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Hamburg / Zagreb, 9. srpnja 2020.  –  Euler Hermes Rating, jedna od vodećih europskih agencija za procjenu kreditnih sposobnosti, šesnaesti put zaredom dodijelila je najvišu „A“ ocjenu EOS grupi. I ove je godine EOS impresionirao revizore svojom vrlo visokom, stabilnom razinom zarade, kao i izvrsnom strukturom kapitala.

Unatoč krizi uzrokovanoj pandemijom virusa COVID-19, agencija Euler Hermes je ocijenila financijski rizik EOS-a niskim. Iako može doći do pada prihoda i zarade u kratkom i srednjem roku, revizori opet očekuju dobru do vrlo dobru razinu zarade u dugoročnom razdoblju.

Održiva ulaganja u značajnom obimu

Posljednjih godina EOS je kao financijski investitor sustavno pojačavao svoje poslovne aktivnosti te se etablirao kao vodeći na njemačkom tržištu u otkupu potraživanja, a svoju je snažnu poziciju potvrdio i u mnogim zemljama diljem Europe. U financijskoj godini 2019./20. tvrtka je uložila 651,3 milijuna eura u neosigurana i osigurana potraživanja i nekretnine.

„I u narednim godinama želimo provesti značajna, održiva ulaganja u portfelje potraživanja“, ističe Justus Hecking-Veltman, glavni financijski direktor EOS grupe, dodajući kako se „unatoč specifičnostima različitih tržišta unutar Grupe čvrsto držimo scenarija, jer upravo to nas čini stabilnom i pouzdanom tvrtkom, danas i u budućnosti".

EOS grupa jedan je od vodećih međunarodnih pružatelja individualiziranih financijskih usluga. Osnovna djelatnost tvrtke je kupnja neosiguranih i osiguranih portfelja potraživanja. Kao stručnjak za procjenu i obradu potraživanja, EOS jamči financijsku sigurnost za više od 20.000 klijenata u 26 zemalja. Zahvaljujući međunarodnoj mreži partnerskih tvrtki, EOS grupa koja broji oko 7,500 zaposlenika i više od 60 podružnica, ima izravan pristup, u više od 180 zemalja diljem svijeta.

Za više informacija posjetite www.eos-solutions.com

EOS Matrix d.o.o. je najveći centar za naplatu i otkup rizičnih potraživanja u Hrvatskoj. Lider je na tržištu upravljanja potraživanjima u Istočnoj Europi te je dio regionalne mreže i član globalne EOS grupe. Za više informacija posjetite www.eos-matrix.hr

Ispiši

Hrvati najviše duguju telekomima – njih čak 92.227 ili 40 posto od ukupnog broja blokiranih, slijede oni koji duguju državi, njih 62.804, a svaki peti račun ostane neplaćen ili se s njime kasni. Postavlja se pitanje što će se promijeniti s novim Ovršnim zakonom koji već ovaj tjedan ide u saborsku proceduru.

EOS Survey ‘European Payment Practices’ 2019

Zagreb, 17. rujna, 2019. – Iako u Hrvatskoj, u skladu s europskim trendovima, raste broj pravovremenih plaćanja, čak 81 posto u odnosu na prošlogodišnjih 77,  i dalje kasni plaćanje svakog petog računa – ili se on uopće ne plati. Pokazuju to rezultati istraživanja o navikama plaćanja „European Payment Practices“ koje EOS Grupa provodi već 12. godinu zaredom i koji su u suradnji s tjednikom Lider predstavljeni na današnjoj konferenciji „Kultura (ne)plaćanja i (ne)prilike za hrvatsko gospodarstvo“.

Govoreći o kasnim plaćanjima, građani u prosjeku kasne 16 dana, dok tvrtke s plaćanjima kasne čak 22 dana, zbog čega svaka druga hrvatska kompanija osjeća posljedice propuštene dobiti, dok je svaka četvrta zabrinuta za svoj opstanak na tržištu. Ovogodišnje istraživanje pokazalo je da svega 8 posto anketiranih domaćih kompanija smatra da će se pozitivan trend zadržati, dok je prošle godine to očekivalo čak 20 posto tvrtki.

„Unatoč tome što su objektivni pokazatelji navika plaćanja bolji, subjektivni dojmovi i strahovi ne čude, posebice ako znamo da se sve glasnije najavljuje nova globalna recesija. Budući da jednoj Njemačkoj više ne ide tako dobro, što možemo očekivati za Hrvatsku koja se od posljednje recesije oporavljala dvostruko dulje u odnosu na ostatak svijeta i koja ponovno donosi novu zakonsku regulativu koja će dodatno otežati naplatu“, istaknula je direktorica EOS Matrixa Barbara Cerinski te dodala kako bi i najavljeni prijedlog Ovršnog zakona mogao imati efekt bumeranga, poput Zakona o provedbi ovrhe na novčanim sredstvima, kojim je uvedena obustava ovrhe dulje od 3 godine ako vjerovnik u posljednjih 6 mjeseci nije uspio ništa naplatiti, budući da je svaki treći deblokirani građanin ponovno završio u blokadi.

„Ovaj Ovršni zakon nije rješenje za blokirane građane, cijeli problem treba početi rješavati od samog početka. Primarno je definirati socijalne kriterije, strogo odijeliti osobnu odgovornost od društvene solidarnosti kako bi porezni obveznici znali gdje odlazi njihov novac, a ne da se milijunski iznosi opraštaju ljudima kojima ne trebaju biti oprošteni“, kazao je predsjednik Hrvatske udruge banaka Zdenko Adrović.

Prof. dr. sc. Aleksandra Maganić s Pravnog fakulteta u Zagrebu kroz svoje se predavanje „Novi ovršni zakon – korak naprijed ili dva unatrag“ dotaknula manjkavosti novog prijedloga te je istaknula kako se ovršni postupak neće ni ubrzati ni pojednostaviti ni pojeftiniti zbog niza novih radnji. „Stvorila se percepcija da je Ovršni zakon sredstvo za rješavanje problema blokiranih građana, ali nismo uzeli u obzir socijalne kriterije, nitko ne analizira stvarne razloge prezaduženosti građana Republike Hrvatske. Treba se brinuti za socijalno ugrožene građane, ali ne na teret svih drugih građana. Pogledamo li strukturu blokiranih građana, najveći broj njih ima dugovanja prema telekomima, čak 40 posto, dok četvrtina ima neplaćene obveze prema državi zbog kazni za prekršaje, dakle ovdje ne govorimo o socijalno ugroženim građanima. Primarna funkcija Ovršnog zakona je prisilna naplata tražbine“, kazala je Maganić.

Kašnjenje u naplati svakodnevni je izazov za poslovanje tvrtki koje posljedično kasne s podmirivanjem vlastitih obveza prema svojim dobavljačima, čime se stvara domino efekt, odnosno nepovoljna poduzetnička klima. S time su se složili i sudionici okruglog stola koji su se, između ostaloga, dotaknuli i utjecaja najavljenog prijedloga Ovršnog zakona na navike plaćanja u Hrvatskoj.

„Nacrt prijedloga Ovršnog zakona neće olakšati ovrhu u praksi, a iz iskustva možemo potvrditi da je trenutni sustav poprilično učinkovit budući da institucija javnih bilježnika djeluje besprijekorno. Javni bilježnici su i uvedeni kako bi rasteretili sudove, a sad će se 700 tisuća ovrha ponovno vratiti na već zagušene sudove. Novi zakon predviđa minimalno 11 koraka, umjesto dosadašnja 4, dakle postupak će trajati dulje i multiplicirat će se troškovi“, naglasila je voditeljica Sektora pravne naplate neosiguranih potraživanja EOS Matrixa Tajana Horvat.

Okupljeni poduzetnici izrazili su zabrinutost za svoje poslovanje koje direktno ovisi o mogućnostima naplate potraživanja, a njihove probleme u žustroj panel raspravi najbolje je sažeo vlasnik i direktor tvrtke Kaanan, Zvonko Popović. „Za mene su i novi i stari Ovršni zakon podjednako loši i tjeraju nas da poslovanje selimo izvan granica Hrvatske. To je ujedno i razlog zašto Hrvatsku zaobilaze strani investitori“, ustvrdio je Popović.

