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An interview with Robert Heinrich, a partner at Foley & Lardner LLP, and Corey Braun, Assistant Treasurer with Oshkosh Corp., is presented. When asked what corporate borrowers should do with Dodd-Frank fees, Heinrich refers to ways to respond to such proposals from lenders. Braun believes that his biggest challenge in loan documents is using the old document as the base document. Heinrich says that equity rates have come into play in bank lending.

The article focuses on the need for corporate treasurers to weigh money market fund changes, according to investment managers. It cites the development that treasurers must know which include talking with senior management and the board about how to adapt the firm's short-term investments to the changes. According to Lu Ann Katz of Invesco, a more planned approach to cash management is becoming the norm rather than the oddity.

The article reports on the results of the 2014 gtnews Transaction Banking Survey conducted in May 2014 among 263 corporate practitioner subscribers to gtnews. Topics discussed include the areas for improvement among bank services, login procedures among banks, and the challenges faced by the banks. Level of treasury and finance professionals' satisfaction with their banking partners are also mentioned.

The article informs that the 2014 gtnews Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) Technology Survey conducted in March 2014 reveal that professionals widely use Excel and technology systems for their jobs, but they are not satisfied with them. Topics discussed include role of ideal FP&A technology system in reducing business risks and minimizing errors while carrying important tasks by financial professionals and displeasure of professionals with Excel's effectiveness in handling large datasets

The article discusses how finance executives fill the position of financial planning and analysis (FP&A) professionals. Topics discussed include the preference of Larry Yoder, finance manager for Intel Corp., for recent college graduates to fill these positions, and the benefits of using corporate finance rotational programs for Lauri Putt Needleman, manager of AFP Advisors Network at AFP.

The article describes the case of the restructuring of corporate finance and capital market focus by Cone Health, a healthcare system with AA/AA ratings from Standard & Poor's and Fitch until the capital market meltdown in 2007/2008. With their debt portfolio negatively impacted by issues in the capital markets in 2007 and a portion of the debt in auction rate mode, Cone converted the auction mode to Variable Rated Demand Bonds (VRDBs) supported by a bank standby bond purchase agreement.

The article describes the case of Phoenix, Arizona-based hospitality company Starwood Hotels & Resorts which undertook eight process-improvement projects at once in order to improve the effectiveness of cash management and related working capital at all of its approximately 1,000 properties. Its eight process-improvement projects include the daily cash position, treasury payments and funding and lockbox processing. Involved in this initiative was assistant treasurer Jack Spitzer.

The article offers suggestions on how to improve the budget process based on the "AFP Guide: How to Shorten the Budget Cycle" by Nilly Essaides. Topics discussed include the purpose of company budgets, the trend towards continuous budgeting, and shortening the budget cycle time using the top-down approach. Also discussed is resource distribution through rolling forecasts.

The article presents an interview with Brian Kalish, director of Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) and Finance Practice Lead. When asked about the prospects in 2012 for risk management as it relates to corporate finance, Kalish says that risk managers are more aware of the challenges facing companies given all the volatility since 2009. Kalish believes that risk management is critical to the long-term success of all organizations.