The ‘right price’

Recently I was asked by a seller what the right price for their debt was; they wanted to know how many pence in the pound they would get. This got me thinking about how much this concept has changed over time – not only the value but also the definition of ‘right’ price. I am not going to go into the reasons that different debts are worth different prices i.e quality of origination, current debtor situation mix, how hard it has been worked to date etc., I want to comment on the ‘evolution’ of debt sale.

 

Over the years I have seen three broad definitions for ‘right’ price. Almost eight years ago when I started out in this industry, the ‘right price’ equated for what is the most I can get for my debt? This era was typified by limited data being made available to purchasers and often the debts would be window dressed for sale. High turnover of purchaser panels was common place, with buyers often being ‘stung’ on price (it still is in some of the developing markets). In this era, sellers got to a position where it was difficult to sell debt for two reasons:

1. Purchasers no longer trusted the seller or the quality of the debt.
2. Those purchasers that did come back offered more realistic prices, but creditor expectations were still at the old, unrealistic, prices. 

During the middle ages, ‘right price’ was the price that can be achieved for my debt on a repeatable basis. This era was typified by more data being made available to buyers so they could build confidence in their pricing. As a result, large relatively stable panels were common place with buyers coming back for more debt at similar prices. In this period purchasers evolved the most – using more and more data to enable them to price accurately, reducing their desired rate of returns as the move towards transparency reduced their risk and they invested heavily in operational capability to improve returns.

 

Right now, ‘right price’ is the price that will ensure that my customers will be treated fairly. No longer is it purely about price maximisation. As a seller who now retains responsibility for accounts sold, if you seek too high a price it could drive a whole host of activities that wouldn’t fit your wider customer-centric philosophy.

 

In summary, the industry has moved from limited data exchange, to pre-sale openness, to transparency across the whole life of the customer. Creditors now want to not only know how their customers will be treated, but want evidence to prove they are being treated fairly.

 

I am not sure that everyone’s expectation of the right price has caught up with the times. But this is where we are most definitely headed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Nick Georgiades, Director of Advisory Services TDX Group