Stake for Small Business Owners this Election Season

What’s at Stake for Small Business Owners this Election Season

19:40 29 June in Blog

Stake for Small Business Owners this Election SeasonU.S. presidential elections are a marathon, not a sprint, and this race has been exceptionally grueling—both for the candidates and the public at large. But more concerned than the average U.S. citizen are small business owners, who have responded to the uncertainty by delaying new hires, forgoing new equipment orders, and avoiding all but the most essential investments. We’ll tell you why confidence is slipping and what small businesses can do to buck the trend.

An Unprecedented Election Season?

Every presidential election captures the nation’s attention, but this year’s race seems to have no precedent. Whereas most Americans tune into the race after the primaries are over and the Republicans and Democrats have chosen their respective nominees, both parties saw unconventional candidates challenge the status quo during the primaries and capture the attention—and votes—of millions. Now that the primaries are over and Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are set to face off in the general election, the future and the direction we’re heading remains as unclear as ever.

Small Business Owners Uncertain

According to a survey conducted by the Wall Street Journal and Vistage Worldwide Inc, one-third of business owners report that uncertainty over the coming election is negatively impacting their business.

Though small business owners are responding in different ways, the overarching theme is this: they have opportunities to grow their businesses, but they’re hesitant to spend the money. It’s not just the election causing concerns—there’s also global concerns, like the recent exit of the U.K. from the European Union, which threw global markets into a brief tailspin and the tenuous state of the Chinese economy. Closer to home, there’s also uncertainty over the timing and impact of future interest rate hikes.

Small-Business Confidence, by the Numbers

Given the picture we’ve just painted, it’s no surprise that small-business confidence fell to its lowest level since November of 2012 this month. Even industries that consider themselves ‘immune’ to political drama, like real estate, construction and development, are seeing activity dwindle. In the end, small businesses off all types face higher cost of capital than their larger counterparts, and that’s why they bear the lion’s share of the burden when uncertainty prevails and consumers reduce spending.

Luckily, there are several tools that small businesses can use to seize opportunities for growth—regardless of the prevailing political and economic climate.

Capstone Helps Small Businesses Boost Working Capital and Grow

For qualified clients, Capstone provides purchase order factoring, single invoice factoring, and full-contract factoring for work performed under contract with credit-worthy accounts. We have highly experienced professionals on staff to facilitate the purchase of work in progress and progress billing-related accounts receivable. Please visit our homepage or contact us directly for more information.

How to Grow Business in an Unnatural Economy - Capstone

How to Grow Business in an Unnatural Economy

21:58 15 June in Blog

How to Grow Business in an Unnatural EconomyStalled growth, disappearing jobs and a sense of foreboding are the defining characteristics of today’s economy. So, what or who is to blame? According to one theorist, the process of “creative destructions,” whereby the death of one business or industry gives rise to another, is failing. We’ll tell you why it’s happening and show you how Capstone’s single invoice and full-contract factoring allow businesses to grow along with demand, avoid taking on additional debt, and improve their balance sheets organically—even in an economy stuck in limbo.

The Numbers

A sobering job report released earlier this month showed the creation of only 38,000 new jobs —124,000 fewer than had been predicted — which is the lowest monthly total since September 2010. Furthermore, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 94,708 Americans were not participating in the labor force during the month of May, bringing the participation rate to 62.6%.

A Limited Recovery

There’s no doubt that we’ve recovered from the Great Recession. The stock market has been on a 7-year bull run—although it has been tested recently. If you’ve tuned into the rhetoric coming out of the presidential race, you’ve heard the conviction that the recovery has been rather one-sided—that the gains of the last 7 years have benefitted a select few while the majority of the population has been left on the sidelines. No matter where you stand politically, the notion of a limited recovery seems to be supported by an analysis of Census Bureau data.

A Tale of Two Counties

According to the Census Bureau, the net increase of new business establishments is just 2.3% since 2010. Compare that with a 6.7% net increase during the 1990 recovery and a 5.6% net increase during the 2000 recovery. What’s worse—over half of the 166,000 new businesses formed in the United States since 2010 are located in just 20 counties. In short, a select few geographic areas are prospering, and the rest of the country is losing businesses and losing jobs at an alarming rate.

Aggressive Oversight and Misplaced Regulation

Touted as the culprits of the financial crash, banks and financial institutions, the drivers of growth since time immemorial, have been forced to tighten their lending requirements. The unintended consequence, of course, is that businesses’ traditional sources of credit have dried up. An enduring irony of the Dodd-Frank Act, which among other things was designed to limit the size of financial institutions, is that its burdensome requirements have actually forced many small community banks out of business—making the Big Banks BIGGER, not smaller.