Više informacija možete pronaći i na linkovima u nastavku:

O istraživanju

U suradnji s nezavisnim institutom za istraživanje tržišta Kantar, EOS je proveo telefonsko istraživanje među 3400 tvrtki u 17 europskih zemalja o prevladavajućoj praksi plaćanja u njihovim zemljama. 200 tvrtki iz Belgije, Bugarske, Hrvatske, Češke, Danske, Francuske, Njemačke, Grčke, Mađarske, Poljske, Rumunjske, Rusije, Slovačke, Slovenije, Španjolske, Švicarske i Velike Britanije, prikazale su vlastita iskustva s plaćanjem te odgovorile na aktualna pitanja vezana uz upravljanje rizicima i potraživanjima. Anketirani su donositelji odluka iz područja upravljanja potraživanjima u tvrtkama s prosječno 28 milijuna eura prihoda i prosječnom brojkom od 183 zaposlenika. EOS je proveo svoje godišnje istraživanje u proljeće 2019. već 12. godinu zaredom.

EOS Grupa

EOS Grupa vodeći je međunarodni pružatelj individualiziranih financijskih usluga. Osnovna djelatnost tvrtke je kupnja neosiguranih i osiguranih portfelja potraživanja. Kao stručnjak za procjenu i obradu potraživanja, EOS primjenjuje nove tehnologije u svom poslovanju, čime pruža financijsku sigurnost za više od 20.000 klijenata u 26 zemalja. Zahvaljujući međunarodnoj mreži partnerskih tvrtki, EOS Grupa koja broji oko 7,500 zaposlenika i više od 60 podružnica, ima izravan pristup u više od 180 zemalja diljem svijeta. Ključni sektori u kojima EOS Grupa djeluje su bankarstvo, komunalne tvrtke, sektor nekretnina te online trgovina. EOS je dio Otto Grupe. Za više informacija posjetite www.eos-solutions.com

EOS Matrix d.o.o.

Predstavlja najveći centar za naplatu i otkup rizičnih potraživanja u Hrvatskoj, lider je na tržištu upravljanja potraživanjima u istočnoj Europi, dio je regionalne mreže i član globalne EOS Grupe. Svojom poslovnom strategijom detaljnog poznavanja zakonskih i kulturnih specifičnosti zemalja u kojima posluje, omogućava profesionalnu i učinkovitu podršku u naplati potraživanja brojnim poslovnim subjektima u zemlji i inozemstvu čime im osigurava trenutno povećanje likvidnosti. 

Za više informacija posjetite www.eos-matrix.hr

Ispiši

Kod svakog petog računa kasni se s plaćanjem ili ga nije moguće naplatiti / Gotovo trećina hrvatskih tvrtki povećanjem cijena kompenzira nemogućnost naplate potraživanja / Svaka treća hrvatska tvrtka nudi plaćanje digitalnim metodama / Suradnjom s vanjskim partnerima pri naplati potraživanja tvrtke u RH uspijevaju oporaviti 10% prihoda

EOS Survey ‘European Payment Practices’ 2018

Zagreb, 18. rujna, 2018. – Već četvrtu godinu zaredom Europa bilježi porast računa plaćenih na vrijeme, čija je stopa ove godine na 79%. U Hrvatskoj također raste stopa pravovremeno plaćenih računa (77%), no svaki četvrti građanin i tvrtka u RH i dalje kasne s plaćanjem nastalih obveza ili ih uopće ne podmiruju. Kad je riječ o plaćanju računa nakon isteka roka plaćanja, u Hrvatskoj se oni podmiruju prosječno tri tjedna kasnije od propisanog roka.

Rezultati su ovo istraživanja o navikama plaćanja ‘European Payment Practices’, koje je već 11. put zaredom u ime EOS Grupe proveo nezavisni institut za istraživanje tržišta Kantar TNS. Među 3.400 tvrtki iz 17 zemalja, u istraživanju je sudjelovalo i 200 hrvatskih tvrtki koje, vidljivo je iz istraživanja, slijede europske trendove. Kašnjenje u naplati velik je izazov za svakodnevno poslovanje tvrtki koje potom i same posljedično kasne s podmirivanjem vlastitih obveza. Prekomjerna zaduženost i privremeni problemi s likvidnošću najučestaliji su razlozi kašnjenja, no zabrinjava podatak iz istraživanja prema kojemu čak 39 posto građana RH račune naprosto zaboravlja platiti.

„Istraživanje provodimo ne samo kako bismo prikupili podatke o trendovima i rokovima plaćanja, već kako bismo analizom zajedno utjecali na poboljšanje gospodarske situacije i povećanje potrošačke moći i poslovnih i privatnih subjekata. Ako primjerice znamo da gotovo trećina hrvatskih tvrtki, kad ne može naplatiti potraživanje, reagira povećanjem cijena, jasno je kako navike plaćanja utječu na cijelo gospodarstvo, konkurentnost naše ekonomije i buduće investicije, ali i potrošačku moć svih građana“, ustvrdila je Barbara Cerinski, direktorica tvrtke EOS Matrix.

Pozitivan trend Hrvatska pokazuje u uporabi digitalnih metoda plaćanja, koje nudi 33% domaćih tvrtki, što je iznad europskog prosjeka od 29%.

„Možemo pretpostaviti kako na to utječe činjenica da je Hrvatska malo tržište, te da su digitalne metode jedan od načina dosega do većeg broja kupaca“, dodala je Cerinski i osvrnula se na podatak kako 40% hrvatskih tvrtki surađuje s vanjskim partnerima na naplati potraživanja: „Takvom suradnjom tvrtke uspijevaju oporaviti i do 10% prihoda, koji se, osim na plaće, podmirenje vlastitih obveza i širenje poslovanja, reinvestiraju i u istraživanje i razvoj. Istovremeno, prepuštanjem naplate vanjskim partnerima, tvrtke se mogu usredotočiti na svoje osnovno poslovanje.“

Povodom objave istraživanja EOS Matrix je u suradnji s tjednikom Lider organizirao i okrugli stol  Upravljanje potraživanjima - utjecaj kratkoročnih mjera na dugoročno poslovanje u Hrvatskoj, čijem je otvorenju prisustvovao i ministar pravosuđa Dražen Bošnjaković.

„Želimo poslati poruku da svi koji preuzimaju određene obveze moraju ih ispuniti na vrijeme i pritom predvidjeti najgore situacije u kojima se mogu naći, kao što je gubitak posla, i znati kako u takvom slučaju ispuniti dug prema vjerovniku. Da je tako, ne bismo imali više 300.000 blokiranih građana, što smo odlučili riješiti paketom od tri mjere“, ustvrdio je ministar, napomenuvši država mora na jednak način pristupati i vjerovniku i dužniku i ne smije prevagnuti ni na jednu stranu.

Sudionici okruglog stola složili su se kako je jedan od ključnih izazova novog paketa zakonskih mjera napraviti jasnu razliku između socijalno ugroženih građana i onih dužnika koji su to postali trošenjem izvan vlastitih financijskih mogućnosti.

„Iz Fininih podataka vidimo kako strukturu zaduživanja do 20.000 kuna uglavnom čine dugovanja prema kartičarskim kućama ili telekomima. Drugim riječima, riječ je o potrošnji bez pokrića, življenju iznad vlastitih mogućnosti i neodgovornom financijskom ponašanju. Trebaju li država i tvrtke uistinu kod njih intervenirati oprostom duga? Vjerovnici su također stavljeni u nezahvalni položaj – osim što deblokadom dužnika gube red u postupku naplate i što se trošak postupka prebacuje na njih, oni ne mogu donijeti objektivnu odluku oko aktivacija novih ovrha ili reaktivacije deblokiranih“, upozorava  izv. prof. dr. sc. Aleksandra Maganić s Pravnog fakulteta u Zagrebu.

S obzirom na podatak iz ovogodišnjeg istraživanja o 5% računa koji se nikad neće moći naplatiti, voditeljica Sektora pravne naplate neosiguranih potraživanja EOS Matrixa Tajana Horvat izrazila je zabrinutost kako će se ta stopa dodatno povećati sljedeće godine.

