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Posts Tagged ‘corporate voluntary arrangement’

Debt and stress

Wednesday, July 27th, 2011

Debt and stress go hand in hand. You can certainly have stress without debt but where there is serious debt there is almost always stress. Few of us can stay positive and cheerful when financial problems rear their heads. That goes double when the problems are severe and prolonged. The longer they last, the angrier creditors get and the more threatened debtors become. They may struggle with feelings of personal guilt and low self-esteem, or simply be emotionally worn-out by the continual struggle to stay afloat.

Either way, a business cash flow problem can have negative effects on relationships outside the workplace. Even the strongest people have trouble keeping stress from having an impact on their families, for example. When there are real concerns about future financial stability it can be even harder to put on a brave face.

Business debt services can help. We can take a long, hard look at any debt-ridden business and provide solid advice on the best way forward. There is a huge difference between a temporary business cash flow problem and a situation where bankruptcy is inevitable. Sometimes the difficulties are not as severe as they appear, and an expert eye may see a better solution.

Many people find that even if their business does need to enter into a corporate voluntary arrangement or another formal debt management solution, it comes as a relief to have a plan set down on paper. As soon as that happens, the stress associated with heavy debt disappears, or at least eases.

How to Know When Your Company’s in Trouble

Monday, June 6th, 2011

In times of recession, even long-running and well-established companies suddenly find themselves facing a mountain of business debt and potential bankruptcy. So what are the signs to show you’re approaching company bankruptcy and how can you avoid them?

1 – Customers keep cancelling and your client base is getting smaller and smaller.

2 – You regularly can’t afford to pay the bills when they’re due.

3 – You are permanently living in your overdraft or keep asking for an increase.

4 – You and your employees are working round the clock and the situation still isn’t improving.

5 – You have no money set aside to pay the upcoming tax bill.

Do any of these sound like something you’re currently experiencing? Then, it’s probably time to get some business debt advice. Being honest with yourself about your debts and expenditure is the first step to recovering from them. A common option to avoid company bankruptcy is CVA, or Company Voluntary Arrangement. This is when the company works with an Insolvency Practitioner to seek advice and then agree with creditors to repay all or part of the business debt over an arranged period of time. Cooper Matthews can help to assess whether a CVA is necessary for your company and if so, make the process run as smoothly as possible. Your business should continue to carry on trading as normal while you sort out the finances.

Should a CVA not be the best solution to solve your company’s debt problem, Cooper Matthews offer many other business recovery options to meet your needs.

Pacify Creditors with Sound Business Debt Advice

Friday, May 6th, 2011

Business creditor problems can stem from any number of circumstances; bad judgement, rising costs, illness and good old fashioned rotten luck tend to be key players. A lot if our clients are still suffering the ramifications of the recent recession, with fresh company debt problems heaped onto the pile. So, when business creditor problems are overshadowing your company, what are the options?

Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA)

This type of payback system is ideal for company debt problems that are currently just getting shy of being manageable. An IVA allows you to pay back debt in voluntarily devised monthly amounts for a period of up to five years. IVAs are not suited to all financial situations, but could make all the difference when you predict creditor debt potentially spiralling out of control. The IVA is a legally binding agreement between you and your creditors.

Administration Order

In laymen’s terms, think of an Administration Order as a “pause” button. It allows your company an allotted amount of breathing space in terms of creditor repayment, time to manage your debts following a business debt analysis, potentially restructuring your company or attempting financial recovery free from creditor pressure.

Business Refinancing

This can take numerous forms, including Asset Refinance, Invoice Financing, Payroll Finance and Trade Finance.  A thorough business debt analysis from our expert advisers can help us identify – together – the most workable refinancing solution for your company.
Have you taken a look through our Case Studies and other blog entries to help you better understand the options in terms of relieving the burden of business debt?

Would you like to have 45% of your business debt written off?

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

It is virtually impossible to run a company without getting into some form of business debt. The problems only arise when the level of money you owe becomes too much to manage and you find you are unable to meet your repayments.

In such situations, you will undoubtedly feel a huge amount of stress. After all, your efforts to grow your enterprise and make it a success could be disappearing down the proverbial plug hole.

And you may well see no way out. If you do not have sufficient cash to pay back your creditors, surely your organisation can no longer remain in operation.

However, this is not necessarily the case. If you seek expert advice from firms such as us here at Cooper Matthews, you might find there is a course of action that can avert such a failure.

For example, you may be able to take advantage of a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA). This is a legal agreement between your firm and its creditors, based on the repayment of a fixed amount that is lower than the actual outstanding debt.

Repayments are calculated on a monthly basis and the sum depends on how much your enterprise can reasonably afford.  The remaining business debt is then written off at the end of the agreement.

By making use of a CVA, you might find that around 45 per cent of your firm’s outstanding business debt is written off. Deals like this could help bring your company back from the brink of disaster.

Could you benefit from a Company Voluntary Arrangement?

Monday, February 28th, 2011

If you are experiencing business debt that is getting out of control, there are a number of options open to you.

One of these is putting in place a Company Voluntary Arrangement. This is a legal agreement between your firm and its creditors concerning the amount of money you will pay back and when the payments will be made.

This type of solution can be the perfect way of getting to grips with your enterprise’s financial problems and avoiding corporate insolvency.

Of course, your organisation must fulfil a number of criteria in order to be eligible for such a solution. This is where it can pay off to come to a firm such as us here at Cooper Matthews. Thanks to our experience in the field, we are able to advise you concerning what the best options for you are.

