@Risk

Last spring, European credit risk managers were somewhat optimistic about delinquencies across mortgages, auto loans and other credit products.

Now, much of that confidence seems to have evaporated.

The third European Credit Risk Survey, which was conducted by FICO and Efma in September, found that: (more…)

Earlier this month, retailers declared the holiday season a huge success.

Now, it looks as though buying for Valentine’s Day will follow suit.

The latest eBillme Online Spending Index is out, and it shows that:

• 19 percent of consumers plan to spend more money this year on Valentine’s Day gifts, a seven percent increase over last year.

• Interestingly, nearly one-third (32 percent) of consumers plan to do their Valentine’s Day shopping online this year, a nine percent increase over last year

The eBillme Online Spending Index is a quarterly survey conducted by Javelin Strategy & Research and released by eBillme. The Index polls 1,200 consumers to measure projected online spending for the quarter and the influencing factors.

So, what are shoppers planning to purchase for their Valentines? According to the survey, (more…)

Success in today’s unpredictable business environment depends on robust supplier relationships, a keen understanding of risk and skilled management of working capital. How are companies juggling this assortment of critical challenges? What steps are they taking to strengthen supplier relationships and improve working capital efficiency?

New research from CFO Research Services and Prime Revenue offers some insights. For instance, the study found that working capital management is now a high priority for most companies surveyed, and that the vast majority have deployed Supply Chain Finance or are considering doing so.

Here are a few key findings in greater detail: (more…)

There’s no doubt that small businesses everywhere are feeling squeezed by the credit crisis. But, are some small businesses emerging as more creditworthy than others? If so, how can you make that distinction? At this point in the economic downturn, are there any indicators that can help predict which companies may be better credit risks?

Experian, a global information services company, delved into questions like these and recently released the results in a fascinating Market Insight Snapshot titled “Understanding the state of small-business risk.”

Experian tracked more than 300,000 small businesses in the U.S. from April 2007 to April 2009. Their analysis examined the rate of new derogatory events (meaning incidence of a new lien, judgment, collection, bankruptcy or severe payment delinquency) and uncovered several intriguing emergent trends.

(more…)