„Zakonskim mjerama dio potraživanja je otpisan, no ta otpisana sredstva zauvijek će ostati gubitak u financijskim planovima tih tvrtki, gradova i države. A taj će se minus kompenzirati povećanjem cijena usluga i vjerovnici će ga uvijek svrstavati u nenaplativa potraživanja. Stoga je upitno kakve podatke možemo očekivati iz istraživanja za sljedeću godinu“, pojasnila je Horvat.

O istraživanju

Već jedanaestu godinu zaredom, EOS je u suradnji s nezavisnim institutom za istraživanje tržišta Kantar TNS, proveo telefonsko istraživanje među 3.400 tvrtki u ukupno 17 europskih zemalja (Danska, Njemačka, Velika Britanija, Španjolska, Francuska, Belgija, Švicarska, Rumunjska, Češka, Hrvatska, Slovenija, Mađarska, Bugarska, Slovačka, Poljska, Rusija i Grčka). U istraživanju je iz svake zemlje sudjelovalo 200 tvrtki s godišnjim prometom od preko 5 milijuna eura, a cilj je bio ispitati stavove i iskustva o praksama plaćanja, gospodarskim kretanjima po pojedinim zemljama te općenito o pitanjima vezanima uz upravljanje rizicima i potraživanjima.

 

EOS Grupa

EOS Grupa jedan je od vodećih međunarodnih pružatelja individualiziranih financijskih usluga. Osnovna djelatnost tvrtke je kupnja neosiguranih i osiguranih portfelja potraživanja. Kao stručnjak za procjenu i obradu potraživanja, EOS kontinuirano primjenjuje nove, pametne tehnologije u svom poslovanju, čime jamči financijsku sigurnost za više od 20.000 klijenata u 26 zemalja. Zahvaljujući međunarodnoj mreži partnerskih tvrtki, EOS Grupa koja broji oko 7,500 zaposlenika i više od 60 podružnica, ima izravan pristup u više od 180 zemalja diljem svijeta. Ključni sektori u kojima EOS Grupa djeluje su bankarstvo, komunalne tvrtke, sektor nekretnina te online trgovina. Za više informacija posjetite www.eos-solutions.com

EOS Matrix d.o.o.

Predstavlja najveći centar za naplatu i otkup rizičnih potraživanja u Hrvatskoj, lider je na tržištu upravljanja potraživanjima u Istočnoj Europi, dio je regionalne mreže i član globalne EOS Grupe. Svojom poslovnom strategijom detaljnog poznavanja zakonskih i kulturnih specifičnosti zemalja u kojima posluje, omogućava profesionalnu i učinkovitu podršku u naplati potraživanja brojnim poslovnim subjektima u zemlji i inozemstvu čime im osigurava trenutno povećanje likvidnosti.

Za više informacija posjetite www.eos-matrix.hr

Ispiši
Hamburg. Nine out of ten Germans feel bad if they cannot repay their debts. What is more, they feel much more obliged to pay back debts to relatives and friends than to an online retailer, for example. Just three percent of those polled would settle their bills with online sellers first. The 'EOS Debt Survey' 2017 shows that there are great discrepancies in the way Russians and US Americans feel about debt. In a representative online survey, financial services provider EOS and social research institute forsa compared the attitudes to debt of people in Germany, Russia and the USA.

Little sense of obligation to repay online shopping debts
29 per cent of Germans feel the strongest obligation to pay back debt to relatives, 28 per cent to friends or colleagues, and 26 per cent to a bank. Only six per cent feel the same kind of obligation towards a bricks-and-mortar store or service provider, and as little as 3 per cent towards online shops. 39 per cent of Germans would pay debts from internet shopping last. 'Especially in the context of Christmas trading, this is an important insight for retailers that sell their products online. It is therefore recommended that they establish a personal relationship as close as possible with the buyer, to keep the number of payment defaults to a minimum,' says Klaus Engberding, CEO of the EOS Group.

'Personal debts' are an emotional burden
At the same time, 91 per cent of Germans feel bad if they cannot settle debts. 'For Germans, finances are a very personal matter, so they generally find debts to be a burden. From our own experience, however, we also know that they generally try very hard to find a solution, if on occasion they don't have enough money to pay back debts,' says Klaus Engberding about the results of the EOS Debt Survey 2017.

Different countries, different attitudes to debt
Unlike Germans, only around three-quarters of people in Russia and the USA feel bad if they cannot pay back their debts. In those countries, the sense of obligation towards creditors known personally to the debtor is also lower: For example, 60 per cent of Russians and 48 per cent of US Americans would pay back debts to a bank first. In Russia only 13 per cent of people and in the USA 18 per cent have the strongest sense of obligation to pay back debts to relatives, on the other hand.


About the ‘EOS Debt Survey’ 2017
On behalf of the EOS Group, independent market and social research institute forsa conducted a survey of adults in three countries from 17 August till 4 September 2017. In online interviews, 2,017 people in Germany and 1,005 each in the USA and Russia were asked about their personal attitude to debt, their handling of debt and their own financial status. The results are representative of internet users aged between 18 and 69 in the respective country. In the survey, people are referred to as having debts if they are currently paying back one or several instalment loans, leasing agreements or a mortgage. Further results of the survey are available online at www.eos-solutions.com/debt-survey-2017.
 

The EOS Group
The EOS Group is one of the leading international providers of customised financial services. Its main focus is on receivables management covering three key business segments: fiduciary collection, debt purchase and business process outsourcing. With around 7,000 employees and more than 55 subsidiaries, EOS offers some 20,000 clients in 26 countries around the world financial security with tailored services in the B2C and B2B segments. Being connected to an international network of partner companies, the EOS Group has access to resources in more than 180 countries. Its key target sectors are banking, utilities and telecommunications, along with the public sector, real estate, mail order and e-commerce. For more information please visit: www.eos-solutions.com.
Ispiši
Hamburg. 55 per cent of Russians are ‘debt avoiders’, ahead of Germans (45 per cent) and US Americans (37 per cent). The ‘EOS Debt Survey’ 2017 shows how people deal with debt differently depending on the country they live in. On behalf of financial services provider EOS, social research institute forsa conducted a representative online survey in Germany, the USA and Russia. It identified five different types of debtor: The ‘careless debtor’, the ‘debt junkie’, the ‘occasional debtor’, the ‘mortgage debtor’ and the ‘debt avoider’.

The figures: Debtor types compared by country
Although ‘debt avoiders’ are in the relative majority in all three countries, there are distinct differences in the second-placed categories:

Typical for Germany is the ‘mortgage debtor, who does not like to take on debt on principle but often does not regard a loan to buy property as real debt. The ‘mortgage debtor’ comes in second place in Germany at 36 per cent – a remarkable level compared with the other countries, especially as this figure has risen by as much as 10 percent points in Germany since 2015. ‘The stable economic conditions in Germany and low interest rates are allowing many Germans to realise their dream of owning a home. However, compared with US Americans, for example, we are more cautious here in Germany and reluctant to take on further debt’, explains Klaus Engberding, CEO of the EOS Group.

‘Careless debtors’, who service several loans at once, actually come in second place in the USA at 29 per cent, only just behind the top position – but this figure has gone up by nine per cent points since 2015. Professor Manfred Güllner, founder and Managing Director of forsa, explains the background:
‘Americans have a strong reliance on credit. But at the same time, due to the lack of state insurance cover in the health system and a partially fee-based education system in the USA, there is also a great necessity to take on debt’.

In Russia, on the other hand, the second most frequent type is the ‘occasional debtor’, at 27 per cent. Accordingly, every fourth Russian finds debt to be an emotional burden, but is still prepared to take out instalment loans in emergency situations. Because of the low rate of home ownership, mortgage loans only play a subordinate role in Russia. ‘In the ‘Putin era’, the economic situation in everyday life is relatively stable, albeit at a low level for many people. Our figures therefore show little change in the last two years’, says Professor Güllner. Klaus Engberding sheds light on the significance of the results for EOS: ‘The survey makes social and cultural differences transparent. For us as a financial services provider this offers the ideal basis for a better understanding of debtors worldwide and helps us find solutions that are in the interest of all participants’.


About the ‘EOS Debt Survey’ 2017
On behalf of the EOS Group, independent market and social research institute forsa conducted a survey of adults in three countries from 17 August till 4 September 2017. In online interviews, 2,017 people in Germany and 1,005 each in the USA and Russia were asked about their personal attitude to debt, their handling of debt and their own financial status. The results are representative of internet users aged between 18 and 69 in the respective country. In the survey, people are referred to as having debts if they are currently paying back one or several instalment loans, leasing agreements or a mortgage. Further results of the survey are available online at www.eos-solutions.com/debt-survey-2017.

