Leasing comment and analysis

Review: Managing your company cars by Colin Tourick

Thu, Apr, 12 2012

The English lexicographer Samuel Johnson said “Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information on it.” When it comes to fleet management, Professor Colin Tourick has knowledge of the first kind and, luckily, has compiled the information in several handy books for those who do not.Free

Basement Talk

Tue, Apr, 10 2012

Hold music – truly one of the landmark cultural features of modern business. Eons from now our descendants will look back on the late 20th and early 21st centuries and marvel at the seemingly infinite patience with which we listened to snippets of cruise-ship recordings and low-grade classical pieces while waiting to change our postal address with the bank or haggle fruitlessly with the gas company.

Work-life quiz: Peter Collins, MAN FS

Tue, Apr, 10 2012

Name: Peter Collins Current job: Managing director MAN Financial Services Plc Location: UK

Scorecards sharpen competitive edge

Tue, Apr, 10 2012

An increasingly effective way to speed up decision-making and reduce risk for asset finance providers. The asset finance niche has to find new ways to evaluate risk in order to close more business profitably, and asset finance organisations worldwide can no longer base credit decisions solely on one or two criteria such as mere credit bureaux scores.

Releasing cash against invoices and assets

Tue, Apr, 10 2012

Asset-based finance can open the door to much needed capital as banks remain cautious to lend, says Evette Orams

They always smile with a cheque in hand

Tue, Apr, 10 2012

There are many perils to buying a lease book or customer portfolio but there are rewards too, says Jeremy Hall

Are you being served?

Tue, Apr, 10 2012

The courts insist parties abide by the terms of their contract and will be strict about deadlines. Most contracts, including lease finance agreements, will provide for how and when notices relating to the agreement are to be served. Failure to serve in accordance with the contract may well result in any potential claim being lost.

New communication tools in vendor finance

Tue, Apr, 10 2012

Société Générale Equipment Finance (SGEF) France was a forerunner in 2004 with its decision-making tool Flashlease.com. Installed at its vendor partners’ premises, Flashlease allowed users to get a prompt answer, in just a few clicks, about the feasibility of financing an operation.

Comment: Jane Gray - Editor, The Manufacturer

Tue, Apr, 10 2012

It’s hard to take a position on the willingness of UK companies to invest in the best kit. One can make sweeping statements about hesitancy, companies stuck 6 years into 4 year upgrade cycles and the tendency to sweat assets rather than replace.

Collections Nightmares

Tue, Apr, 10 2012

Ever found yourself on the runway of a developing nation’s airport about to repossess some long-sought asset, only to be surrounded by a private militia wielding former Soviet machine guns?Perhaps you’ve turned up at a premises in Middlesbrough to collect a car only to be threatened with grievous bodily harm by a former client turned menacing Neanderthal.