Michigan Debt Collection Attorney Explains the Five Cs of Credit

BIRMINGHAM, Mich. - June 5, 2024 - PRLog -- How do you decide whether to give a customer credit or not?

Have you heard of the five Cs of credit?

Any decision to extend credit to a customer is loosely based on what are commonly referred to as the five Cs of credit: character, collateral, capacity, capital, and conditions.

Assessing Character

Whether it's an individual or a company, your customer exhibits a personality. From a credit prospective, you evaluate your customer's integrity, particularly in terms of bill paying. Has this customer exhibited integrity in the past? If the customer says the check is in the mail, is it really?

Evaluating Collateral

When you take a lien, you stake a claim to certain assets of your customer, and become their "secured creditor." The property you take the lien against, such as inventory, equipment, or machinery is your collateral.

Determining Capacity

"Capacity" is the sufficiency of cash flow to cover debt. The ability of a business to pay debt generally fluctuates depending on budgeting skills and the steady flow of enough cash to cover debts as they mature and become due.

Examining Capital

A company's net worth is made up of capital that has been paid into it over the years, along with any that has been generated through profitable operations ("retained earnings"). Ideally, you can compare two or three financial statements next to each other to spot trends in net worth.

Reacting to Conditions

An excellent practice to follow when extending credit is to consider the general conditions of your industry, as well as overall economic conditions. Although good customers may pay their bills timely even in poor economic conditions, when industry or general economic conditions take a downward turn you must monitor payment trends for even your best, most reliable customers.

Read the full article on our website: https://www.mullerfirm.com/learnmore/five-cs-of-credit-co...

Done Looking for Collection Companies in Michigan?

If you haven't had luck with other Michigan collection companies, it's time to partner up with Muller Law Firm! We provide collection services for business-to-business and business-to-client companies, specializing in pre-suit, post-suit, and post-judgment collection.

Fill out a contact form or give us a call at (248) 645-2440, to ask questions and figure out your next steps: https://www.mullerfirm.com/contact

About Muller Firm: Located in Birmingham, Michigan, Muller Firm P.C. is a family practice handling debt collection in Michigan for in-state, out of state, and international judgments against debtors. Their debt collection experts fight for creditor's rights no matter how big or small the amount of debt. Call today for help with your collections! www.mullerfirm.com