Business Loans Blog Posts | Page 18

Small business owners searching for a merchant cash advance (MCA) or short-term business loan (STL) are often surprised to learn that their capital has come with a very high effective annual percentage rate (APR) that’s sometimes in the triple digits.

Short-term business loans are a relatively recent addition to a merchant’s arsenal of business loan options. Introduced in the last decade or so, short-term loans are similar to traditional installment loans, but fees are calculated a little differently.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) provides a number of loan programs designed to help small businesses grow. SBA loans are known for having some of the lowest interest rates available. We’ll explain the rates for three of the SBA’s most popular loan programs: 7(a) Loans (business loans for most general business purposes), CDC/504 Loans (business loans to finance real estate and other fixed assets), and Disaster Loans (loans to rebuild following a disaster).

If you need business financing, an installment loan is probably the first type of loan you think of. As some of the most common and straightforward type of loans available, installment loans are a popular type of business financing. Also commonly referred to as term loans, installment loans can be useful for many business financing needs—from […]

A merchant cash advance is a sales agreement where the merchant (the “seller”) is selling their future revenue at a discount to the merchant cash advance company (the “buyer”). Because merchant cash advances are sales agreements, they generally aren’t covered by usury laws that govern loans. This is where they get their dubious reputation. The effective APRs of merchant cash advances can easily crawl into the triple digits.

Popular crowdfunding platform Patreon has become less popular recently thanks to policy changes. Monetizing your work online has long been a challenge, but there are good options out there. Let’s look at the several other great platforms for raising money from the public to support what you do.

In addition to any background checks the hard money lender may decide to factor in, the property’s qualities will be considered. Properties in booming real estate markets and “up-and-coming” neighborhoods may push the lender’s LTV tolerance close to 75%, often considered the upper limit for hard money. In contrast, a property in a poor market, or a remote one, will push the maximum LTV closer to zero.

Having good credit is a very important factor to getting a business loan. The higher your credit, the more loans you’ll have access to, and the better rates you’ll be offered. Frustrating as it may be, applying for a business loan (or other sources of funding) can have a negative effect on your credit. Knowing […]

Although factor rates and interest rates appear similar, there are some important differences which potential borrowers need to be aware of. Fixed fees (the fee determined by a factor rate) are only calculated once, before the loan is issued. The fee will stay the same, regardless of how long repayment takes. On the other hand, interest rates are accrued over time—the longer your loan is outstanding, the more fees will build up. Read on for more about the difference between factor rates and interest rates.

For minorities seeking business loans, the normal challenges of financing can be compounded by lending biases, systemic racism, language barriers, and geographical positioning in communities that have been written-off by many lenders. It’s not all bad news, though. Many institutions and organizations have programs designed to circumvent these issues and get money into the hands of minority entrepreneurs.