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Saturday, January 9, 2016

Alternative Lending Can Fund Your Small Business

There is a lot of talk about alternative lending these days.  This article gives a good explanation:
http://smallbiztrends.com/2016/01/alternative-lender-small-business.html

Here’s a list of alternative lenders and a summary of what each company claims to offer. Each lender evaluates businesses differently, and each business has a different financial makeup.    

1.         Accion is a small business microloan lender. The company provides two types of loans — one for established businesses and the other for startups. Loan types, amounts and requirements vary by state. Each loan type is secured and features fixed interest rates. us.accion.org

2.         Advance Funds Network: Advance Funds Network (AFN) offers a number of flexible business-financing options for small and medium-size businesses, including bad credit business loans, cash advances, invoice and purchase order factoring, and equipment leasing.  AFN's products are available to all businesses, regardless of credit score. advancefundsnetwork.com

3.         American Express: American Express offers merchant financing to small businesses that accept American Express cards. The financing offered is a commercial loan, not a purchase of receivables or a cash advance. A business must repay the loan in full, together with the loan fee, regardless of its future credit and debit card charge volume. americanexpress.com

4.         American Finance Solutions: American Finance Solutions purchases businesses' future credit card transactions, and advances that money to them. After receiving the advance, this lender deducts a fixed percentage of the business's daily credit card sales until the advance is paid in full. To qualify, businesses must have been in operation for more than a year and process at least $5,000 in credit card sales each month. americanfinancesolutions.com

5.         Balboa Capital offers several small business loan products, including working-capital loans, franchise loans, equipment leasing, and flexible small business loans. The company makes quick credit decisions, offers loans of up to $250,000, processes quickly and has no restrictions on how businesses can use the money. balboacapital.com

6.         Biz2Credit is an online marketplace for small business funding. The company connects small businesses in need of funding with lenders. Biz2Credit can help small businesses obtain a variety of loans, including SBA loans, equipment financing, business acquisition loans, commercial loans, lines of credit, franchise loans, real estate financing, disaster loans and merchant cash advances. biz2credit.com

7.         Bizfi provides multiple funding options to businesses from a wide variety of funding partners and real-time pre-approvals. Bizfi's funding options include short-term financing, franchise funding, equipment financing, invoice financing, medium-term loans and long-term loans guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Founded in 2005, Bizfi and its family of companies have provided more than $1.3 billion in financing to more than 25,000 small businesses in a wide variety of industries across the United States. bizfi.com

8.         BlueVine helps businesses free up cash trapped in their invoices by giving them an advance on the amount due. There are no hidden fees, paperwork or obligations. The application is completely online, and there are no long-term contracts or termination fees. Once a business is approved, a credit line will be set to be used as needed. bluevine.com

9.         BoeFly is an online marketplace for small business loans. The site is a loan exchange that connects small business owners with more than 4,000 business lenders. BoeFly is a subscription service that does not charge any transaction fees. boefly.com

10.       Business Backer specializes in small business financing. This lender offers a variety of loan types, including factoring, purchase financing, specialty financing, equipment leasing, traditional loans and lines of credit. To qualify, businesses must have been operating for at least a year, as well as have annual revenue of at least $150,000 and a personal credit score of 550 or higher. businessbacker.com

11.       Business Credit & Capital specializes in offering retailers, restaurants and service businesses merchant cash advances. Business Credit & Capital purchases a percentage of future revenue, and advances those funds to businesses. There are no restrictions on how the money can be used. For businesses to repay the loan, the lender collects a daily percentage of sales. businesscreditandcapital.com

12.       BFS Capital offers both small business loans and merchant cash advances. The company provides small business loans of between $4,000 and $2 million to a wide range of industries, including restaurants, retail stores, service providers, manufacturers and wholesalers. bfscapital.com

13.       CAN Capital offers small business loans and merchant cash advances. Loans through CAN Capital range from $2,500 to $150,000, and mature in four to 24 months. No personal collateral is needed, and funds can be transferred in as little as two business days. cancapital.com

