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More companies taking longer to repay debt
Some are becoming selective about which debts to pay on time, and which ones they are allowing to extend out. -AsiaOne
Mon, May 07, 2012
AsiaOne
More companies are taking a longer period of time to repay their bills during the first three months of this year.
A report by business information group DP Information Group said 23 per cent in monies owed across all industries were still unpaid 90 days after the debt was due.
This is an increase of 5 per cent from the last quarter of 2011.
According to the report, the number of days a company takes to repay its creditor once a debt is due remained steady at 41 days for the first quarter of this year, compared to 40 days in the last quarter of 2011.
Companies are also choosing to hold back some payments to preserve cash.
Ms Ong Siew Kim, Senior General Manager of DP Information Group, said companies are becoming selective about which debts to pay on time, and which ones they are allowing to extend out.
"If a creditor is not putting pressure on the debtor to settle an account, then many companies just choose to let the debt ride for a couple of months.
"This means tardy payers are funding their businesses by holding back on money owed to less demanding creditors," she said.
Ms Ong also encouraged small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to be diligent and persistent in chasing up their accounts receivables.
She said changes in payment behaviour, such as suddenly becoming slow to pay debts, are often a sign that a company is experiencing financial difficulties.
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Some are becoming selective about which debts to pay on time, and which ones they are allowing to extend out. -AsiaOne
Mon, May 07, 2012
AsiaOne
More companies are taking a longer period of time to repay their bills during the first three months of this year.
A report by business information group DP Information Group said 23 per cent in monies owed across all industries were still unpaid 90 days after the debt was due.
This is an increase of 5 per cent from the last quarter of 2011.
According to the report, the number of days a company takes to repay its creditor once a debt is due remained steady at 41 days for the first quarter of this year, compared to 40 days in the last quarter of 2011.
Companies are also choosing to hold back some payments to preserve cash.
Ms Ong Siew Kim, Senior General Manager of DP Information Group, said companies are becoming selective about which debts to pay on time, and which ones they are allowing to extend out.
"If a creditor is not putting pressure on the debtor to settle an account, then many companies just choose to let the debt ride for a couple of months.
"This means tardy payers are funding their businesses by holding back on money owed to less demanding creditors," she said.
Ms Ong also encouraged small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to be diligent and persistent in chasing up their accounts receivables.
She said changes in payment behaviour, such as suddenly becoming slow to pay debts, are often a sign that a company is experiencing financial difficulties.
[email protected]