If a lack of funding weren’t bad enough, businesses are now contending with rising federal regulatory compliance costs and state licensing requirements. And here the bitter irony continues. The new wave of regulations have disproportionally harmed small businesses—the symbol of the American Dream and American industriousness—not the large corporations the regulations were meant to control. A report ordered by the U.S. Small Business Administration found that the per-employee cost of federal regulatory compliance was $10,585 for companies with 19 or fewer employees. Companies with 500 or more employees, by contrast, paid an average of $7,755 per employee to stay compliant. Added to compliance costs are a rapidly multiplying number of state and local licensing requirements. 5% of employees required certificates or licenses in 1950. Today, the number stands at 30%.

A Metaphor for our Economic Ecosystem

There are many apt metaphors that describe what’s happening to the U.S. economy, but one of our favorites has to do with Smoky the Bear and forest fire prevention. Forest fires aren’t pretty, but they’re a natural and necessary phenomenon. They clear away the old, dead wood and give new generations of plants the space they need to grow. If the old, dead wood remains propped up for too long, the ecosystem ends up with less growth, less diversity, and a few individuals soaking up all the sunlight. And when a fire does finally come along, it’s much bigger and more destructive than it ever needed to be.

Boost Working Capital with Capstone

Capstone gives small and midsize businesses that are negatively impacted by Dodd-Frank and other constrictive legislation the working capital needed to seize opportunities for growth. For qualified clients, we provide single invoice factoring, construction factoring and full-contract factoring for work performed under contract with credit-worthy accounts. We have highly experienced professionals on staff to facilitate the purchase of work in progress and progress billing-related accounts receivable. Please visit our homepage for more information.

Interest Rates Predicted to Rise - Capstone Explained

U.S. Economy Picking Up Momentum in Q2; Interest Rates Predicted to Rise

19:56 27 May in Blog

Interest Rates Predicted to Rise - Capstone ExplainedAfter another harsh winter, the American economy is stabilizing and beginning to shrug off concerns of a prolonged slowdown or recession.

According to the latest economic gauges, industrial production is increasing, inflation is firming, and the housing sector is continuing to pick up momentum. All of these factors, combined with data reflecting retail sales rebounds, job gains, and rising consumer confidence, point to improved — though still less than spectacular — growth potential for the second quarter of 2016.

Interest Rates

Fed officials afraid of financial market volatility and poorly performing overseas economies have kept a steady hand on short-term interest rates throughout 2016. A domestic growth rebound in Q2 could be just the inspiration they’ve been looking for to raise rates this summer. Their next opportunities come at the policy meetings scheduled for June, July, and September.

John Williams, President of the San Francisco Fed, recently told the Wall Street Journal that the data is starting to make a strong case for rate increases not just in June, but potentially more than once in the next few policy meetings.

Despite Positives, Some Forecasters Remain Cautious

First quarter 2016 gross domestic product (GDP) increased only 0.5 percent over Q1 2015, but growth might be poised to accelerate.

Since the end of the recession, Q1 GDP growth has consistently been weak, followed by a rebound in Q2. The latest reports of modest but definite growth in highly important sectors would suggest that the same pattern is about to repeat itself in 2016.

Macroeconomic Advisers, a forecasting firm, estimates that GDP will expand at a rate of 2.3 percent this quarter. The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta estimated an even higher growth rate of 2.5 percent.

However, it’s not all sunshine and roses. Despite all the positive data starting to roll in, many forecasters are still leery about the economy’s current health as well as its general outlook for the future. Earlier in May, a Wall Street Journal survey of economists revealed an estimated 20 percent chance of a recession taking place in the U.S. sometime in the next 12 months.

Boost Working Capital with Capstone

For qualified clients, we provide purchase order factoring, single invoice factoring and full-contract factoring for work performed under contract with credit-worthy accounts. We have highly experienced professionals on staff to facilitate the purchase of work in progress and progress billing-related accounts receivable. To learn more, please visit our homepage.

Market Woes Affecting Online Lenders - Capstone

Market Woes Affecting Online Lenders

11:54 08 January in Blog

Market Woes Affecting Online Lenders - CapstoneThere’s a great deal of uncertainty in the market right now. The Fed has already increased their target short-term rate from 0.25% to 0.5%, and they’re planning on increasing it incrementally throughout 2016. In recent years, online platforms like LendingClub Corp. and Prosper Marketplace, Inc. have challenged banks’ hegemony in the lending industry. Today, we’ll discuss how the rate hike and other developments have had a negative effect on online lending platforms and ask whether or not they’re here to stay.

