How to Choose a Lender to Apply for Business Loans

Introduction

Many people wonder how to choose a lender to apply for business loans. There are several types of lenders available, and it is essential to choose one that will be able to help you out as much as possible.

When people are applying for business loans, it is important to take the time to compare the different lenders. Not all lenders offer the same loans, and different lenders offer different terms. Before selecting a lender to apply for business loans, it is essential to make a comparison of what each one is offering.

In applying for a business loan, some procedure must be taken into the record, which must synchronize perfectly with your needs and objectives?

Common Types of Business Loans.

Basic knowledge in the financing world is required in understanding common loan types and conditions that you can access within your region. These loans type comes with unique features, advantages, and disadvantages. The understanding of this loan type will guide into considering who you might want to consider your lender and you may read more business loan types. Beneath are the two major classes of business loans available.

Small Business Administration loans (SBA)

The SBA Loans provides diverse kinds of credit facilities, specially designed for Small Business Owners, which qualifies under strict sets of rules. There are four major types of loans a business owner can access under the SBA loan facilities. They are:

  1. 7(a) Loan Program: This credit facility is the most accessible and the common under the SBA Loan offer. The 7(a)loan offer covers a wide spectrum of business activities like a business working capital flow, real estate procurement, company expansion purpose, and refinancing existing debt.

Advantages

  • Long payment timeframe of 10+ years.
  • Require no collateral.
  • Lower interest rates.

Disadvantages

  • Long and difficult process.
  • Strict documentation required.
  1. Microloan program: Entrepreneurs with fresh ideas, as well as business owners wanting to expand, can access loans quickly through the Microloan program to the tune of about $13,000, payable over six years.

Advantages

  • It requires lesser stress than the 7(a) program.
  • Can cover varieties of business cost.

Disadvantages

  • Bureaucratic issues between the banks and the government.
  • Strict monitoring.
  1. CDC/504 Loan Program: this is a typical long-term loan, an idea for procurement of fixed cost for businesses, with a fixed rate across every business type. It is a collaborative effort between the SBA, the lender, and the business owner, where the owner contributes 10 % and the SBA with a total value of about 40%. The lender carried the major share of 50 %—the maturity terms spans over 10 to 20 years.

Advantages

  • Lower fixed interest rates.
  • Access to a huge amount (up to $ 10 Million).
  • Lesser documentation required.

Disadvantages

  • Strict monitoring of its usage restrictions.
  • Its purpose must be channeled into creating jobs.
  • The business owner must be able to cover 10% of the loan.
  1. Disaster loans: the disaster loan capped at $2 million can be used strictly for managing crises after a declared catastrophe or endemic.

Advantages

  • Access to a higher loan amount of $2 million
  • Higher maturity terms for repayment (30 years)

Disadvantages

  • Very difficult application procedure
  • The company must be in a disaster zone.
  1. Traditional loans

Traditional loans come handy, requiring fewer documentations and bureaucratic processes. If, after applying for the SBA loans, and you are rejected for some reason, you could consider the flexible traditional loans, which comes with even more openings and prospects. Below is the list of the numerous and ever-growing traditional list you can access.

  1. Equipment loan financing
  2. Line of credit
  3. Working capital loan
  4. Merchant cash advance
  5. Invoice factoring
  6. Business credit cards
  7. Secured loans
  8. Unsecured loans
  9. Term loans
  10. Personal loans

Procedure to evaluate and choose the most suited business loan

The above list are just a tip out of other numerous company loans you can apply for, both online and offline, but before opting in for the right business mortgage that met your company situational need and objectives, make sure that the under-listed criteria are considered religiously.

  1. Ask the right question and do the right thing.

Before anything else, spend quality time assessing your company from the lender’s point of view. You can do that by running a quick credit check. Apart from the quick loan check, you need to assess your company debt-to-equity ratio because the debt-to-equity ratio is one of the most utmost relevance indicators the lender analyzes. A lower ratio value indicates a much safer business, which can, therefore, proceed into the second evaluating criteria.

  1. Watch out for their interest rate.

Nowadays, financial institutes are being subtle, trying lots of deceptive procedures into leaching naïve customer hidden interest rates. Don’t fall for such tricks; watch out for such. You can always consult any financial analyst to guide you into that if you seem not to understand how to go about them.

In synopsis, any business loan of a double-digit interest rate should be reconsidered before applying.

  1. Consider repayment terms.

The business loan maturity period is important, and been default will put a negative credit record for you. You should consider the length of time, payment mode (installment payment, or one-off payment mode.)

You then use that information to access your business strength. If your company isn’t affected based on the payment duration, proceed, else, consider another option.

  1. Factor in the company’s loan application fees.

Some lenders will ask for an application fee before processing a credit request from the business owner, while others don’t. It is important to make appropriate enquire about types of applications or processing fees associated with the application. If you are perfect with the information giving, kindly proceed with the loan application, else look for another loan suitable for your needs and objectives.

Conclusion

It is also important to understand the fees that the different lenders charge. Different lenders will have different fees that they require to pay when you apply for business loans. This can vary widely, depending on the lender. It is essential to check each one and make sure that it is paying out the right fees.

In addition to understanding the fees and interest that a lender will charge; it is also fundamental to understand the different types of business loans that are available to small business owners. There are a few different types of loans that are offered, which will have different rates and terms. Having an understanding of all the different types of loans that are available will help any business owner to understand what they need to be working with when applying for business loans.

It is also important to remember that the best way to apply for business loans is to shop around online. Not all lenders are accessible online, and it is not always easy to find them online. However, by doing research and looking online, it is possible to find a lender that offers the best rates, fees, and terms.