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Why use an independent agency instead of directly engaging an insurer?

model-t-fordHenry Ford said it best; “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black.”

There are over 16 different credit insurance companies operating in North America. Even more when we include those offshore. 75% of the insurers do not sell directly, working only through specialty agencies. However 100% of the insurers sell via specialty agencies – including the direct sellers. Continue reading

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Grapes of Wrath

okies“Well, Okie use’ta mean you was from Oklahoma. Now it means you’re a dirty son-of-a-bitch. Okie means you’re scum”

– John Steinbeck, “Grapes of Wrath”

After telling migrants from fellow EU countries Spain, Poland, Italy, etc. “you’re not welcome here”, BREXIT campaigners want the world’s manufacturing and financial services companies to believe a favored commercial relationship will be the outcome of the EU negotiations. As Americans, it is hard to fathom why a state would vote to change its laws to bar children from the other 49 from working there.  Yet that appears to be what England has chosen to do.  New Prime Minister May is known for hard views over free movement of labor. Continue reading

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Chamberl … er … Cameron’s moment

brexit-EU

While the ink is still wet, it can be said that the vote to leave the EU is expected to prompt a number of significant changes:

  • Within the UK, ministers will seek to narrow the meaning and implementation of the ‘Leave’ mandate in final execution.  Under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, exit takes place two years from EU receipt of formal notification.  Leaders of “Leave” movement have cited waiting two years before giving formal notice.  However this will be considerably more difficult as
  • In voting to secede from the EU, UK’s political capital with EU members has been severely damaged. Efforts by UK ministers to preserve UK’s economic interests in Europe — and negotiate the terms — will be a difficult process and subject to EU members agreement.
  • China’s expanded role as a leader in global financial marketplace.
  • Resurgence in demand for political risk insurance (government default). GDP forecasts are being cut globally. More immediate, Reuters reports that the cost for insuring Irish government debt has surged to highest level in 2 ½ years.

Continue reading

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RNC Conservatives swipe at EXIM again

RNC’s conservatives lost the EXIM re-authorization vote and took a different EXIM program hostage. After losing the EXIM reauthorization fight to outgoing House Speaker Boehner and the RNC majority, RNC’s right wing adopted new tactics in Senate and have blocked filling any of the 3 vacancies on EXIMs five member board of directors. The vacancies cap EXIM at $10MM transaction levels and limit eligible transactions to those with terms under one year, well below EXIMs normal authorization levels. At the annual April conference EXIM reported approximately $10B in U.S. exports and related jobs are impacted. The RNC’s cap on EXIM comes despite growing worldwide evidence that OECD and emerging market governments outside U.S. are increasing the amount of governments’ export credit agency (ECA) support for their manufacturers and exporters.

In classic Barney Fife fashion for which RNC conservatives are now known, limiting EXIM to the ‘lower’ approval levels materially defeats their stated goal to prevent EXIM from competing with market alternatives. There is significant commercial market capabilities in under $10MM short term transaction — the market where conservatives have locked in EXIM.  Meanwhile EXIM is blocked from providing U.S. companies the medium term/+$10MM credit support, the segment where commercial market capabilities are limited to non existent.  Well policed, Deputy Fife.

Recent market pricing

  • $700MM insured commodity sales to high yield customers.  Pricing @ 19BPs
  • $100MM insured accounts receivable balances.  B3 rated corporate credit.  Pricing@ 3.80% per annum

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