The EOS Group
The EOS Group is one of the leading international providers of customised financial services. Its main focus is on receivables management covering three key business segments: fiduciary collection, debt purchase and business process outsourcing. With around 7,000 employees and more than 55 subsidiaries, EOS offers some 20,000 clients in 26 countries around the world financial security with tailored services in the B2C and B2B segments. Being connected to an international network of partner companies, the EOS Group has access to resources in more than 180 countries. Its key target sectors are banking, utilities and telecommunications, along with the public sector, real estate, mail order and e-commerce. For more information please visit: www.eos-solutions.com.
Ispiši
Hamburg. 78 per cent of Germans have had debts before. And seven per cent of Germans know the feeling of not being able to repay debts. The ''EOS Debt Survey" 2017 shows that Germans are becoming more reticent about taking on debt. Almost nine out of ten Germans (88 per cent) for example, say that they want to keep their debts to a minimum – that is as much as nine per cent more than in 2015. In the USA and Russia this was stated by 67 and 76 per cent of respondents respectively. "What is astonishing is that particularly in Germany, where the economic situation is very good at the moment, there is a mood of reluctance to get into debt. Periods of stable income and the current interest rate situation worldwide actually present the best conditions for making major investments and paying instalments on time,'' says Klaus Engberding, CEO of the EOS Group, by way of analysis. These facts represent the basic results of the second "EOS Debt Survey" 2017, a representative online poll that was conducted on behalf of financial services provider EOS by social research institute forsa.


The emotional "debt account"
Not being able to pay back debts makes people feel bad. This was the experience of nine out of ten Germans (91 per cent), but only three out of four Americans and Russians (76 per cent). This result has gone up by as much as seven per cent in Germany since the first EOS Debt Survey in 2015. Only four per cent of Germans – that is a decrease compared to two years ago – are in favour of taking on debt if they have no money. Nevertheless, only three per cent of Germans would get into debt in order to pay for vacations. For 17 per cent of Russians and Americans, however, this would not be a problem.


Self-image versus the way others see us: "I'm conscientious, others are reckless!"
What attitude do Germans have to their own debts – and those of others? Three out of four respondents (73 per cent) assume that nowadays a lot of people have debts. A look at the facts, however, shows that around half of Germans (51 per cent) are currently paying back debts. Anyone who has at some point had difficulties repaying debts usually gave the main reason for this as losing their job (29 per cent) or over-extending themselves financially (24 per cent, in Russia 44 per cent and in the USA 24 per cent). When asked about the general situation in society, however, nine out of ten Germans (89 per cent) believe that the reason for payment difficulties is overextending oneself financially (in Russia 54 per cent and in the USA 48 per cent). Around two thirds of Germans (63 per cent) describe themselves as only taking on debt in absolute emergencies (in Russia 75 per cent and in the USA 40 per cent). "Germans only rarely have problems paying back debt but they assume that their fellow citizens are reckless and take on debt a lot,'' comments Professor Manfred Güllner from forsa. "But one would actually do better to trust one's fellow citizens to generally do the right thing in respect of financial matters."


Germans dream of owning their own homes – but then buy a car
In their own estimation, Germans are most likely to take on debt to buy residential property (82 per cent). The purchase of a car or motorcycle comes in third place at 56 per cent. But in reality, 60 per cent of Germans are currently paying off loans, or have done so in the past, for a car or motorcycle – while only about every second has done so for the purchase of real estate (45 per cent). If you leave out mortgages, every third German (33 per cent) is currently paying back debts. Of these, 55 per cent are servicing just one loan, 30 per cent two loans and 14 per cent three or more loans. "The survey confirms our experience that most people generally behave responsibly as far as financial matters are concerned. We basically assume that the vast majority of consumers would like to pay their bills on time, but are sometimes simply unable to do so due to short-term or long-term problems,'' concludes Klaus Engberding, CEO of the EOS Group.


About the “EOS Debt Survey” 2017
On behalf of the EOS Group, independent market and social research institute forsa conducted a survey of adults in three countries from 17 August till 4 September 2017. In online interviews, 2,017 people in Germany and 1,005 each in the USA and Russia were asked about their personal attitude to debt, their handling of debt and their own financial status. The results are representative of internet users aged between 18 and 69 in the respective country. In the survey, people are referred to as having debts if they are currently paying back one or several instalment loans, leasing agreements or a mortgage. Further results of the survey are available online at www.eos-solutions.com/debt-survey-2017.
 

The EOS Group
The EOS Group is one of the leading international providers of customised financial services. Its main focus is on receivables management covering three key business segments: fiduciary collection, debt purchase and business process outsourcing. With around 7,000 employees and more than 55 subsidiaries, EOS offers some 20,000 clients in 26 countries around the world financial security with tailored services in the B2C and B2B segments. Being connected to an international network of partner companies, the EOS Group has access to resources in more than 180 countries. Its key target sectors are banking, utilities and telecommunications, along with the public sector, real estate, mail order and e-commerce. For more information please visit: www.eos-solutions.com.
Ispiši
Hamburg. German companies are falling behind when it comes to digitalising their dunning processes. So far, only three per cent of companies in Germany have completely electronically upgraded their dunning and billing systems. At present, one third of companies doubt that digitalisation has a beneficial effect on payment collection. A misconception, as demonstrated by a look at the rest of Europe, where 18 per cent of companies have already completely digitalised their dunning processes – and are reaping the benefits of a better repayment rate, according to 49 per cent of respondents. These were some of the findings of the representative EOS Survey ‘European Payment Practices’ 2017, which was conducted this year for the tenth time (by Kantar TNS, formerly TNS Infratest).

The status quo of Europe's modern receivables management
Digital dunning means that companies set up and manage dunning processes to be customer-specific and highly automated, for example using big data analyses. Although for the most part companies continue to use software to support the dunning process, staff are often still intervening in the process themselves. In future, the role of employees will change as a result of digitalised processes. Their daily work routine will consist of control tasks and the processing of specific complex cases, instead of a series of individual activities along the entire process chain.
In Western Europe in particular, companies have already responded to the benefits of digitalisation and have adapted their dunning processes accordingly. Every fifth company here is already exploiting the benefits of a digital dunning system. The trailblazers are Spain (58 per cent), Switzerland (53 per cent) and Hungary (53 per cent).

German companies sceptical about digitalisation
European companies are recognising the signs of the times and are increasingly introducing digital processes into their dunning systems. Their expectations of the benefits range from saving time (43 per cent), improved planning of resources (34 per cent), better customer-specific receivables processing (36 per cent) and more automated processes (36 per cent). With the exception of Germany, where only 33 per cent of companies believe digital processes improve outcomes. Across Europe, on the other hand, every second company is confident that a modernised dunning process further reduces payment delays.

Klaus Engberding, CEO of the EOS Group, conjectures: ‘One of the reasons for the scepticism may be that German companies have the lowest rate of payment defaults and so do not see the need to change their collection processes’. But Engberding cautions against continuing to neglect the digitalisation of the dunning system. ‘Companies have to open their eyes to the necessity of digitalisation so they do not fall behind and give money away’.


About the EOS survey: ‘European Payment Practices’
In the spring of 2017, in partnership with independent market research institute Kantar TNS (formerly TNS Infratest), EOS surveyed 3,200 companies in 16 European nations about the prevailing payment practices in their respective countries. 200 companies in each of the countries Germany, UK, Spain, France, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Romania, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Poland, Russia and Greece answered questions about their own payment experiences, economic developments in their countries and issues relating to risk and receivables management. 


