by Nancy Seiverd | Jun 5, 2026 | Poll
For many credit and collection professionals, the idea of boarding a plane to visit a past due customer may seem excessive, outdated, or simply too expensive. In today’s world of emails, Zoom meetings, and mobile phones, many companies rely almost entirely on remote...
by Nancy Seiverd | May 5, 2026 | Poll
For many companies, the new customer credit application is treated as a standard form, one document used across all customers, regardless of size, risk, or complexity. It’s efficient, easy to administer, and familiar to the credit team. But in today’s environment,...
by Nancy Seiverd | Apr 7, 2026 | Poll
Late payments have always been part of doing business. But for many credit and collection professionals, something feels different in 2026. It’s not just that payments are late, it’s that lateness is becoming more accepted, more expected, and in some cases, almost...
by Nancy Seiverd | Feb 2, 2026 | Poll
Collections is never an easy job, but winter can make it significantly harder. Shorter days, limited daylight, and fewer opportunities to step outside can quietly amplify stress. At the same time, collectors continue to face broken promises, delayed payments, and...
by Nancy Seiverd | Jan 6, 2026 | Poll
In the world of collections, no two debtors are exactly alike, yet almost every past-due customer falls into one of four recognizable categories. Understanding these personalities not only helps credit professionals craft the right approach, but also saves time,...
by Nancy Seiverd | Oct 7, 2025 | Poll
In the world of commercial collections, credit managers often walk a fine line between firmness and relationship management. Sometimes, the temptation arises to apply pressure, and even fear and intimidation, to get a customer to pay what’s owed. But is “scaring” a...
by Nancy Seiverd | Aug 4, 2025 | Poll
This scenario is all too familiar for many credit professionals. End-of-week urgency, especially on a Friday afternoon, has become a pressure point where credit discipline and sales momentum can collide. While the customer may be reliable and the sales team motivated,...
by Nancy Seiverd | Jul 7, 2025 | Poll
As we enter the second half of 2025, economic headwinds are swirling once again. From whispers of a mild recession to the continued unpredictability of global supply chains, credit professionals can no longer afford to rely solely on historical trends or gut instinct....
by Nancy Seiverd | May 6, 2025 | Poll
As credit risk professionals, we’re trained to make decisions based on patterns using financial metrics, payment histories, and macroeconomic indicators. But in today’s environment, the patterns are breaking down. Many companies find themselves trying...
by Nancy Seiverd | Apr 4, 2025 | Poll
When a broad tariff policy — like Donald Trump’s recent across-the-board tariffs — is implemented, it suddenly forces credit managers in the U.S. to navigate new challenges in evaluating credit risk on their international customers. For example, decreasing credit...
by Nancy Seiverd | Mar 4, 2025 | Poll
As a credit and collection professional, getting your sales team, manager or representative involved in the collection of a past due account can range anywhere between successful to disastrous. Following below is a general guideline as to when it might be advantageous...
by Nancy Seiverd | Feb 4, 2025 | Poll
At a recent conference, I was invited into a group of other long-term credit professionals to discuss what we felt were some regrets in our long careers. Following below are the major ideas I took away from our discussion.Overlooking Relationship Building –...
by Nancy Seiverd | Oct 7, 2024 | Poll, Uncategorized
Whenever I have been asked to participate with reviewing resumes for clients to fulfill a credit manager position, my eyes will always look for the credentials CCE, CBA, CICP, or MBA as a starting point. It lets me and the employer know that at a minimum, one has...
by Nancy Seiverd | Sep 6, 2024 | Poll
I remember when I was just starting out as part of the CMI collection team (there were just two of us) and my portfolio of accounts contained mostly small balances. Fortunately, by nature of being small, they were relatively easy to collect. That not only gave me a...
by Nancy Seiverd | Jun 4, 2024 | Poll
As credit professionals, from time to time our credit decisions have been questioned and overridden. Sometimes the credit limit that we established for a new or existing customer has fallen short of expectations or needs. When that happens, either sales or the...
by Nancy Seiverd | May 7, 2024 | Poll
Credit reports are not perfect and in fact, they may often contain information that is either erroneous, obsolete, or misleading. In my experience, the best credit information is information that is verifiable, and one of the best ways to obtain it is through joining...
by Nancy Seiverd | Apr 2, 2024 | Poll
My personal feeling is that if you have a non-paying customer that is ignoring your calls, emails, and letters requesting (demanding) payment and they are very close by, it may just make sense to do a stop by and see if you can talk to someone. Not too long...
by Nancy Seiverd | Feb 6, 2024 | Poll
In the early days of CMI, I can tell you that for years I worried about certain debtors keeping their promises to pay. I would wake up at 3:00am and get on the computer to read over the notes I made a few days before just to make sure that I didn’t misunderstand a...
by Nancy Seiverd | Jan 15, 2024 | Poll
As credit professionals, it seems intuitive that a credit limit review should be performed on a regular or periodic basis. If reviewing credit limits involves obtaining a fresh credit report along with other substantiating documentation, one may...
by Nancy Seiverd | Nov 8, 2023 | Poll
Letters of credit (L/C) are still commonly used for cross-border transactions in international trade. As you may recall, an L/C is a financial document provided by a buyer’s bank to the seller, guaranteeing payment for goods or services once certain conditions...
