Several overseas factors are subsidiaries of UK banks or their agents who offer facilities to companies with export credit sales usually of above £0.25m. Overseas factors carry out largely the same range of functions as factors in UK markets namely debt collection and administration of accounts payable and provision of finance.
An additional as well as highly valuable service particularly for smaller firms without large overseas forces is the provision of advice on the creditworthiness of overseas customers using their own experience or tapping the expertise of agents who act on their behalf in the pursuit of debts.
If factoring is offered on a non-recourse basis the factor will bear the risk of bad debts therefore enabling the exporter to sell on open account without risk of default. Even permitting for the additional charge made by the factor this may well be a much cheaper means of arranging overseas transactions than more formal methods such as letters of credit.