The EOS Group
The EOS Group is one of the leading international providers of customised financial services. Its main focus is on receivables management covering three key business segments: fiduciary collection, debt purchase and business process outsourcing. With around 7,000 employees and more than 55 subsidiaries, EOS offers some 20,000 clients in 26 countries around the world financial security with tailored services in the B2C and B2B segments. Being connected to an international network of partner companies, the EOS Group has access to resources in more than 180 countries. Its key target sectors are banking, utilities and telecommunications, along with the public sector, real estate, mail order and e-commerce.
For more information please visit: www.eos-solutions.com.
Ispiši
Hamburg. The Greek economy is still Europe's underachiever. As recently as this July, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced that it would be supporting Greece with another EUR 1.6 billion; however the situation remains precarious in respect of payment defaults. Because in many cases, Greek companies are not able to absorb the resulting hole in their budget. The result is potential insolvency. In a total of 28 per cent of the Greek companies polled, payment delays and defaults put the company's viability in jeopardy – in no other country in Europe is this correlation so strong. In Western Europe, British companies in particular are struggling with the impact of late and unrecoverable payments. As a result, almost every fourth company in the United Kingdom (24 per cent) has to fear for its very existence. These are some of the findings of the EOS survey ‘European Payment Practices’ 2017, which was conducted this year for the tenth time (by Kantar TNS, formerly TNS Infratest).

Countries in crisis – but no widespread pessimism
In Eastern Europe, Bulgarian companies are also having difficulty in absorbing payment defaults which jeopardise the survival of nearly one in four companies (24 per cent). On average, 17 per cent of Eastern European companies are at risk of bankruptcy as a result of outstanding payments by customers.

At the same time, the EOS survey shows that the crisis-ridden companies have different views of the future. In Greece, the mood in companies tends to be optimistic, as it was in 2016: 29 per cent (2016: 33 per cent) still expect the payment practices of their customers to improve in the next two years. ‘In this context it is interesting to observe the spirit of optimism in Greece. Fortified by intensive support from Europe for some considerable time, there is a positive mood in the country despite the weak economy’, says Klaus Engberding, CEO of the EOS Group.

Things look very different in the UK, where pessimistic voices are on the increase. Whereas in the previous year, only 12 per cent of the companies polled assumed that payment practices would get worse, a total of 19 per cent hold this view in 2017. ‘Brexit has hit the British economy hard. This is reflected in the weak increase in GDP in the first two quarters and the moderate growth forecast by the International Monetary Fund for 2018’, continues Engberding.

German companies the most stable
In Western Europe too, payment defaults represent a threat to the viability of many companies. Alongside British firms, French (22 per cent) and Spanish companies (21 per cent) in particular are battling against these consequences. The situation is different in Germany, where companies are better equipped to absorb outstanding payments. Because although in 17 per cent of all cases payments are made late or not at all, only two per cent of all companies see this as a threat to their existence.
‘Companies need to be able to compensate for payment defaults. Otherwise they will quickly be paralysed by their own insolvency’, explains Engberding. ‘Working with a professional receivables management provider really can pay, in the truest sense of the word. In addition, companies can focus fully on their core business and do not have to invest any resources in additional expertise.’


About the EOS survey: ‘European Payment Practices’
In the spring of 2017, in partnership with independent market research institute Kantar TNS (formerly TNS Infratest), EOS surveyed 3,200 companies in 16 European nations about the prevailing payment practices in their respective countries. 200 companies in each of the countries Germany, UK, Spain, France, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Romania, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Poland, Russia and Greece answered questions about their own payment experiences, economic developments in their countries and issues relating to risk and receivables management. Further results from the survey can be found online: https://www.eos-solutions.com/paymentpractices2017

The EOS Group
The EOS Group is one of the leading international providers of customised financial services. Its main focus is on receivables management covering three key business segments: fiduciary collection, debt purchase and business process outsourcing. With around 7,000 employees and more than 55 subsidiaries, EOS offers some 20,000 clients in 26 countries around the world financial security with tailored services in the B2C and B2B segments. Being connected to an international network of partner companies, the EOS Group has access to resources in more than 180 countries. Its key target sectors are banking, utilities and telecommunications, along with the public sector, real estate, mail order and e-commerce.
For more information please visit: www.eos-solutions.com.
Ispiši
Hamburg. With short payment terms consumers often feel that their hands are tied. But these short deadlines actually do help, because the saying ‘Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today’ also applies to paying your bills. The longer a customer has to pay the more likely they are to get into arrears. This results in late fees for the consumer and outstanding payments for the company. European companies are responding accordingly to this correlation: Compared with the previous year, customers in the B2C and B2B segments have a day less to settle their invoices on time (2017: 35 days, 2016: 36 days). Those 24 hours help achieve more consistent punctuality of payments. In the B2C segment, the punctuality rate was 80 per cent in 2017 (2016: 79 per cent), while B2B customers pay 77 per cent of invoices on time (2016: 76 per cent).  These are some of the findings of the EOS survey ‘European Payment Practices’ 2017, which was conducted this year for the tenth time (by Kantar TNS, formerly TNS Infratest).


The fine line between retaining customers and achieving good payment practices
'From 2015 to 2016, companies in Europe extended their payment terms. Immediately, a slight deterioration in on-time payments was identified. Currently, companies are revising the terms down again', says Klaus Engberding, CEO of the Hamburg-based EOS Group. 'We are talking about a very fine line here. If payment deadlines are too short customers can be scared off', he adds. 'This is why companies are proceeding with caution and are implementing only very moderate reductions of the terms granted from year to year'.

Germany benefits from the most punctual payments
In Western Europe the payment terms are shorter than in Eastern Europe. On average, Western European customers have 33 days to pay their invoices, and the late payment rate is 19 per cent. The country with the shortest payment terms is Germany, which prescribes 24 days on average. Only 17 per cent of customers do not meet this payment deadline. Other countries such as the UK allow much longer time frames of 34 days on average. But the UK also sees a higher proportion of overdue payments (22 per cent).

Eastern Europe: lots of patience means a lot of payment delays
In Eastern Europe in particular, companies offer their customers long payment terms. In this region, customers have 37 days on average to settle their invoices, while business customers have as much as 40 days. In 25 per cent of cases, however, customers pay late or do not pay at all. Last year the average payment term was still 38 days and payment delays or defaults stood at 26 per cent. Among the countries substantially cutting their payment terms this year are Romania (2017: 37 days, 2016: 39 days) and Slovakia (2017: 36 days, 2016: 38 days). The correlation between long payment terms and resulting payment delays is most evident in Greece, where customers have an average of 47 days to pay their bills. Despite this, more than a quarter of them (26 per cent) pay too late.

About the EOS survey: ‘European Payment Practices’
In the spring of 2017, in partnership with independent market research institute Kantar TNS (formerly TNS Infratest), EOS surveyed 3,200 companies in 16 European nations about the prevailing payment practices in their respective countries. 200 companies in each of the countries Germany, UK, Spain, France, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Romania, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Poland, Russia and Greece answered questions about their own payment experiences, economic developments in their countries and issues relating to risk and receivables management. Further results from the survey can be found online: https://de.eos-solutions.com/en/press/surveys.html#paymentpractices2017


The EOS Group
The EOS Group is one of the leading international providers of customised financial services. Its main focus is on receivables management covering three key business segments: fiduciary collection, debt purchase and business process outsourcing. With around 7,000 employees and more than 55 subsidiaries, EOS offers some 20,000 clients in 26 countries around the world financial security with tailored services in the B2C and B2B segments. Being connected to an international network of partner companies, the EOS Group has access to resources in more than 180 countries. Its key target sectors are banking, utilities and telecommunications, along with the public sector, real estate, mail order and e-commerce.
For more information please visit: www.eos-solutions.com.
Ispiši
Hamburg. In Europe, personal predicaments continue to be the main reason for payment delays and defaults. Most customers who fall behind with payments have a short-term cash flow problem (66 per cent) or excessive debt, or have declared themselves bankrupt (52 per cent). This is one of the findings of the EOS survey ‘European Payment Practices’ 2017, which was conducted this year for the tenth time (Kantar TNS, formerly TNS Infratest).

However, the percentage is surprisingly high in the case of what is an avoidable problem: 49 per cent of the companies polled believe that their customers pay late or don't pay at all due to sheer forgetfulness. Klaus Engberding, CEO of the EOS Group, takes a differentiated view: 'We basically assume that the majority of consumers would like to pay their bills on time, but often simply cannot due to short-term or long-term problems. If the fridge breaks down for example, or the car that you need for your daily journey to work, then these purchases take priority. Other bills then have to be paid a little later if possible, and so they get forgotten. What is worrying, on the other hand, is when customers are intentionally not paying their invoices – because that is fraud.’

