Alternatives to Traditional Business Bank Loans
Many businesses are finding it difficult to secure funding. Most banks are not lending money to businesses that don't have exceptional credit and large amounts of collateral. There are a few new programs available to business owners that can't find funding through traditional avenues.
The first program is a Merchant Advance, this is based on your credit card receivables. Generally, you can expect an advance of 125% of your monthly credit card sales. For example, you do $10,000 a month in credit card sales, your advance amount could be up to $12,500. With a $12,500 advance, your total pay back would be around $16,500. The terms vary from six months to one year. You will receive the cash in around 7 business days. You will more than likely have to switch your credit card processors, but most companies will meet or beat your current processing fees. Since this program is based on your previous sales there is no collateral necessary, and bad credit is not an issue. The amount available with this program is $5,000 to $300,000 per location.
The second program is a Fast Cash Business Loan, this program is based upon both your credit card receivables and all sales totals. The Fast Cash Business Loan is based more upon the stability of your business, than just credit card sales alone. This program is difficult to tell you what you might qualify for; it is based more upon your individual business all around, and marginally on your personal credit (minimum of 600 FICO score). You will receive the cash in around 7-10 business days. The amount available with this program is $5,000 to $100,000 per location.
The third program is a Success Business Loan, this program is again based more on your overall sales. The Success Business Loan works much in the same way as the Fast Cash Business Loan. There are two main differences between the Success and Fast Cash Business Loans. The first is the amount available; the Success Business Loan has $100,000 to $2,500,000 available per location. The second is the length of time; the Success Business Loan takes around three weeks to provide funding.
The fourth program is an Invoice Factoring Advance, this program is based on your accounts receivable. You can receive up to 85% of your receivable accounts. This program generally takes about a week to receive funding. Approval for this program is based upon the credit worthiness of the account holder, not the business owner.
With the decline of traditional bank lending, there are a few programs available for businesses that do not have the ability to be approved for a traditional bank loan, or the time to wait for the funds (2-3 months).
Commercial Mortgage Interest Rates
Commercial mortgage interest rates are a combination of the margin that the bank changes and the index that they use. For example if a bank quoted Prime (the index) plus 2% (the margin) you're actual or "effective interest rate" would be 7% (Prime is currently at 5%).
Lenders use a wide range of indexes. On owner occupant transactions Prime is still very popular and is used much of the time. This is especially true with floating rate loans. The SBA 7a program still uses Prime for example. Commercial investment deals use a broad range of indexes. The treasuries are popular but each individual lender has their preferences. The index used is probably less important for the borrower than the margin that the funding bank uses.
The margin is basically how the bank makes its money and its spread. The bank typically is borrowing the money that they lend and therefore has a cost of capital. The spread is the difference between what they pay for their sources of capital and what they make off of lending money.
Creating or pricing out the margin is no easy task. It's a complicated process as the bank has to be competitive in order to win deals yet not quote margins to "skinny" as to not make enough money. Banks have to essentially predict the future and take into account a percentage of default, cover future costs, and of course try to make a profit.
The combination of the margin and index is commonly referred to as the Effective Rate. It's what the borrower uses to figure out their payments. For instance, if a lender quoted you 5 Year SWAP (Currently at 3.9%)plus 2.5% your Effective Rate would be 6.4%.
One of the odd things that we have seen in the last year is the fattening of margins which comes as a surprise to many borrowers. Many assume when they hear that "interest rates" have been lowered by the Feds that it means that there potential interest rates on loans have been reduced. What it really means is that the cost of capital for the banks has been lowered but that doesn't mean that the banks have kept their margin the same as a year ago. For example, margins in January 2007, where commonly 2%, now it's not uncommon to see margins at around 4%. So the borrower's effective rate is the same or in many cases actually higher than it would have been before the Fed lowered rates.
Small Business Loan Basics
Many people who wish to start their own business need an injection of financial capital at the beginning of a business; the main source of funding for entrepreneurs is business loans.
Let's take a look at what you should expect if you plan to apply for one.
First of all, you should know that most lenders have their doubts when it comes to lending money to a first-time business owner. You're considered a high business risk at this point, and you should go in to your loan negotiations armed with a few advantages. Of course, the ideal option is to run your business for a few years, even just out of your home, and turn a good profit before approaching a bank for a loan.
That shows that you have the ability to make money and that your business won't flop before the Open sign shows up on the door. But if this isn't possible, if you need the cash before you can begin at all, then chances are you will need to offer some type of collateral. Collateral can be anything from your car to your home and everything in between. Depending on the size of the loan, you may require some pretty hard assets for collateral. The lender is not interested in whether or not your business will make money, aside from the extent that will allow you to pay them back on time. They simply don't want to lose out on the loan, and so you'll have to find some way to back yourself up.
Backing up your loan with assets, if you have them, is a good route - provided you have enough confidence in your financial situation to ensure you are not going to lose your collateral. If you don't have enough assets to stand in for your loan, another option is to find a cosigner. Chances are you won't get as much cash as you would if you had the assets. But having someone with good credit who is willing to sign onto your loan and promise to pay if you don't can be the factor that gets you through the door. This is a good way for friends and family who believe in your business to help you get it off the ground, even if they don't have the money to loan you up front.
When it's time to borrow, do some comparison-shopping among banks and credit associations, and don't stop until you find the lowest interest rate possible. You're already gambling a lot here- minimize the amount you will have to pay back by doing your homework and choosing the company that offers you the best deal. If you can't get enough to cover your beginning business expenses, consider borrowing part of the cash from a friend or relative if you can, or even asking for investors, such as customers who believe in your business, to help out. Don't accept a high-rate, high-risk business loan just because it offers you the biggest amount.
The small business loan: The first step in a long chain of financial events. If you take the right step, it could be your leap into the business world.