The amount of cash that a company, investment fund or bank has on its books at a specific point in time. The cash position is a sign of financial strength and liquidity. In addition to cash itself, it will often take into consideration highly liquid assets such as certificates of deposit, short-term government debt and other cash equivalents. Taobiz explains Cash Position For companies, a large cash position is often a powerful signal of financial strength, while a small cash position is a potential warning sign. This is because cash is needed to fund operations and to pay off obligations. However, too large of a cash position can often signal waste, as the funds are generating very little return. A Bank is generally required to have a minimum cash position which is based upon the amount of funds it holds. This ensures that the bank has the ability to pay out its account holders if they demand funding. When an investment fund has a large cash position, it is often a sign that it sees few attractive investments in the market and is comfortable sitting on the sidelines.
A U.S. federal agency that serves to charter, regulate and supervise the national banks and the federal branches and agencies of foreign banks. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is headed by the Comptroller of the Currency, who is appointed by the president and approved by the Senate. |||Founded through the National Currency Act of 1863, the OCC monitors the banks to ensure that they are operating safely, and meeting all requirements. In particular, the OCC monitors capital, asset quality, management, earnings, liquidity, sensitivity to market risk, information technology, compliance and community reinvestment.
A claim made against a business for outstanding debt. The debt can be owed to another business, or could be in the form of tax obligations to the government. For example, the federal government may impose a corporate tax lien on a company that fails to pay payroll tax or some other tax obligations. The corporate lien is placed on the company's assets to indicate that the company has financial obligations outstanding. Companies, like investors, are responsible for the debt that they take on, as well as other financial responsibilities, such as paying their employees. If a company cannot meet its obligations, investors can step in and purchase the corporate lien, which settles the obligation with the lending party and allowing the investors to pursue compensation from the company and possibly any penalties they may be subject to. If the company ultimately declares bankruptcy, holders of the corporate lien may also be more likely to have a higher priority than stockholders.
A group of people rented to make a business appear busy. Rent-a-crowds are sometimes employed on the grand openings of a new business to give the appearance that something is attracting people to the store, which then potentially attracts real customers, who come to see why the crowd has gathered. Rent-a-crowds can be a good strategy to help get new customers into the door. This can also make a business look busy and give potential clients the impression that business is good.
A department of the U.S. Treasury that enforces economic and trade sanctions against countries and groups of individuals involved in terrorism, narcotics and other disreputable activities. |||The OFAC was officially created in 1950, when China entered the Korean War. President Truman declared the event a national emergency, and froze all Chinese and Korean assets subject to U.S. jurisdiction. The OFAC's predecessor was the Office of Foreign Funds Control (OFFC), which was established in response to the Nazi invasion of Norway in 1940. The OFAC program runs many sanctions based on United Nations mandates. Basically, through these sanctions and trade policies, the OFAC tries to make the economic lives of these countries or groups of individuals very difficult. This is done as a way to pressure a country to conform to certain laws or regulations, or to discontinue disreptuble activity.
Tax audits that the IRS performs by mail. Correspondence audits are the lowest level of auditng performed by the IRS. The IRS sends the taxpayer a written request for additional information about a specific item or issue on a specific tax return. If the taxpayer can produce sufficient evidence to resolve the issue, the procedure is closed. A correspondence audit is considered the least serious form of an audit because it is generally only used for relatively simple matters and involves small amounts of momey. The next step after a correspondence audit is an office audit, where the IRS requires the taxpayer to come to an IRS location to discuss the issue in question.
A ratio that measures the amount of cash a company has on hand as compared to its debt service obligations. Debt service obligations include all current interest payments due, as well as all current principal repayments due. Taobiz explains Cash Available For Debt Service - CADS Investors generally prefer a company to have a high CADS ratio; the higher the ratio, the more of a cash cushion the company has to fund its upcoming debt service payments. In other words, the higher a company's CADS ratio, the less likely the company will be to default on its debts, making owning its shares much safer for shareholders.
A substance of economic value that can be replaced or replenished in the same amount or less time as it takes to draw the supply down. Some renewable resources have essentially an endless supply, such as solar energy, wind energy and geothermal pressure, while other resources are considered renewable even though some time or effort must go into their renewal, such as wood, oxygen, leather and fish. Most precious metals are considered renewable as well; even though they are not naturally replaced, they can be recycled because they are not destroyed during their extraction and use. Renewable resources have become a focal point of the environmental movement, both politically and economically. Energy obtained from renewable resources puts much less strain on the limited supply of fossil fuels (non-renewable resources). The problem with using renewable resources on a large scale is a cost problem and in most cases, more research is needed to make their use cost-effective.