credit Insurance
- Credit Line or Credit Limit
- Credit Policy Checklist
- Credit References
- Credit Reporting Agencies
- Credit Risk Environment
- Credit Risk Management
- Credit Role/Strategy
- Credit Decision Making: Is it Art or Science?
- Customer Purchase Orders, Errors on POs and their Impact on Collections
- Customer Retention
- Grace Periods and Cash Discounts
- Direct and Indirect Credit Investigations
- Unearned Discounts; Unearned Cash Discounts; Cash Discounts
- Enterprise Resource Planning
- Ethics for the Credit Manager
- Evaluating Financial Health
- Exchange of Credit Information
- Extended Dating Terms
- Credit File Documentation
- Fraud Signs and Prevention
- History of Credit
- Cargo Insurance
- Insurance Brokers and Credit Insurance
- Internet as a Source of Credit Information
- Late Charges
- Minimum First Order Without Credit Investigation
- New Account Checklist
- Non-Disclosure Agreement
- Open Account Sales; Open Account Terms; Extension of Credit on Open Account Terms
- Order Approval; Order Hold; Credit Reviews; Pending Order Review
- Order Controls / Order Approval
- Pro Forma Invoices
- Requesting Financial Information from Customers
- Restrictive Endorsements
- Returned Checks
- Return Merchandise Authorizations
- Root Cause Analysis of Past Due Balances
- Safeguarding Accounts
- Security Agreements; Secured Debts
- Seller's Invoice
- Terms and Conditions
- Terms of Sale
- Terms of Sale: Examples
- Types of Credit: Consumer Credit; Bank Credit; Commercial Credit; B2B; Business to Business
- Written Credit Policy Manual
- Handling Post Audit Claims More Effectively; Post Audit Claims
- Do's and Don'ts of Business to Business Debt Collection, Debt Collection Practices
- Bad Debt Reserves
- Advantages and Disadvantages of Purchasing Credit Insurance
- A Letter of Introduction
- Addressing Chronic Slow Pay Customers
- More about Cash Forecasting
- Streamlining Order Processing
- Collection Practices
- Financial Analysis
- Financing Methods
- International Credit
- Laws and Regulations
- Payment Methods
- Performance Measures
- Security Instruments
- Career Management, and Job Change
- Credit Website Tools
- Upcoming Educational Events
- Credit and Collections Tools and Tips
- Tips on Creating Better Emails
- Generating Effective Credit Correspondence
- Exporting
- Accounting
Internet as a Source of Credit Information
The amount of information on the Internet is truly overwhelming: publications, periodicals, and news services. Internet access make it easy for the credit executive to access many more publications than at any time prior to the creation of the Internet. Also useful are financial networks such as CNN Financial News and Bloomberg-BusinessWeek.
The Internet offers a fast, efficient, and effective way to communicate with customers. E-mail seems to work faster and has an inherent friendliness that is a bonus in credit and collections. Somehow, people find it easier to compose e-mail messages rather than to use regular mail. Of course, the credit executive must ensure that e-mail messages adhere to the same standards as regular letters. A relaxation of style does not mean relaxing credit policy or normal business practices.
Using the Internet, creditor companies can access in real time credit bureau reports. They can also review the most recently published financial statements on publicly traded companies around the world. In many instances, ratio analysis as well as expert commentary about companies' financial condition and financial performance are available on line, in real time, and at no cost. A few websites even provide side by side comparisons between the financial statements and financial health a company you are examining compared to the competition.
Much credit information is confidential in nature. The professional credit executives should take every precaution to maintain standard levels of confidentiality. This may mean using encryption or otherwise securing messages and transmissions. Security also means controlling access to the computer where e-mail messages are stored.
Edited by Michael C. Dennis, author of "1001 Collection Tools and Tips."