Credit management
Credit management is the process of granting credit, setting the terms on which it is granted, recovering this credit when it is due, and ensuring compliance with company credit policy, among other credit related functions. The goal within a bank or company, in controlling credit, is to improve revenues and profit by facilitating sales and reducing financial risks. A structured credit policy ensures that the credit team uses a standardized method for managing a customer’s credit risk. This leads to consistent credit decisions and eliminating compliance issues because there is an audit trail.
A credit manager is a person employed by an organization to manage the credit department and make decisions concerning credit limits, acceptable levels of risk, terms of payment and enforcement actions with their customers. This function is often combined with Accounts Receivable and Collections into one department of a company. The role of credit manager is variable in its scope and Credit Managers are responsible for:
- Controlling bad debt exposure and expenses, through the direct management of credit terms on the company's ledgers.
- Maintaining strong cash flows through efficient collections. The efficiency of cash flow is measured using various methods, most common of which is Days Sales Outstanding (DSO).
- Ensuring an adequate Allowance for Doubtful Accounts is kept by the company.
- Monitoring the Accounts Receivable portfolio for trends and warning signs.
- Hiring and firing credit analysts, accounts receivable and collections personnel.
- Enforcing the "stop list" of supply of goods and services to customers.
- Removing bad debts from the ledger (Bad Debt Write-Offs).
- Setting credit limits.
- Setting credit terms beyond those within credit analysts' authority.
- Setting credit rating criteria.
- Setting and ensuring compliance with a corporate credit policy.
- Pursuing legal remedies for non-payers.
- Obtaining security interests where necessary. Common examples of this could be PPSAs, letters of credit or personal guarantees.
- Initiating legal or other recovery actions against customers who are delinquent.
Credit managers tend to fall into one of three groups depending on the specific legal and jurisdictional knowledge required:
- Commercial Credit Manager
- Consumer Credit Managers
- Construction Credit Managers