Asset-based loans (ABLs), which typically are secured by an asset on the company’s balance sheet, such as inventory or accounts receivable, enjoyed a record year in 2011. The value of ABLs made during the year topped $100 billion, according to data from Thomson Reuters LPC. About 375 deals were completed, or more than during any of the previous seven years. Asset-based loans accounted for 18% of the overall leveraged loan market, up from about 10% five years ago.

The bulk — in fact, more than 80% — of the loans were for refinancing. Conversely, the volume of new money deals came close to historical lows, due to drops in buyout financing for mergers and acquisitions, Thomson Reuters said. more

This year, there’s one more 1099 form to add to the mix: the 1099-K. If your business takes payments via credit cards or services like PayPal, you may find one in your mail box later this month.

The forms will be sent by payment settlement entities — typically, banks or other institutions that pay merchants and other businesses as settlement for payment card transactions — and could include payments made via credit, debit or even gift cards. They’ll also be sent by third-party settlement organizations — organizations like PayPal that are contractually obligated to make payments to participating payees or merchants, in a third-party payment network — if the gross payments to a payee exceed $20,000 and consist of more than 200 transactions. more

The IPO market’s rocky performance in the latter half of 2011 is expected to continue into 2012, according to a recent survey of investment bankers by BDO USA. A year ago, nearly three-quarters of the investment bankers surveyed predicted an increase in U.S. IPOs. That number since has dropped to 50%. What’s more, bankers are predicting an average IPO return on investment of just 3%; the return predicted a year ago was 18%.

“The lack of confidence coming through in the survey is consistent with the last half of 2011,” says Brian Eccleston, partner in BDO’s capital markets practice. In fact, after eking out a 1.2% return for the first six months of 2011, the FTSE Renaissance U.S. IPO Index dropped significantly, posting a negative 23.2% return for the last half of the year, according to Renaissance Capital. Eccleston attributes the shift in performance to increased concerns about the possibility of a recession in Europe, as well as lackluster economic performance this side of the Atlantic. more

Just how much in taxes does the IRS not collect, or at least not on schedule? Every few years, the IRS tries to come up with an estimate of this number, aka the “tax gap.” Its latest efforts, released earlier this month, indicate that for 2006, the net tax gap came to about $385 billion, compared with total tax payments of $2.2 trillion.

That’s calculates to a compliance rate of 85.5%, or a hair under 2001’s rate of 86.3%. However, the IRS noted that some growth in the tax gap estimate could be attributed to better data and improved estimation methods. What’s more, it should be noted that the United States has one of the highest tax compliance rates in the world at 83.7%, according to a 2011 report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. more

As the economy recovers, too many companies are losing their focus on capital management.

The latest figures on corporate cash holdings from REL Consulting indicate both good and bad news when it comes to companies’ management of their working capital. On the positive side, corporate cash balances have grown. In fact, cash holdings at the U.S.’ 1,000 largest public companies increased 11 percent between June 2010 and June 2011, to an eye-popping $850 billion. That compares to $767 billion a year earlier. more