Wilful intent as a reason for unpaid bills is not uncommon throughout Europe: 38 per cent of the European companies surveyed complain about wilful non-payment in the B2C segment, while in the B2B segment the figure is 34 per cent. Anyone who deliberately ignores their invoices is liable to prosecution: 'Intentional non-payment – for example when buying on account online or deliberately deferring payment instalments – meets the criteria for the crime of fraud and is not a trivial offence', explains the CEO.

Germany has lowest incidence of wilful non-payment / More common in Eastern Europe than in Western Europe
Only 10 per cent of companies in the Federal Republic complain about wilful non-payment in the B2C segment. At European level, Eastern European companies are much more likely than Western European firms to complain that consumers deliberately do not pay their bills. A total of 41 per cent regard themselves as having been fraudulently deprived of revenue (34 per cent in Western Europe). At the bottom of the rankings in this respect are Romania (50 per cent), Greece (45 per cent) and the Czech Republic (42 per cent). In Western Europe, Belgian (43 per cent), Austrian (41 per cent) and French companies (40 per cent) report the highest numbers of deliberate non-payers.

About the EOS survey: ‘European Payment Practices’
In the spring of 2017, in partnership with independent market research institute Kantar TNS (formerly TNS Infratest), EOS surveyed 3,200 companies in 16 European nations about the prevailing payment practices in their respective countries. 200 companies in each of the countries Germany, UK, Spain, France, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Romania, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Poland, Russia and Greece answered questions about their own payment experiences, economic developments in their countries and issues relating to risk and receivables management. Further results from the survey can be found online at: https://de.eos-solutions.com/en/press/surveys.html#paymentpractices2017

The EOS Group
The EOS Group is one of the leading international providers of customised financial services. Its main focus is on receivables management covering three key business segments: fiduciary collection, debt purchase and business process outsourcing. With around 7,000 employees and more than 55 subsidiaries, EOS offers some 20,000 clients in 26 countries around the world financial security with tailored services in the B2C and B2B segments. Being connected to an international network of partner companies, the EOS Group has access to resources in more than 180 countries. Its key target sectors are banking, utilities and telecommunications, along with the public sector, real estate, mail order and e-commerce.
For more information please visit: www.eos-solutions.com.
Ispiši
Hamburg. Minor cause, major effect: At 29 per cent of the European companies polled, errors of form in invoice handling are already resulting in payment delays and defaults by customers. This is one of the findings of the EOS survey ‘European Payment Practices’ 2017, which was conducted this year for the tenth time. Accordingly, an invoice issued too late is just as likely to lead to serious problems as errors such as an incorrect address or the failure to adhere to formal guidelines. ‘Companies are regularly giving away their money because they have not organised their invoicing processes efficiently', says Klaus Engberding, CEO of the Hamburg-based EOS Group.

But even a perfectly organised invoicing process may not be enough. Companies will need to call in professional receivables management services if their customers still do not pay. In this context, the companies' failings are not just isolated incidents but systemic problems. In some cases there are no standardised processes whatsoever for recovering non-performing receivables. ‘It is striking that the professionalism is actually continuing to decline', Engberding notes. The number of companies admitting to this in the survey has doubled. In 2017, eight per cent of the companies polled stated that they did not have a standardised receivables management. This is up from four per cent in 2016. ‘The work involved in processing non-performing receivables is often underestimated', says the CEO. ‘It calls for a lot of expertise and ties up personnel'. This is why working with debt collection companies is often more expedient than in-house processes. ‘The specialists handle professional receivables management so that companies can concentrate on their core business'.

Western Europe: German companies the masters of diligence
As the survey shows, Germany has the most professional organisation of receivables management. In the B2B segment, only two per cent of the companies surveyed said that they did not have any standardised processes for recovering outstanding debts. This was true of four per cent of companies in the B2C segment. French and British firms in particular are facing major challenges. In both countries, 13 per cent of companies do not have any defined organisational structures for recovering outstanding debts from consumers. In the B2B segment, there is also work to be done in the UK, where ten per cent of companies do not have any standardised receivables management.

Eastern Europe's ‘underachievers’
A lack of proper procedures for payment collection is most prevalent in Eastern Europe. In the B2C segment, companies in Greece (15 per cent), Hungary and Slovakia (each 14 per cent) in particular are battling this problem. In the B2B segment, companies in Greece, Slovakia and Russia (9 per cent each), are at the bottom of the rankings in this respect.

About the EOS survey: ‘European Payment Practices’
In the spring of 2017, in partnership with independent market research institute Kantar TNS (formerly TNS Infratest), EOS surveyed 3,200 companies in 16 European nations about the prevailing payment practices in their respective countries. 200 companies in each of the countries Germany, UK, Spain, France, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Romania, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Poland, Russia and Greece answered questions about their own payment experiences, economic developments in their countries and issues relating to risk and receivables management. Further results from the survey can be found online at:
( Verlinkung nachtragen: www.eos-solutions.com/paymentpractices2017/invoicingprocesses)

The EOS Group
The EOS Group is one of the leading international providers of customised financial services. Its main focus is on receivables management covering three key business segments: fiduciary collection, debt purchase and business process outsourcing. With around 7,000 employees and more than 55 subsidiaries, EOS offers some 20,000 clients in 26 countries around the world financial security with tailored services in the B2C and B2B segments. Being connected to an international network of partner companies, the EOS Group has access to resources in more than 180 countries. Its key target sectors are banking, utilities and telecommunications, along with the public sector, real estate, mail order and e-commerce. For more information please visit: www.eos-solutions.com.
Ispiši
Hamburg. For the financial year 2016/17, Hamburg-based EOS Consolidated is reporting an exceptionally good result: At 195.4 million euros, its EBT (earnings before tax) is well above the previous year's total. The debt collection specialist has also significantly increased its sales to 663.8 million euros.

This success is all the more remarkable given that the competitive pressures are growing: 'Due to expansionary monetary policy, numerous competitors with a lot of capital are swamping the market. Nevertheless we have held our ground very well, particularly in the receivables purchasing segment', says Klaus Engberding, Chairman of the EOS Group’s Board of Directors. EOS Consolidated has substantially increased its investment in this sector. ‘Our expertise in analysing, acquiring and processing non-performing debt portfolios is acknowledged and valued in the industry’, he continues.

However, EOS was not going to be resting on its laurels. 'Our focus is on the future. For example, we want to further increase our efficiency and therefore are putting even more emphasis than before on data-driven management of debt collection processes.' At 90 million euros, EOS Consolidated is making its largest investment ever in IT systems.

'We are not just investing in bits and bytes but also in people. To make the best possible use of the opportunities afforded by digitalisation, we need the right mindset’, says Mr Engberding. This is why the Group has initiated a comprehensive change process: 'With our Cultural Journey@EOS we are defining how we are going to be working together in the future and to what end. It is a process that will involve our entire workforce of around 7,000 people worldwide'.

Overview of key performance indicators:

2016/17
Sales revenue (MEUR): 663.8
EBITDA (MEUR): 222.6
EBT (MEUR): 195.4

2015/16
Sales revenue (MEUR): 596.1
EBITDA (MEUR): 173.8
EBT (MEUR): 181.4

With a 46 per cent share of revenue, Germany remains the company's most important regional market. Compared with the previous year, it grew by 11.1 per cent to 305.5 million euros. Developments in Western Europe were very gratifying, with sales revenue up 33.5 per cent to 164.2 million euros. One reason for this is the strong increase in investments in receivables purchases, for example in France and Belgium.

In Eastern Europe, sales revenue rose by 21.5 per cent to 131.4 million euros. This is the highest level in the region in the history of the EOS Group to date. The much higher revenue from receivables purchases in Croatia and Hungary made a significant contribution to this pleasing result. In North America, sales revenue fell to 59.5 million euros. This is attributable above all to the downturn in receivables management for government-issued student loans.

The EOS Group
The EOS Group is one of the leading international providers of customised financial services. Its main focus is on receivables management covering three key business segments: fiduciary collection, debt purchase and business process outsourcing. With around 7,000 employees and more than 55 subsidiaries, EOS offers some 20,000 clients in 26 countries around the world financial security with tailored services in the B2C and B2B segments. Being connected to an international network of partner companies, the EOS Group has access to resources in more than 180 countries. Its key target sectors are banking, utilities and telecommunications, along with the public sector, real estate, mail order and e-commerce. For more information please visit: www.eos-solutions.com.
Ispiši
Hamburg. For the thirteenth time in succession, the auditors from Euler Hermes Rating have awarded EOS Holding an 'A' rating, acknowledging that the debt collection specialist enjoys a good credit standing and long-term viability. The key factors leading to this assessment were the company's excellent earning power over a number of years as well as its good debt repayment capacity and equity base.