Online Lenders Arrive on the Field

Online lenders find borrowers and sell their loans to investors. Using comparably low operating costs and working with investors with low yield expectations, they’ve had considerable success. According to a Wall Street Journal analysis of securities filings, marketplace loan funds raised $8 billion in 2015, over six times the amount raised the year before. Recent market woes are pinching the numbers, however, and putting online lenders’ niche at risk.

Online Lenders Forced to Raise Rates

Funding for consumer loans has started to show signs of damage. Among the recent ills are delayed deals, increased funding costs, and declining prices for securities backed by the loans. Many online lenders will require borrowers to pay higher borrowing costs. LendingClub Corp., for example, raised their interest rates by 0.25%, matching the increase by the Federal Reserve in their short-term rate. Citigroup Inc., which has sold over $1 billion in loans from Prosper, is now offering higher and higher yields to entice investors to buy. The end result will either be rising costs for borrowers or diminishing margins for investors and the lending platforms they work with.

Growth of Online Marketplace Lending in Doubt

The volume of loans made by online platforms like Prosper and LendingClub have surged in recent years, and investment vehicles that buy marketplace loans have grown as well. Now, experts are wondering if the growth will continue. In October, Stockholm-listed P2P lender TrustBuddy collapsed after serious misuse of client money. Poor stock performance by several major U.S. platforms is another cause for concern in the industry—as is the pullback of credit that has forced some high yield mutual funds to halt or close redemptions. In the end, it remains to be seen whether the recent poor performance by online lenders is an aberration, or something here to stay.

Financing with Capstone

Capstone uses unique underwriting strategies to provide accounts receivable invoice factoring, PO financing, and trade finance to small businesses, subcontractors, licensees, and distributors. For more information, please visit our homepage.

Aftermath of the Dodd-Frank Law

The Aftermath of the Dodd-Frank Law

21:42 07 April in Blog

Aftermath of the Dodd-Frank LawIn 2008, when the American housing market crashed, it created a ripple effect in financial institutions. When the Dodd-Frank law went into effect in 2010, its purpose was to “promote the financial stability of the United States by improving accountability and transparency in the financial system.” Since being passed, only one new bank has opened in the United States. To show some perspective, in the 30 years prior to Dodd-Frank, over 100 new banks opened.

The new regulatory requirements are the reason behind this. Banks have had to hire full-time compliance employees in addition to purchasing new software and computing systems, as well as creating regulatory reports. FDIC state examiners are cracking down on banks and thoroughly investigating software systems that are within regulatory restrictions for loan reviews, IT, anti-laundering practices, cyber security and low-income borrowing procedures.

In looking at the impact this has caused, it’s clear that due to increased expenses, no startup banks want to take a risk when the odds are stacked so highly against them. In a statement earlier this year, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Richard Shelby said that improvements to rules impacting small banks should be made. However, if changes aren’t made, what does the future of startup banks look like? Furthermore, what will lending options look like for small business owners?

Fortunately, no matter what the future holds, Capstone Capital Group, LLC can be your capital partner. For years, we have helped growing businesses get the immediate cash they needed without the typical red tape that most banks require. We provide you access to capital through one of our customized funding programs, allowing you to scale your business instead of worrying about finances. For more information on invoice factoring, purchase order factoring, give us a call today at (212) 755-3636 and speak to a representative.

CFPB be Reformed by Neugebauer's Bill

Could the CFPB be Reformed by Neugebauer’s Bill?

14:50 25 March in Blog

CFPB be Reformed by Neugebauer's BillOver the past few years, there have been attempts to change the composition of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), even its name. Now, a new bill might truly pass Congress.

Introduced by Republican Representative Randy Neugebauer for the state of Texas, H.R. 1266 would create a five-member commission structure to lead the CFPB, which is currently headed by Director Richard Cordray.

Neugebauer’s proposed bill lays out the framework for creating a bipartisan commission leadership structure. Included in the bill is a provision that no more than three commissioners can be members of one political party. This is so that there are not coinciding vacancies when terms end.

Additionally, Neugebauer’s bill readjusts CFPB executives’ pay to the federal scale as well as creates an official seal for the agency. There is also a proposal to change the name of the CFPB to the Financial Products Safety Commission.