14.       Capify is an alternative finance provider that leverages a proprietary underwriting platform to provide working capital solutions to small- and medium-sized businesses, including merchant cash advances, business loans and inventory purchase programs. Business owners can apply online and receive decisions in 60 seconds or less. capify.com

15.       Capital for Merchants is a business cash advance lender. Capital for Merchants pays for a business's future sales up front and gets paid back with a fixed percentage of daily credit card receipts, or via automatic debits from a checking account on a set schedule. Upon approval, funding is available within 72 hours. capitalformerchants.com

16.       Corporate Business Lending specializes in working with business owners with less-than-perfect credit. The lender, which has a quick application process, works with both startup and established businesses. corporatebusinesslending.com

17.       Credibility Capital is a marketplace lender focused on prime-credit small business borrowers. Its platform matches businesses with institutional investors to fund loans ranging from $10,000 to $150,000. The Credibility Capital Risk Score incorporates a range of data to arrive at a recommendation for a particular interest rate. The lender's borrowers are small businesses seeking capital primarily for business expansion and inventory financing. credibilitycapital.com

18.       Credit Card Processing Specialists: Credit Card Processing Specialists offers merchant cash advances to small businesses. Its merchant cash advance services work by providing funds up front while taking repayment back when it processes payments based on an agreed-upon percentage. creditcardprocessingspecialists.com

19.       Dealstruck provides a variety of small business funding options, including business term loans, revenue-secured term loans and asset-based lines of credit. The company offers loans between $50,000 and $250,000. Businesses approved by Dealstruck need to be profitable, with annual sales of at least $250,000 and more than one year of operating history. dealstruck.com

20.       Everest Merchant Services provides small businesses with merchant cash advances. Its four-dimensional underwriting and approval process focuses on future credit card transactions and receivables revenue as a repayment method. This system allows the company to quickly estimate and assess its return probability using all the dimensions of a business and not just a credit score. Repayment is based upon future swiped Visa and MasterCard credit card transactions. ems-merchants.com

21.       Fastpoint is a merchant cash advance provider. Fastpoint buys a portion of a business's future credit and debit card transactions at a discounted rate. The advance is repaid with a fixed percentage of the business's daily transactions. Only businesses with a credit card processing account may apply for a cash advance through Fastpoint. fastpoint.com

22.       FastUpFront provides completely unsecured business cash advances up to $250,000. All businesses that accept credit cards are eligible for a cash advance from FastUpFront. The cash advances are based on future sales, not credit scores. fastupfront.com

23.       First Working Capital Group specializes in small business funding. The lender offers a variety of loan types, including ongoing lines of credit, merchant cash advances, equipment leasing and franchise financing. First Working Capital Group provides loans regardless of credit history. Instead, this lender gives considerable weight to how long businesses have been open when determining the amount of funds that can be provided. firstworkingcapital.com

24.       Fora Financial offers flexible working-capital solutions to small businesses in need of financing. The lender offers both small business loans and merchant cash advances. Fora Financial serves a variety of industries, including manufacturing, medical, retail, wholesale, transportation, restaurants, construction and auto. The lender makes funds available within 24 hours of approval. forafinancial.com

25.       ForwardLine is a nationwide supplier of financing to small businesses, ForwardLine uses technology and nontraditional credit algorithms to finance 98 percent of U.S. businesses that banks consider too small and too risky for a business loan. ForwardLine offers both small business loans and merchant cash advances. Financing is based on monthly credit card sales volume. Repayment is made by applying a small percentage of credit card transactions to the balance. forwardline.com

26.       Fundation is a direct lender that delivers small balance commercial loans. The firm provides fixed rate loans of up to $500,000 using its own capital. Loans are available in one- to four-year repayment periods. Long-term loans are designed for borrowers who are looking to make large investments in their business (such as by expanding a product or service, hiring new employees and making capital improvements), and shorter-term loans are designed to help business owners with everyday operating costs. Both types of loan have fixed interest rates starting as low as 7.99 percent, with payments automatically debited from the customer's account twice a month. fundation.com