Among the reasons for the rating the auditors cited in particular the long-standing experience of EOS in evaluating, acquiring and recovering non-performing receivables. 'Although we are currently experiencing a fiercely fought market we are consistently demonstrating that the acquisition of debt portfolios is our core area of expertise,' says Justus Hecking-Veltman, CEO and CFO of the EOS Group.

The auditors also commented on the competitive situation: ‘Due to the higher prices for unsecured receivables, we expect that there will be an ever increasing proportion of investments in mortgage-backed receivables.’ EOS has expanded this business area in recent years and is now also offering this service in several countries in Eastern and Western Europe. 'In this context we benefit from the expertise that we have been building up in Germany for a long time,' says Hecking-Veltman.

To stay competitive and maintain its technological leadership, the EOS Group is also making major investments in its IT systems. 'We are placing even more emphasis on data-driven management of collection processes.'

The EOS Group
The EOS Group is one of the leading international providers of customised financial services. Its main focus is on receivables management covering three key business segments: fiduciary collection, debt purchase and business process outsourcing. With around 7,000 employees and more than 55 subsidiaries, EOS offers some 20,000 clients in 26 countries around the world financial security with tailored services in the B2C and B2B segments. Being connected to an international network of partner companies, the EOS Group has access to resources in more than 180 countries. Its key target sectors are banking, utilities and telecommunications, along with the public sector, real estate, mail order and e-commerce. For more information please visit: www.eos-solutions.com.
Ispiši
Hamburg. Even just one unpaid invoice leaves its mark on a company, let alone hundreds of thousands: For the companies involved these losses can in some cases run into the millions. Just under half of the companies surveyed reported profit setbacks (46 per cent). Other consequences they have to deal with include cash flow problems (39 per cent) and higher interest costs (34 per cent). As a result, the companies lack the money to grow. Across Europe, every fourth company (25 per cent) is therefore curbing its investments. Some companies (17 per cent) are even fighting to survive due to outstanding payments. These are the results of the representative EOS survey ‘European Payment Practices’ 2017 that is being published for the 10th time this year. A total of 3,200 companies took part in the survey conducted by Kantar TNS (formerly TNS Infratest) in the spring.

Eastern Europe: Strong brake on investment
In Eastern European countries in particular, payment delays and defaults are putting a brake on investments. In Greece, 39 per cent of firms are currently cutting back on investments, while in Hungary and Croatia, almost every third company is curbing investment. But in the Czech Republic and Poland, only 18 per cent of business owners feel compelled to do so.

Few investment cutbacks in Germany
Despite payment defaults and delays, German companies continue to bank on growth. Only seven per cent of the companies surveyed are investing less. The situation is different in the UK and Spain, where every third company is scaling back its investment volume (34 and 33 per cent respectively). Belgium has the highest percentage of companies reducing investments (28 per cent).

Klaus Engberding ‘Debt collection counteracts the investment freeze’
'The level of investment is an important indicator for the growth of a company – and therefore also for the entire economy’, explains Klaus Engberding, CEO of the Hamburg-based EOS Group. 'Numerous factors are considered in the investment decision – but above all you need the financial resources. So missing payments from customers are very painful, especially for SMEs that do not have the backing of financially strong shareholders. But there is a lot that even SMEs can do, particularly against payment defaults and delays.’ For Klaus Engberding, working with debt collection companies is an important method of countering a freeze on investment. Last year, debt collection service providers across Europe secured 8 per cent of company revenue.

About the EOS survey: ‘European Payment Practices’
In the spring of 2017, in partnership with independent market research institute Kantar TNS (formerly TNS Infratest), EOS surveyed 3,200 companies in 16 European nations about the prevailing payment practices in their respective countries. 200 companies in each of the countries Germany, UK, Spain, France, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Romania, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Poland, Russia and Greece answered questions about their own payment experiences, economic developments in their countries and issues relating to risk and receivables management. Further results from the survey can be found online at: https://de.eos-solutions.com/en/press/surveys.html#paymentpractices2017

The EOS Group
The EOS Group is one of the leading international providers of customised financial services. Its main focus is on receivables management covering three key business segments: fiduciary collection, debt purchase and business process outsourcing. With around 7,000 employees and more than 55 subsidiaries, EOS offers some 20,000 clients in 26 countries around the world financial security with tailored services in the B2C and B2B segments. Being connected to an international network of partner companies, the EOS Group has access to resources in more than 180 countries. Its key target sectors are banking, utilities and telecommunications, along with the public sector, real estate, mail order and e-commerce.
For more information please visit: www.eos-solutions.com.
Ispiši
Hamburg. Because of payment delays on the part of its customers, a company with an annual turnover of EUR 10 million has to wait for a long time on a sum of around EUR 1.9 million, while EUR 300,000 are completely unrecoverable (19 percent of all invoices in Europe are paid late and three percent are not paid at all). Ultimately, the consequences affect not only the defaulting payers themselves, but all consumers: Every fifth European company (20 percent) reacts to these kinds of payment delays and defaults by cutting jobs and freezing recruitment. Roughly just as many (21 percent) increase their prices – and so the boomerang effect begins. This is one of the findings of the representative EOS Survey ‘European Payment Practices’ 2017, which was conducted this year for the tenth time. In spring this year, independent market research institute Kantar TNS polled 3,200 corporate decision-makers from 16 European countries.

Price increases most frequent in Eastern Europe
In Eastern Europe in particular, companies react to payment delays or defaults by raising prices. This is most common in Hungary (32 percent), followed by Croatia (30 percent). In Western Europe, British firms are the most likely to increase their prices (26 percent). Only Switzerland comes close (24 percent). In Germany, on the other hand, the response is muted: only four percent of companies react to payment delays and defaults by raising prices.

Hiring policy: Germany reacts calmly – Greece takes drastic measures
In respect of a recruitment freeze or job cuts, Greece exhibits the strongest reaction in Europe to payment delays and defaults: in 31 percent of companies polled in Greece, payment defaults impacted on hiring policies. The UK is only slightly behind (29 percent). Romania and Spain are in third place (at 27 percent each). By way of comparison: In Germany, only 6 percent of companies take steps to reduce personnel.

‘Many people are not even aware of the consequences of late or unrecoverable payments. We would like to educate people about this and about the importance of debt collection’, says Klaus Engberding, CEO of the Hamburg-based EOS Group. ‘Debt collecting often has a cliché-ridden, negative image among the public. The role it plays in the economy is generally not visible, although this is something that the consumer benefits substantially from. Because the liquidity restored to a company as a result of debt recovery helps it to avoid increasing prices or cutting back jobs.’

About the EOS survey: ‘European Payment Practices’
In the spring of 2017, in partnership with the independent market research institute Kantar TNS, EOS polled 3,200 companies in 16 European nations about the prevailing payment practices in their respective countries. 200 companies in each of the countries Germany, UK, Spain, France, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Russia, Greece and Romania answered questions about their own payment experiences, economic developments in their countries and issues relating to risk and receivables management. Further results from the survey can be found online at: https://de.eos-solutions.com/en/press/surveys.html#paymentpractices2017

The EOS Group
The EOS Group is one of the leading international providers of customised financial services. Its main focus is on receivables management covering three key business segments: fiduciary collection, debt purchase and business process outsourcing. With around 7,000 employees and more than 55 subsidiaries, EOS offers some 20,000 clients in 26 countries around the world financial security with tailored services in the B2C and B2B segments. Being connected to an international network of partner companies, the EOS Group has access to resources in more than 180 countries. Its key target sectors are banking, utilities and telecommunications, along with the public sector, real estate, mail order and e-commerce.
For more information please visit: www.eos-solutions.com.
Ispiši
Hamburg. In Europe, 19 percent of customers pay their invoices late – and three percent do not pay them at all. The resulting loss of revenue can have serious consequences: no less than 17 percent of companies worry about going bankrupt. This means that debt collection services are all the more important to them: A total of 41 percent of the European companies polled work regularly with debt collection providers. Last year these debt collection professionals recovered eight percent of outstanding company revenue. This is the result of the representative EOS Survey ‘European Payment Practices’ 2017, which was conducted this year for the tenth time.

