Collections management glossary

Reference dictionary with key terms in the collections management and commercial credit risk sector.

Aging
Analysis of the age of outstanding invoices, grouped by time buckets (30, 60, 90, 120+ days). Helps identify delinquency trends and prioritize collection actions.
DSO (Days Sales Outstanding)
Financial indicator measuring the average number of days a company takes to collect its invoices. Calculated by dividing accounts receivable by average daily revenue.
Dunning
Systematic process of sending payment reminders and demands to delinquent customers. May include emails, letters, calls and progressive escalations.
Write-off
Accounting cancellation of a debt deemed uncollectable. Recorded as a loss in the income statement when all recovery avenues are exhausted.
Risk scoring
Numerical score evaluating a customer's probability of default. Combines internal data (payment history) with external data (credit bureaus).
Payment order procedure
Simplified judicial process for claiming liquid, due and payable monetary debts. Allows obtaining an enforceable title quickly.
ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution)
Alternative Dispute Resolution methods. Includes mediation, arbitration and conciliation as alternatives to litigation for resolving debt disputes.
ETL (Extract, Transform, Load)
Process of extracting data from a source system, transforming it according to business rules and loading it into the target system. In FK, enables automated integration with ERPs and other systems.
Credit insurance
Policy protecting a company against customer default. Insurers assess each buyer's risk and set coverage limits.
Credit coverage
Maximum insured amount under a credit insurance policy for a specific customer. Determines how much the company is protected in case of default.
Exposure
Total outstanding debt (pending invoices) with a customer or business group. Compared against coverage to assess risk.
SLA (Service Level Agreement)
Service level agreement defining commitments for availability, response time and technical support quality.
SSO (Single Sign-On)
Authentication mechanism allowing users to access multiple applications with a single corporate credential (LDAP, Active Directory, OAuth).
Smart Collections
Module for rule-based automated collection strategies. Defines action sequences (email, letter, call) that execute automatically based on debtor profile.
Plugin
Installable extension that expands FK functionality. Plugins are installed from a centralized catalog and automatically create new capabilities integrated into the platform.
Debtor registry
Public or private database recording individuals or companies with unpaid debts. Inclusion can have reputational consequences and hinder credit access.
Amicable phase
First stage of collections management where debt recovery is attempted through cordial communications: reminders, calls and direct negotiation with the debtor.
Pre-litigation
Intermediate phase between amicable management and litigation. Includes formal demands, certified letters and threat of legal action to pressure payment.
Payment installment plan
Formal agreement with the debtor to divide a debt into periodic installments with a defined payment schedule.

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