27.       Fundbox offers business owners a way to fix their cash flow by advancing payments for their outstanding invoices. There is no approval process, no forms to fill out, no phone calls to make and no obligation. Businesses connect their accounting app to add their unpaid invoices, and pick the unpaid invoices they want to clear. An advance for the amount is automatically transferred to their bank account. fundbox.com

28.       Fundera gives small businesses access to multiple loan offers through one application. Fundera does not loan money directly to small businesses, but rather connects small businesses with different financing options. Types of loans the company helps set up for small businesses include small business loans of up to $1 million, merchant cash advances, equipment loans, factoring, 401(k) rollover funding and lines of credit. fundera.com

29.       Funding Circle is an online marketplace lender exclusively focused on small businesses. Funding Circle uses its technology to match accredited and institutional investors with small businesses looking for financing. You can apply for a loan online in just 10 minutes, and get the money in your bank account within 14 days. All of the loans are secured and require a lien on your business assets and a personal guaranty from the primary business owners. Each loan has an interest rate between 5.49 and 22.79 percent and is based on the length of the loan and the strength of your credit profile. fundingcircle.com

30.       GoKapital helps entrepreneurs obtain business loans nationwide. With GoKapital, you can apply for a number of business lending options, including SBA loans, short term loans, lines of credit, merchant cash advances, equipment financing, franchise loans business acquisitions loans, loans for Latinos and small business loans for women. Businesses can be instantly pre-qualified for a loan by filling out an online application. gokapital.com

31.       Grameen America is a not-for-profit microfinance organization that provides small loans to women to help them build businesses, achieve higher family incomes and develop entrepreneurial skills. Since being founded in 2008, Grameen America has expanded to eighteen branches in eleven cities and has disbursed nearly $340 million to more than 58,000 women. Grameen America is able to invest in women who have no credit scores, no business plans and can provide no collateral. Loans sizes range from $1,500 to $10,000. grameenamerica.org

32.       Headway Capital offers small businesses lines of credit ranging from $5,000 to $30,000. Once approved, businesses can borrow as much money as needed, whenever it's needed, up to the available credit limit. With each draw, a business can select the repayment schedule that best suits its needs. In order to be eligible to apply, your business must have been in operation for at least one year, and it must be located in Florida, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington or Wisconsin. headwaycapital.com

33.       Kabbage is a provider of working-capital loans to small businesses. Kabbage uses data generated by dozens of business operations to understand performance and deliver fast, flexible funding in real time. Kabbage can support any small business by analyzing various data sources that you use every day to run your business. kabbage.com

34.       Kalamata Capital is a data-driven, alternative finance company focused on small business. The lender offers a wide range of loan types, including working-capital loans, business expansion/acquisition loans, SBA loans, lines of credit, equipment financing, inventory financing, accounts receivable factoring and merchant cash advances. Utilizing automated data aggregation and electronic payment technology, Kalamata Capital can make credit decisions in as little as 24 hours. kalamatacapital.com

35.       Kiva Zip is a program that provides small business owners in the U.S. with access to capital through person-to-person lending. Its loans are crowdfunded by a community of lenders from around the world. As first-time borrowers on Kiva Zip, small businesses have the opportunity to raise up to $5,000 in capital with no interest or fees. Through Kiva Zip, anyone who wants to support small business growth and local job creation can choose to lend $5 or more to a small business of his or her choice. zip.kiva.org

36.       LeaseQ offers instant quotes on a free, cloud-based SaaS platform for borrowers looking to finance equipment. The company specializes in deals under $250,000, and partners with equipment dealers and leasing companies across a variety of industry segments. With LeaseQ, you can compare and prioritize lease quotes by monthly payment or total amount and see all related fess. leaseq.com

37.       Lending Club offers loans to most types of businesses in 45 states, including professional and personal services, retailers, contractors, health and wellness providers, automotive, wholesalers, manufacturers, and restaurants. Its loans can be used for a variety of purposes, including business expansion, inventory or equipment, working capital and refinancing. lendingclub.com