You might want to consider a Company Voluntary Arrangement if you believe that your firm has a viable future but is simply suffering from temporary cash flow problems.

From the point of view of those who have lent you money, such solutions can be preferable to you going bankrupt, as they will get more money this way.

So, in certain cases, this type of agreement is beneficial to both the companies involved and their creditors.

If you do enter into such a legal bond, you will agree to repay a fixed amount that is lower than your actual outstanding debt. Repayments are calculated on a monthly basis and are designed to be affordable.

Often, around 45 per cent of debt may be written off during the course of such an agreement.

Best for business debt

Sunday, February 6th, 2011

Cooper Matthews are the internet’s business debt experts. We have a wealth of experience in helping companies facing issues such as business debt management and director business debt.

Pre-Pack administration allows the directors of a company which has gone bankrupt to set up a new firm which can buy the existing assets of the insolvent company. This process of regeneration is sometimes called ‘phoenixing‘. During this process, the administrators can pack the assets of a firm and complete its sale before a meeting of creditors. The added advantage of this process is that it is unnecessary to gain debtors approval or involve them in the process.

We can also offer advice about company administration, whereby administrators secure the best deal possible and allow a company time to put its house in order before creditors move in. We can also offer advice about business refinancing when it is no longer possible to approach banks or building societies to secure finance.

For businesses in the manufacturing, engineering, print and construction sectors, asset refinancing can allow firms to refinance against the value of fixed assets such as machinery and plant. Another option for business refinancing is invoice refinancing, where a firm can borrow cash against outstanding invoices. Furthermore, trade financing may be secured for a firm which has secured a substantial order that it is no longer in a position to fulfil without securing additional cash-flow.

We can also advise on options such as a company voluntary arrangement, where a firm agrees, through fixed regular payments, to repay its creditors an amount which is actually lower than its outstanding debt.

Company debt rescue: the professional approach

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

If you are in the position of needing advice about a debt management plan or a company voluntary arrangement, you need to be certain of the quality of any advice you will be given. We at Cooper Matthews have years of experience in this field and only use properly licensed partners and insolvency practitioners.

The 1986 Insolvency Act facilitated the setting up of recognised membership bodies to authorise and licence insolvency practitioners. The Insolvency Practitioners Association is the only recognised body dealing solely with insolvency and we use them to ensure that any business financial trouble is dealt with in a legal, professional and efficient manner.

There are many different solutions to business debt, each dependent upon the unique circumstances of the company in trouble. Some also involve considerable personal debt, as the directors have contributed a great deal of their own assets to the business. This can complicate the situation but we have the experts at our disposal to sort it out.

For example, if business voluntary arrangement advice is given and you wish to set up an agreement then this must be done by a licensed insolvency practitioner in conjunction with the company’s directors. The insolvency practitioner is appointed Nominee and presents the agreement to the creditors at a creditors meeting. If this is accepted it becomes a legally binding agreement which prevents the company from going into liquidation and provides a return for the creditors. This is a fair result for everyone, making the best of a difficult situation.

Company debt rescue; Business voluntary arrangement advice; company voluntary arrangement; business financial trouble; debt management plan

Business debt analysis makes sense in difficult times

Wednesday, January 12th, 2011

Small to medium sized companies are often short of expert advice when times become difficult and cash flow seems to disappear. Many directors leave it too late before consulting experts such as ourselves in the field of business debt analysis. We can relieve your stress and guide you through processes that you may not have considered, for example a company voluntary arrangement, often abbreviated to CVA.

In a nutshell, a company voluntary arrangement allows a business with financial problems to restructure the repayment of its liabilities over a two to four year period, usually in monthly repayments. Once the restructuring is complete, any monies generated can be used as working capital, rather than towards repayment of the debts. The restructuring is legally binding under the 1986 Insolvency Act, with the directors keeping control of the company and creditors knowing how much, and when, repayments will be made. A company voluntary arrangement does require that 75% of the creditors vote in favour, in which case this arrangement is binding on all the creditors, no matter how they voted.

This can be a complicated process, requiring detailed business analysis in order to satisfy the stringent requirements of the law, but it is worth doing properly. We at Cooper Matthews will undertake the analysis with you and ensure that the Inland Revenue, VAT and any bank or financial company loans and liabilities are factored in. This leaves the directors free to carry on generating new business, providing employment opportunities, and contributing to the country’s economy.

business debt analysis; company voluntary arrangement; CVA; business financial problems

Developing Debt Management Plans

Tuesday, December 28th, 2010

Due to the recent financial climate, it pays to have a keen eye on your finances and debts. Things can go irrevocably wrong if a careful eye is not kept on both your debt and cash flow. Cooper Matthews are specialists in handling business debt and have helped many businesses to rescue themselves from excessive debt or losing everything in the process of shutting down.

We understand that many directors faced with financial difficulty to sort out are under huge pressure, and that this can sometimes prevent them from seeing all of their options clearly. With our help, however, the potential solutions available to businesses can be made a little clearer.

These solutions will vary from company to company, and we will take your individual situation into account before suggesting a debt management plan. We aim to provide sensible and practical solutions, from simple re-strategies to a PPA to provide your business with a clean slate. We always aim to provide solutions which will enable a business to keep running and can saveall of your hard work from disappearing. However, in certain cases, no options are left but to close down, but options like corporate voluntary arrangement can still be beneficial for the individuals involved.

So if you are considering the best way to tackle your business debt, why not contact a company dedicated to developing debt management plans for a solution that is adapted specifically with your company in mind?