A form of financing which enables companies to generate liquidity. Factoring involves the sale of short-term trade receivables (usually of 30 days) to a factoring company (factor). The purchase price represents a certain percentage of the face value of the receivables. The remaining balance is returned to the client after deduction of a service charge once the debt is collected. The purchase price paid by the factor is credited to the client after deduction of the factoring fee and the financing charges (depending on the amount of credit drawn).