38.       LendingTree connects consumers to lenders that compete for their business. LendingTree lenders offer an array of loan types, including business loans. The loan amount approved for a business is based on several key factors, such as how long the company has been in business, its annual revenue and its credit score. lendingtree.com

39.       Lendio is an online service that helps small businesses quickly find the right business loan. Lendio makes business loans by matching qualified small business owners with active banks, credit unions and other lending sources. lendio.com

40.       Maverick Capital is a business funding provider that offers loans of up to $250,000 and merchant cash advances. This lender also offers a Hybrid Program that combines traditional cash advances with microloans. With the Hybrid Program, the cash advance is paid back through a combination of a holdback percentage of your credit card sales and a weekly payment. maverickcapital.biz

41.       Merchants Advance Networkis a merchant cash advance and unsecured loan provider. The lender offers loans and cash advances of between $2,500 and $1 million. To apply, businesses must fill out a loan application and provide three months of their most current credit card and bank statements to document sales. The entire underwriting process typically takes between five and seven days. merchantsadvancenetwork.com

42.       Merchant Advisors offers an assortment of loan types, including small business loans, working-capital loans, restaurant loans, bad-credit loans, cash advances, SBA loans, restaurant equipment leasing, lines of credit, franchise financing, 401(k) business funding and home-based business loans. onlinecheck.com

43.       National Funding offers small businesses a range of financial services and products, including working-capital loans and merchant cash advances. The company's small business working-capital loans require no pledge of personal assets. nationalfunding.com

44.       OnDeck offers loans to small and medium-size businesses. The company uses data aggregation and electronic payment technology to evaluate the financial health of businesses when determining whether to approve a loan request. The company's proprietary credit models look deeper into the health of a business, focusing on overall business performance rather than the owner's personal credit history. ondeck.com

45.       PayPal offers working-capital loans to small businesses that already process payments through PayPal. In most cases, the maximum loan amount is 8 percent of the sales a business has processed through PayPal in the past 12 months. When applying for a PayPal working-capital loan, businesses select the daily repayment percentage, which is the portion of future sales that will go toward repaying the loan balance. The loan balance is repaid automatically as businesses make sales through PayPal. paypal.com

46.       Prosper loans are not traditional small business loans; they are personal loans based on applicants' credit scores and are issued to individuals, not businesses. These loans are desirable in a variety of cases, such as when a business doesn't yet have a proven track record. Prosper loans are unsecured and don't require any collateral. prosper.com

47.       SBL Group offers loans ranging from $5,000 to $1 million. Funds are typically available within 24 hours, with repayment terms ranging between three and 24 months. To qualify, businesses must have been in operation for more than three months, have income of more than $100,000 over the past 12 months and have a credit score higher than 500. smallbusinessloansgroup.com

48.       RapidAdvance offers small business a variety of financing options, including loans, merchant cash advances, lines of credit and SBA bridge loans. Businesses can be approved for loans in 24 hours and receive funds within three days. RapidAdvance has provided more than $700 million in financing to thousands of small businesses. rapidadvance.com

49.       Rapid Capital Funding specializes in merchant cash advances for small and medium-size businesses. Rapid Capital Funding qualifies businesses for advances of between $5,000 and $500,000. The actual amount depends on each business' sales and history. Unlike other financing options, Rapid Capital Funding does not require a plan for the money and doesn't require it to be used for any specific purpose. rapidcapitalfunding.com

50.       RedFynn offers a variety of credit card processing solutions, including business cash advances. Eligibility for cash advances is not determined by credit score alone; a business's current sales and length of time in operation are also considered. redfynn.com

51.       SmartBiz offers SBA loans of up to $350,000 with interest rates between 6 and 8 percent. After completing the application, businesses can receive funds in as little as seven days. SmartBiz is a joint effort of Golden Pacific Bancorp and Better Finance. Golden Pacific is a member of the SBA's Preferred Lenders Program, and Better Finance is a financial technology company that provides leasing and credit solutions. smartbizloans.com

