Recovery Trends

According to a survey of members of the Commercial Law League of America, the probability of full recovery on a delinquent account drops dramatically with the length of delinquency. For example, even after only three months, the probability of recovering a delinquent account drops to 73.1%. After six months, 50% of delinquent accounts will never be recovered. After one year, the probability of ever recovering a delinquent account drops to 25%.

Why Consider Maintaining Your AR

The results of this survey clearly demonstrate the critical importance of taking positive action when an accounts receivable ages past its due date. Today’s competitive economy requires that companies maintain a healthy cash flow with the ability to adapt to changing market conditions. Companies must take a hard line on past due receivables, and turn them over to professional help when their internal efforts have not proved successful and within 120 days.

Cash-flow drives All Business

Delinquent accounts are the brakes that bring companies to a screeching halt. The economic exigencies of recent years has pushed many companies to extend the time they will permit an accounts receivable to age prior to instituting formal recovery efforts. Based on the survey of members of the Commercial Recovery Agency Association, this loosening of payment requirements is a severe negative impact on company’s cash flow and profits. In fact in many cases it leads to companies struggling financially and even going out of business altogether.