2004 Best Practices Study
AGENCIES WITH REVENUES OVER $25,000,000
FINANCIAL STABILITY A. Current Ratio
EXECUTIVE PERSPECTIVES
A current ratio greater than 1:1 indicates that cash and assets with short-term maturities are sufficient to meet a firm’s short-term obligations.
Average
Top 25%
Liquidity/Current Ratio
1.24:1
1.57:1
PROFILE
B.
Tangible Net Worth The tangible net worth is an important measure as it represents the net value of the corporation if it were liquidated. A low or negative tangible net worth impacts a firm’s ability to invest in new opportunities, develop new products, hire new employees, make other capital expenditures and handle stockholder redemption obligations .
REVENUES/ EXPENSES
Average
Top 25%
Tangible Net Worth (as % of Net Rev)
8.6% 29.2%
FINANCIAL STABILITY
C1.
Receivables The following ratio measures the collection practices of an agency, with a lower ratio representing more timely collections.
Average
Top 25%
Receivables/Payables Ratio
59.3% 30.4%
EMPLOYEE OVERVIEW
C2.
Aged Receivables
Average
Top 25%
Over 60 Over 90
9.1% 2.1%
2.5% 0.8%
PRODUCER INFO
D.
Receivables Management Practices Participants were asked to indicate which practices they utilized and to score the practices’ effectiveness where 1 = NOT EFFECTIVE and 5 = EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE .
SERVICE STAFF INFO
% Utilizing
Score
0%
100%
Management reviews receivables regularly Have strict collection policy Hold producers responsible for bad debts Encourage/require use of direct bill Encourage/require use of premium finance
TECHNOLOGY
Use pre-billing and binder billing Do not allow agency financing
INSURANCE CARRIERS
Centralize collections & remove producer involvement Provide clients with written copy of collection policies Other
0.0
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
“Several years ago we got serious about collections and ‘cleaned house’ of the producers who wouldn’t collect and accounts that wouldn’t pay. As a result, it is part of our culture today, allowing us to achieve outstanding receivables with very little effort.”
APPENDIX
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