52.       Shield Funding is an alternative lender specializing in bad-credit business loans. To be eligible, you need to have been in business for at least four months, and have bank receipts or accept credit cards as a form of payment. A minimum of $5,000 per month in gross revenues is required for companies that accept credit cards, and approximately $20,000 a month in gross revenues is required for those that do not. Shield Funding provides business cash advances and unsecured business loans of up to $500,000 for a variety of purposes, including to improve or expand a company, manage payroll costs, purchase inventory or equipment, acquire customers via marketing, improve or create a website and pay off creditors. shieldfunding.com

53.       Small Business Loans Depot offers an assortment of loan types, including bank statement loans, small business loans, working-capital loans, equipment loans and equipment refinance loans. Loans are available from $5,000 to $150,000. The amount for which a business can qualify depends on business and personal credit, time in business, the amount of equipment owned and gross sales. smallbusinessloansdepot.com

54.       SnapCap is an alternative lender that specializes in unsecured business loans of between $5,000 and $600,000 for general purposes, expansion, inventory or equipment. The lender offers a paperless application process and a 48-hour turnaround. There are no collateral or annual revenue requirements. In addition, SnapCap places little emphasis on personal credit when determining whether to grant a loan. snapcap.com

55.       Square offers small business funding to its customers that have an active credit card processing account with Square. Square capital can be used to increase inventory, buy equipment or open a new location. Businesses make loan repayments to Square automatically as a fixed percentage of their daily card sales. The payments are tied directly to card sales. Businesses pay more when sales are strong and less if things slow down. squareup.com

56.       StreetShares is an online marketplace exclusively focused on small business term loans of 6 to 36 months with amounts of $5,000 to $75,000. StreetShares connects small business owners with qualified retail and institutional investors. Investors then compete in an online auction to fund portions of the requested loan, and StreetShares combines the lowest bids into a single loan. Business owners can apply in a few minutes, have their funds available within a week, and should have at least 1 year in business and $25,000 in revenue. streetshares.com

57.       Sure Payment Solutions is a small business financing company. The lender offers loans of up to $500,000, business cash advances and accounts receivable financing. Sure Payment Solutions offers flexible payment options, no early or late payment penalties, no application fees and 24-hour approvals. surepaymentsolutions.com

58.       Swift Capital provides fast business funding, with amounts ranging from $5,000 to $300,000 and pricing starting as low as 9.9 percent. Through the use of its data and technology systems, Swift Capital can streamline the approval process and eliminate the paperwork. For funding amounts of $10,000 or less, funds can be wired to your account within one hour. Repayment is typically made through daily automatic deductions from each business's checking account. swiftcapital.com


59.       United Capital Source offers a variety of loan types, including small business loans, accounts receivable factoring and merchant cash advances. The company can approve loans of between $5,000 and $2 million. Businesses with bad credit are not automatically eliminated from loan consideration. Approvals can be granted in as little as 24 hours. United Capital Source's loans are unsecured and don't require a personal guarantee or collateral. unitedcapitalsource.com

SBA Loan Programs

An SBA loan can help in financing business acquisitions, commercial real estate, construction and renovation, furniture, fixtures, machinery and equipment.
Benefits of SBA Financing: 
  • Longer loan terms - up to 25 years
  • Lower down payments
  • No prepayment penalties for terms less than 15 years
7(a) General Loan Program: 
  • Financing for leasehold improvements, real estate purchases and business acquisitions
  • Limited loan covenants
  • No balloon payments
  • Terms up to 25 years
  • Loans starting from $250,000
504 Program: 
  • Term loans of 10 years or 20 years
  • Financing for fixed assets including real estate, improvements, construction, renovation and long term equipment purchases
  • Low fixed-rate financing
  • Low equity injections - usually 10% to 20% down payment
  • Loans starting from $500,000
  • Permissable debt refinancing when involves business expansion
http://smallbiztrends.com/2016/01/access-capital-among-top-focuses-new-sba-report.html

https://www.sba.gov/content/sba-loans

https://www.sba.gov/category/navigation-structure/loans-grants