East-West comparison: Who secures more revenue?
In Eastern Europe it is mainly Romanian companies that benefit from working with debt collection providers. Every year, collaboration with receivables management specialists returns a total of 13 percent of revenue to the companies. In both Croatia (12 percent) and the Czech Republic (11 percent) debt collection providers have recovered more than ten percent of company revenue. In Western Europe, German companies in particular enjoy the benefits of working with debt collection providers, with an eight percent share of revenue being returned to companies as a result of receivables management services.

Effective use of receivables management
Most companies use the payments recovered through receivables management to settle outstanding invoices (58 percent), while 44 percent of the companies invest the money in creating new jobs and safeguarding existing jobs. This means that debt collection providers contribute to the stability of the job market. In addition, the resources recovered go into expanding business segments (37 percent), R&D (28 percent) and investing in the financial markets (25 percent).

Valuable business service
‘Outstanding payments are a risk to companies. Firms should work with debt collection specialists in good time, as it enables them to focus on their core business, while their liquidity is safeguarded by professional receivables management’, explains Klaus Engberding, CEO of the EOS Group.

About the EOS survey: ‘European Payment Practices’
In the spring of 2017, in partnership with the independent market research institute Kantar TNS, EOS polled 3,200 companies in 16 European nations about the prevailing payment practices in their respective countries. 200 companies in each of the countries Germany, UK, Spain, France, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Russia, Greece and Romania answered questions about their own payment experiences, economic developments in their countries and issues relating to risk and receivables management.

We are happy to send you details of the survey results on request. Simply email presse@eos-solutions.com. Information on the survey is also available online: https://de.eos-solutions.com/en/press/surveys.html#paymentpractices2017

The EOS Group
The EOS Group is one of the leading international providers of customised financial services. Its main focus is on receivables management covering three key business segments: fiduciary collection, debt purchase and business process outsourcing. With around 7,000 employees and more than 55 subsidiaries, EOS offers some 20,000 clients in 26 countries around the world financial security with tailored services in the B2C and B2B segments. Being connected to an international network of partner companies, the EOS Group has access to resources in more than 180 countries. Its key target sectors are banking, utilities and telecommunications, along with the public sector, real estate, mail order and e-commerce.
For more information please visit: www.eos-solutions.com.
Ispiši
Hamburg. Payment practices in Europe are currently at a level of 78% of invoices paid on time. After the overall positive developments over the past ten years, this confirms that payment practices have stagnated. The percentage of invoices paid late (19%) and invoices in default (3%) has not been improving or just slightly improving in the last three years. This is the result of the 'European Payment Practices' 2017 survey conducted by the independent market research institute Kantar TNS on behalf of the EOS Group. Data was collected from 3,200 companies in 16 countries during the survey carried out this spring for the tenth time in a row. 'A payment default rate of 3% can be very worrying for companies. This may include sums in the billions that companies do not have available to cover their own costs or to invest in their future', says Klaus Engberding, CEO of the EOS Group. In Eastern Europe the average percentage of unpaid invoices was even as high as 4%. Payment practices in Greece, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia (74% of payments made on time) were the worst. Companies in Germany (89%) and Switzerland (82%) show the largest number of payments made on time.

Outlook for the future deteriorates
Payment practices in Europe have been continually improving over the last ten years, albeit only slightly. Looking to the future, 77% of the companies do not expect any further upswing, which means payment practices will remain the same or get worse. Eastern European companies, in particular, significantly lowered their positive expectations compared to the previous year. The mood in Russia is the most pessimistic. 30% of the companies surveyed expect that payment practices will deteriorate. 'Thanks to the increasing oil prices Russia is moving out of its recession, however structural reforms within the country are still needed to stabilise the economy', states Klaus Engberding. 'However, as of now such reforms are not in sight. The reluctance of businesspeople is understandable'. Negative expectations have also increased by 7% in the United Kingdom compared to the previous year. 'This is not a surprise given the pending Brexit process', the CEO comments. The situation in Spain is more surprising. 'Despite strong growth every fourth person asked assumes that payment practices will still deteriorate. Businesspeople do not see enough stability in the economic upswing', believes Engberding.

Ten years of 'European Payment Practices'
EOS has been conducting the 'European Payment Practices' survey since 2007. The Hamburg company analyses the European economic zone together with independent market research institutes. The focus is on customer payment practices in companies with average revenues of 28 million euro and 180 employees. After starting with four countries EOS continued to expand the survey. 16 countries participated this year. 'The collection of data is very time-consuming. We conduct 200 interviews with decision-makers in accounts receivable management in each country', explains Mark Lammers, Associate Director Kantar TNS. 'We have been collecting high-quality data with this method for ten years now. The market assessments that can be derived from this data have a high significance', Lammers continues.  

Further results from the European Payment Practices survey can be found online at: https://de.eos-solutions.com/en/press/surveys.html#paymentpractices2017

The EOS Group
The EOS Group is one of the leading international providers of customised financial services. Its main focus is on receivables management covering three key business segments: fiduciary collection, debt purchase and business process outsourcing. With around 7,000 employees and more than 55 subsidiaries, EOS offers some 20,000 clients in 26 countries around the world financial security with tailored services in the B2C and B2B segments. Being connected to an international network of partner companies, the EOS Group has access to resources in more than 180 countries. Its key target sectors are banking, utilities and telecommunications, along with the public sector, real estate, mail order and e-commerce.
For more information please visit: www.eos-solutions.com.
Ispiši
Hamburg. ‘You know what you have to do’ – this message passed on by a husky voice on the telephone to a person in a dark parking garage launches one of the three viral spots placed online by the EOS Group. Today, the specialist for receivables management starts its viral campaign ‘The debt collectors’ way’ on Facebook and YouTube. The films address well-known preconceptions of the debt collection industry in an entertaining way and these are then refuted on the associated campaign website (www.the-debt-collectors-way.com). EOS deliberately plays with some well-known stereotypes with the aim of making the taboo topic of debt collection an objective subject of conversation.

Debt collection is an important economic service but its public perception is often very detached from reality. ‘We have produced three video spots to showcase reputable debt collection’, says Klaus Engberding, Chairman of the EOS Group’s Board of Directors. ‘Thus, we take responsibility for the professionalism of our industry.’ The unusual approach that EOS takes, is an essential element of the concept: ‘Instead of bone-dry arguments we work with charming short stories’, explains Lara Flemming, Head of Corporate Communications & Marketing of the EOS Group. ‘We very deliberately take aim right at the heart of the stereotypes and preconceptions, address and then resolve them in our films in a light-hearted, twinkle-in-the eye way.’ Making ‘what debt collection truly is’ really clear is just one of the campaign objectives. Ms Flemming: ‘The campaign should be seen as an offer of dialogue. We want to be transparent about our work, to be open and ‘talk with each other, not talk over each other’. 

The videos were produced under the direction of the Hamburg-based creative agency, La Red. The three videos in the ‘Debt collectors’ way’ campaign can be viewed on the campaign website: www.the-debt-collectors-way.com

The EOS Group 
The EOS Group is one of the leading international providers of customised financial services. Its main focus is on receivables management covering three key business segments: fiduciary collection, debt purchase and business process outsourcing. With just under 8,000 employees and more than 60 subsidiaries, EOS offers some 20,000 clients in 28 countries around the world financial security with tailored services in the B2C and B2B segments. Being connected to an international network of partner companies, the EOS Group has access to resources in more than 180 countries. Its key target sectors are banking, utilities and telecommunications, along with the public sector, real estate, mail order and e-commerce.

For more information please go to: www.eos-solutions.com.You can download high-resolution press photos and further press information here: https://eos-solutions.com/the-debt-collectors-way

Contact for press queries:
HOSCHKE & CONSORTEN
Public Relations GmbH
Christof Kaplanek
Tel.: +49 40 36 90 50-38
Email: c.kaplanek@hoschke.de

Phil Stephan
Tel.: +49 40 36 90 50-53
Email: p.stephan@hoschke.de
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