A portfolio manager purchases a floating rate mortgage backed security that would currently provide a 4% yield to the company. Since mortgage rates have been fluctuating significantly over the past month, the manager is thinking about entering into an interest rate swap to hedge against the rate movements. Although the manager would remove most of the price sensitivity of the asset by executing the swap, it would also lower the total yield on the investment due to swap costs. What objective in the company investment policy is guiding the portfolio manager’s decision?
The Treasurer of PJB Company is in charge of implementing new treasury management software. Without issuing any RFPs, the Treasurer hires a consulting company to install the software and program it to suit the company’s needs. The Treasurer is responsible for approving the consultant’s invoices for payment. Through conversation, the CFO discovered that the Treasurer’s relative is one of the partners at the consulting company. The Treasurer was immediately terminated. What did the Treasurer MOST LIKELY violate?
A treasury manager has $5 million that is not needed for 6 months. The treasury manager has decided to invest the funds in a liquid instrument, using the current portion of a 5-year AA rated corporate bond that is subject to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulations. In what market would the treasury manager purchase this investment?
An electronics manufacturer is attempting to protect itself from financial losses due to projected high warranty claims costs for one of its technically complex products. What kind of assessment should the company perform to determine the appropriate external insurance coverage that would protect it from the claims?
The Treasurer at ABC Company currently uses an in-house company-processing lockbox center. The Treasurer has asked for an analysis to determine the major advantage of using a traditional check/mail-based lockbox system. ABC receives 287,000 payments per month and hired seven additional staff members to process the payments in-house. Additionally, $389,000 was invested in the equipment used to process the payments and NSF checks have decreased 7% since using the in-house center. The equipment’s current market value is equal to its book value. What major advantage should the analysis indicate?
What should a company’s senior management consider in their payment policies to eliminate the co-mingling of funds for payables, receivables and foreign exchange transactions?
XYZ Company has a well established commercial paper (CP) program that they use to fund operations. The company is expanding by purchasing a new factory. The CFO is worried about the time and expense needed to issue long-term debt and decides to use the funds they raise in the CP market to pay for the purchase of the factory. This strategy will be successful if:
Company XYZ is aggressively expanding globally. It is evaluating four markets: Latin America, Europe, Asia and Middle East.
Latin AmericA. Risk adjusted discount ratE. 15%, Payback period=7 years, IRR=15%
EuropE. Risk adjusted discount ratE. 8%, NPV=$20M
Middle East: Risk adjusted discount ratE. 11%, IRR=12%, NPV=$5M
AsiA. WACC. 9%, Payback=2 yrs, IRR=8%
Based on the information, which two markets will company XYZ MOST LIKELY pursue?
A U.S. company wants to increase its cash turnover rate. It is finding that customers are not taking the offered discount terms of 3/15, net 35. What action might the company take in order to achieve its goal?
An intern was hired by the Vice President of Accounts Payables to process the electronic payments that come through the bank. The intern is responsible for manually entering payee information into the system at each step of the process. The VP directed the intern to enter the information as fast as possible without mistakes to optimize the number of transactions that could be processed. Instead of manually entering information the VP should have utilized:
The Treasury Analyst at an investment firm has entered the company into a repurchase agreement with a counterparty at the direction of the Treasury Manager. The compliance office has determined that the trade was done in violation of the company investment policy. The Treasury Manager has the power to approve the execution of trades; however, the Treasury Analyst was not a designated trader on behalf of the firm. Which area of the investment policy was violated by the Treasury Analyst?
XYZ Bank would like to conduct some foreign exchange transactions with JKL Bank. JKL isn’t the most liquid and could have some credit risk. XYZ Bank should suggest which of the following in order to eliminate risk?
Customers of an electronic trading firm are experiencing problems with the online trading platform. The company IT department discovered that although display of market data is in the proper place, there are no tags being used to populate specific information in the necessary fields. The company is MOST LIKELY experiencing a problem with:
XYZ Company has decided to purchase a close competitor. This acquisition would make XYZ Company the 4th largest in its industry allowing it better purchasing power and greater distribution channels. After completing the M&A analysis, it is determined that the combined companies would produce a 40% increase in revenue, reduce manufacturing costs by 30%, but would increase current liabilities by 27%. Which of the following would keep the acquisition from happening?
ABC Company’s Treasury department outsourced its overnight investment duties to XYZ Money Management. XYZ placed the funds received from ABC into corporate commercial paper, which has recently gone into default after numerous ratings downgrades. The investment policy of ABC Company states that all investments must be in investment grade commercial paper; however, the agreement gives XYZ the ability to make exceptions with the approval of the Treasurer of ABC Company. The Treasurer was never notified of the ratings downgrades. What role or responsibility, if any, was violated with regards to the investment policy?
A merchant has a chargeback rate of 0.03% on average daily sales of $200,000. After switching to a new merchant acquirer that is a bank, the merchant sees the rate increase to 0.05% or $10,000. The merchant’s analysis reveals that the bank maintains its data warehouse in another country where the system network is routinely hacked. What act or standard is being violated?
Company X has asked its banking partner for a recommendation on which type of bank account would be best if it has excess funds that are not required for daily cash management. The company determined the excess cash flows by using the short-term cash forecasting distribution method. Company X will require a return on these funds. Which account is recommended?
Company XYZ is a high technology company. It is planning on acquiring another company in the high technology sector. Company XYZ does not have enough cash to acquire the company and is planning on financing the acquisition through a bond offering. Which of the following measures is company XYZ MOST LIKELY to use in its analysis of operating profits considering it is a high debt transaction?
A company converts the expense processing for its sales team from reimbursement by check to providing the team with travel and entertainment cards. Immediately, the company’s expenses for the sales force increase by 10%, with no concurrent increase in sales volumes. What aspect should the company have covered in their policies for card use to prevent the increased expenses?
XYZ Company is a publicly held manufacturing company that has decided to branch out into the international market. Five million dollars is needed to set up management and hire the factory workers, $2 million for various government certifications in order to begin business in Poland, and $1 million for miscellaneous expenses. While looking for funding, XYZ found that local banks in Poland were not willing to provide financing without which of the following?