Much support has already been garnered for Neugebauer’s bill. The legislation was introduced with 20 initial co-sponsors, all Republicans and all members of the House Financial Services Committee, on which Neugebauer serves.

A coalition of banking and business groups including the American Bankers Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce expressed their support in a letter that read, “We believe that a five-member commission, as Congress originally intended, will better balance consumer access to financial products with the need to ensure a fair marketplace.”

Because Republicans control the Senate, a bill passed by the House is expected to pass even without Democratic backing. However, a coalition of more than 300 interest groups is in strong opposition to the bill, defending the CFPB.

Capstone Capital Group, LLC has eliminated the bank red tape by offering small to mid-sized businesses Single Invoice Factoring (“Spot Factoring”). Businesses can now get the immediate cash they need in exchange for working capital from Capstone Capital Group. For more information on Capstone’s Single Invoice Factoring call us today at (212) 755-3636.

Will Repealing Dodd-Frank Make Borrowing Easier - explained by Capstone

How the Dodd-Frank “Too Big to Fail” Legislation Hurts Small Banks

21:28 16 March in Blog

We have written numerous times about how the Dodd-Frank “Too Big to Fail” legislation is hurting smaller banks and interfering with loan approval for your small and medium-sized businesses.

Much of the regulation was designed to stop large money-center banks from taking depositor’s money and executing risky investments or engaging in risky transactions, which would thereby place the public at risk as well as the US financial system.

However, the unintended consequence of the law has created significant regulatory pressure on small and medium-sized banks, which has caused the regulators to take a one-size-fits-all approach to bank regulating. We can all agree the risks facing small and medium-sized banks are different than those facing the large money-center banks.

Compliance costs alone eat into the profits of the smaller banks, whose scale is smaller and has less profit than more major banks. The portfolios of the smaller banks are vastly different than those of larger banks as well. Most small banks lend into their communities and can assess the economy and risk related to their portfolio first-hand. This is not possible for the larger banks, as their footprint spans either a region of the US or the entire US. This leads to centralized decision- making with computer aided modeling to ensure that the loans are underwritten as conservatively as possible. Though not a negative thing, it’s different from how smaller banks are chartered to operate.

In most cases, the three “C’s” are used in small bank lending because the small town banker knows his customer. Credit, Character, and Collateral are what the small town banker relies on. Federal regulations do not see it the same way, causing conflicts between operation and management. The best way to manage it is to reduce the amount of loans and use the most rigid standards, which do not help the community that these smaller banks are chartered to help.

Congress has been listing to these smaller banks and indicated they would enact legislation to reduce the regulatory burden so they could operate like they should. It is important to note that very few smaller banks were affected by the financial crisis. The Republicans are attempting to provide relief for smaller banks while Democrats require that all of the Dodd-Frank provisions be in place for every bank regardless of size.

The Fed supports the changes for small and regional banks. However, it does not seem that these smaller institutions will be released from the “Too Big to Fail” category any time soon. As the economy continues to grow, and your need for working capital increases, please remember to call or email Capstone Capital Group, LLC at (212) 755-3636 or [email protected]

Recovery is Slow for Small Business Lending

17:46 21 August in Blog
While the economy slogs along at a snail’s pace and businesses of all sizes continue to persevere, banks remain steadfast in reigning back loans for small businesses.  Even though loans to small businesses were up 1% from last September, they are still 18% less than what they were in 2008 according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
 
Traditionally, small businesses were able to obtain necessary working capital loans through small local banks.  For decades, local business owners sat down with bank executives and built relationships that were beneficial for both the bank and the business.  However, since the housing bust in 2007 which caused numerous bank failures, many of the surviving banks have changed their underwriting practices and have literally converted loan approvals into a checklist. Relationship lending is virtually gone now and small business owners have had to consider alternate forms of financing to maintain their livelihood. 
 
Some business owners have tapped into their savings or retirement plans, mortgaged their homes, asked money from family and friends, and some have even turned to high cost, short term loans to keep their entrepreneurial hopes alive for just a little bit longer.  While a majority of these borrowers have good credit and more than two years history of being in business, local bank failures over the past few years and the Dodd Frank to big to fail bank legislation have caused the remaining banks to shy away from small business funding.  Instead of developing the necessary expertise to handle small businesses accounts, they instead choose to penalize small businesses by showing them the door.
 
Although some small business owners have found it difficult to obtain the necessary capital they need to maintain and grow their businesses from their local bank, options do exist.  Fortunately, Capstone Capital Group, LLC has the solution. 
 
