Ten Red Flags that Signal Financial Distress in Business Customers

15 Jul 2026
10:00 AM PDT | 01:00 PM EDT
60 Minutes

Many businesses are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, from contractors facing supply chain disruption to cinemas winning back audiences and department stores competing with online shopping. Business bankruptcy filings have been rising, pushed up by higher interest rates and inflation.

Whether a business is your customer, supplier or borrower, judging its financial health is key to the relationship. This 60-minute webinar sets out ten red flags of financial distress that help you spot ailing firms before they file for bankruptcy protection.

You'll see how the warning signs connect, such as a change in ownership and management, employee turnover, falling liquidity and slower trade payments, and what action to take to limit the impact of a possible failure.

WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND?

Your organization's links with its own suppliers and customers expose it to losses from both directions. Ongoing economic volatility means creditors and lenders need to look at the depth and breadth of a borrower's supply chain, including substitutes, alternate suppliers, trade credit costs, transportation and delivery times.

The session suits credit managers, AR teams, finance directors and CFOs, sales and account managers, business owners, risk managers, commercial lenders, trade credit insurers, procurement leaders, investors and analysts.

AREA COVERED

  • Red flag 1: an ailing industry
  • Red flag 2: declining financial condition and operating performance, including falling sales, gross margins and net profits, and shrinking liquidity, rising leverage and eroding solvency
  • Red flag 3: organizational volatility, such as management and director turnover and employee layoffs
  • Red flag 4: changes in professional advisers, such as the law firm, accounting firm or insurance agent
  • Red flag 5: asset disposition
  • Red flag 6: change in ownership
  • Red flag 7: credit deterioration, such as COD terms, judgments, liens, overdrafts, default and foreclosure
  • Red flag 8: declining communication
  • Red flag 9: major casualty loss from weather or climate events such as fire or flood
  • Red flag 10: negative media coverage, including complaints, poor online reviews, lawsuits and arrests
  • How the red flags interconnect
  • Actions to reduce the impact of a potential failure

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Identify ten red flags for spotting, evaluating and monitoring financial distress
  • Assess a firm's financial condition, operating performance and credit standing
  • Recognize organizational, ownership and adviser changes that signal trouble
  • Explain how the red flags interconnect
  • Take appropriate action to reduce losses from a potential failure

WHO WILL BENEFIT?

  • Credit Managers
  • Accounts Receivable (AR) Teams
  • Finance Directors and CFOs
  • Sales Managers and Account Managers
  • Business Owners and Entrepreneurs
  • Risk Management Professionals
  • Commercial Lenders and Bankers
  • Trade Credit Insurers
  • Procurement and Supply Chain Leaders
  • Investors and Financial Analysts

Your organization's links with its own suppliers and customers expose it to losses from both directions. Ongoing economic volatility means creditors and lenders need to look at the depth and breadth of a borrower's supply chain, including substitutes, alternate suppliers, trade credit costs, transportation and delivery times.

The session suits credit managers, AR teams, finance directors and CFOs, sales and account managers, business owners, risk managers, commercial lenders, trade credit insurers, procurement leaders, investors and analysts.

  • Red flag 1: an ailing industry
  • Red flag 2: declining financial condition and operating performance, including falling sales, gross margins and net profits, and shrinking liquidity, rising leverage and eroding solvency
  • Red flag 3: organizational volatility, such as management and director turnover and employee layoffs
  • Red flag 4: changes in professional advisers, such as the law firm, accounting firm or insurance agent
  • Red flag 5: asset disposition
  • Red flag 6: change in ownership
  • Red flag 7: credit deterioration, such as COD terms, judgments, liens, overdrafts, default and foreclosure
  • Red flag 8: declining communication
  • Red flag 9: major casualty loss from weather or climate events such as fire or flood
  • Red flag 10: negative media coverage, including complaints, poor online reviews, lawsuits and arrests
  • How the red flags interconnect
  • Actions to reduce the impact of a potential failure
  • Identify ten red flags for spotting, evaluating and monitoring financial distress
  • Assess a firm's financial condition, operating performance and credit standing
  • Recognize organizational, ownership and adviser changes that signal trouble
  • Explain how the red flags interconnect
  • Take appropriate action to reduce losses from a potential failure
  • Credit Managers
  • Accounts Receivable (AR) Teams
  • Finance Directors and CFOs
  • Sales Managers and Account Managers
  • Business Owners and Entrepreneurs
  • Risk Management Professionals
  • Commercial Lenders and Bankers
  • Trade Credit Insurers
  • Procurement and Supply Chain Leaders
  • Investors and Financial Analysts
Currency:
Webinar Option
Live + Recorded Session
Live + Transcript
Live + USB
Transcript (PDF Transcript of the Training)
Downloadable Recorded Session
USB
Group Session Participants + Recorded

Live Session with unlimited participants. Invite any number of attendees to join.

Speaker Profile

ins_img Dev Strischek

A frequent speaker, instructor, advisor and writer on credit risk and commercial banking topics and issues, Martin J. "Dev" Strischek principal of Devon Risk Advisory Group based near Atlanta, Georgia.  Dev advises, trains, and develops for financial organizations risk management solutions and recommendations on a range of issues and topics, e.g., credit risk management, credit culture, credit policy, credit and lending training, etc.  Dev is also a member of the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (FASB’s) Private Company Council (PCC).  PCC’s purpose is to evaluate and recommend to FASB revisions to current and proposed generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) that are …

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