Supply Chain Cash Flow Trending Toward Pre-Recession Levels According to Most Recent Cortera Supply Chain Index Rep

QUINCY, Mass. AND BOCA RATON, Fla. — Cortera™, a community-driven business information company, announced the publication of its September 2009 Supply Chain Index (SCI) report, a monthly index of accounts receivable (A/R) activities covering manufacturers, distributors & wholesalers, retailers, services, and transportation companies.  Measuring payment activities of approximately 350,000 businesses, the September SCI indicates a continuing reduction of A/R stress and improved cash flow throughout the overall supply chain, as well as the 4th consecutive month of decreasing receipt of invoice payments beyond terms (measured in average days beyond terms).   

Cortera’s SCI Index mirrors the slow, but continually improving indicators published in the Institute of Supply Management’s (ISM) September 2009 Manufacturing Report on Business – the 2nd consecutive month of growth in the manufacturing sector and the 5th consecutive month of overall economic growth.

“While there is more accounts receivable stress than a year ago, our SCI data suggests that confidence in sales may be starting to return,” said Jim Swift, president and CEO, Cortera.  “The increasing rate of payment yields more fluid cash flow for all stakeholders in the supply chain – cash that is so desperately needed to fuel organic business growth and a sustainable recovery.”

The Cortera SCI tracks late payments against agreed upon terms, measuring late accounts receivable (Late A/R), excessively late accounts receivable (Late A/R >30 days), and overall average days beyond terms (Average DBT).  All three measures showed a spike in starting in October 2008, directly coinciding with the financial markets meltdown, and peaked in December of 2008.  A two year view of this data is available on Cortera’s website.   The Cortera SCI report is published monthly.  

About Cortera
In a sea of business information providers, Cortera is different. With over 15 years of experience serving finance professionals, Cortera combines premium business information and innovative tools with a fresh community approach to commercial credit.  It represents the first community for small business credit reporting and a fundamentally new way to capture the collective insight of millions of financial transactions. As a result, small businesses can make smarter, informed decisions to ensure optimal cash flow while attracting more favorable payment terms from existing and potential business partners. For more information on Cortera, please visit http://www.cortera.com.