Capstone Capital Group, LLC has been helping small to mid-sized businesses for years obtain the necessary working capital they need to sustain and grow during uncertain economic times without all the red tape you normally get a bank.  Capstone Capital Group, LLC specializes in Single Invoice Factoring (“Spot Factoring”) for firms in need of immediate cash. Spot Factoring provides flexible, no contract invoice selling in exchange for working capital from Capstone Capital Group. Call Capstone at (212) 755-3636 and speak with a representative today.

Regulators Remain Unconvinced of Big Bank’s Ability to Safely Wind Down in a Financial Crisis

19:14 15 August in Blog
 As part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank regulatory scheme, banks are required to submit an annual “living will” detailing, among other things, the bank’s operations and exposures, in addition to a plan of how the bank could be dismantled without relying on tax payer funded support in the event they reach a point of potential failure during a financial crisis.
 
After a review by the Federal Reserve (the Feds) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) of recently submitted bankruptcy plans of eleven of the nation’s largest banking institutions, the Feds and the FDIC chastised the plans as being “unrealistic or inadequately supported” and that the plans “fail to make, or even identify the kinds of changes in firm structure and practices that would be necessary to enhance the prospect for an orderly failure.”
 
Regulators set a time frame for these banks to address the apparent deficiencies in their plans by July 2015 or face tougher capital requirements, growth restrictions, and even go so far as to break up the bank if they are unable to make significant progress. 
In order to avoid harsher rules and possible dismantling, regulators say banks can take steps to make their bankruptcy plans by establishing a rational and less complex legal structure, essentially showing they can quickly produce reliable information about their exposures, and amending derivatives contracts to make them easier to bring through bankruptcy. 
 
These actions by regulators gives a clear sign they believe that banks aren’t doing enough to insulate themselves and protect the tax payer in the event of a future financial crisis. With increased regulation and scrutiny looming over the banking industry, which isn’t likely to ease up any time soon, banks are feeling the pressure to restrain growth by curbing lending practices.
 
 Some borrowers, like small business owners, may have a more difficult time obtaining the necessary financing they need to maintain and grow their business.  Unfortunately, the focus on unwinding banks and compliance with regulations takes away resources that can be used to help finance small businesses.  Capstone Capital Group, LLC has funding solutions that can get you the financing the big banks can’t provide. 
Capstone Capital Group, LLC has been helping small to mid-sized businesses for years obtain the necessary working capital they need to sustain and grow during uncertain economic times without all the red tape you normally get from most banks.  Capstone Capital Group, LLC specializes in Business finding solutions, Single Invoice Factoring (“Spot Factoring”) for firms in need of immediate cash. Spot Factoring provides flexible, no contract invoice selling in exchange for working capital from Capstone Capital Group.

 

Small Businesses, beware the “Advance-Fee Loan Scheme”!

21:04 05 June in Blog
The “Advance-fee loan scheme”, as the scam is more commonly known, has been around for years.  However scammers have recently intensified their efforts in part due to the current financial crisis in addition to tighter underwriting requirements in regards to small business loan financing created by Dodd-Frank (Too Big To Fail ) Legislation.
 
The scam is fairly straightforward.  By way of telephone, email or internet communication , these so called  “loan broker” con artists target small business owners and entrepreneurs by promising them they can secure a sizable business loan for them and all they have to do is pay the loan broker a fee “in advance”.  According to Alabama Securities Director Joseph Borg, businesses with $1 million to $50 million in revenue are the most common targets because under the new legislation banks have the most difficult time lending to these microcap companies. 
 
What happens next is that the small business owner will pay a substantial upfront fee up to the loan broker with a loan never actually materializing.  The small businessman is ultimately met with dozens of unanswered phone calls and unresponsive emails, with the con man eventually leaving town.  According to Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), this type of scam has been happening with more and more frequency. In 2013, the FTC booked a record 53,833 complaints about advance-fee loans filed by entrepreneurs and consumers.  This number is up from 43,070 in 2012 and 44,504 in 2011. 
 
As mentioned above, these scams typically target desperate business owners who feel like they have no other options.  Paying a broker a fee in advance without any guarantees of success is not the wisest of business moves.  If you are a small business owner looking for additional capital and have been denied a loan by your bank, it is not the end of the world.  Alternatives, such as invoice factoring offered by Capstone Capital Group, LLC, exist which can provide you with the capital you need to get your business back on track and do not require the advancing of upfront fees with the hope your loan will be approved and funded, if at all. 
 
For more information on Capstone’s services, please email at [email protected] or call (212) 755-3636 to speak with a representative today.

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