Finance Credit » financing

The Credit Preview for Equipment Financing and Leasing

dayat — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 14:55:51 +0000

Many companies have been affected by the fluctuations in the economy the last couple of years. Sales would surge one month, completely go flat the next and it has been difficult for many of us to manage cash flow and the repayment of debt. Company and small business credit has taken a hit and damage has been done, yet we still push forward to improve our businesses and try to grow them into the future. The situation makes us hesitant to take on new debt or try to finance new equipment even though it is absolutely necessary if we are to survive. New equipment will allow us to offer the latest product or services or simply keep up with the growing market trends in our industries.

It’s time to apply for that new machine but we cringe at what the procedure might reveal. A solid solution which many progressive finance companies are offering is called the Credit Preview; it is a step which can take a lot of pain out of the application process. A preview doesn’t cost you anything and will provide valuable information on the condition of your company.

The Credit Preview entails taking your basic minimal business and financial information and reviewing it to determine if there is good potential for a finance approval without requiring all of your tax returns, financial statements, debt schedule, etc. It will save you time, stress and energy since the preview will offer quick feedback on the chances of getting approved. Finance companies understand it doesn’t make sense to dig out 2-3 years of financials if your business has no chance for the type of approval you’re wanting.

A standard Credit Preview only requires the following:

1) Credit Application – should be completely filled out, legible and be sure to sign

2) 3 months of current bank statements – all pages should be included since the underwriter is trying to determine the money coming into your business

3) Vendor Quote or Proposal detailing how much equipment, labor, etc. is involved. The underwriter wants to see how much “soft” costs like labor and consultation is part of the purchase as opposed to “hard” costs like equipment and machines.

That’s all that is needed. The Credit Preview process will provide a much better analysis than those online “quickie” finance credit reviews which only checks your credit score; the preview checks 8 different areas to get a true picture of where you stand and how to move forward. Even with damaged credit, at least you will know some of your alternatives.

Credit Help for Real Estate Financing: Credit Scores

dayat — Sat, 04 Feb 2023 14:55:52 +0000

When you buy real estate, lenders run all of the “big three” credit bureau reports. Each credit reporting agency lists your credit history as supplied to them by the individual lenders and includes governmental records. Each report assigns a credit score number to you. The credit scores reflect your theoretical risk of default to the lending institutions.

Software developed by Fair Isaac and Company generates your “FICO score.” Experian uses a system called Fair Isaac Risk Model, a computer program which rates you with a score according to Experian’s information. Equifax bases scores on BEACON programs and TransUnion bases scores on EMPIRICA models.

Your Baseline

You have three credit scores, often called FICO scores, one from each credit bureau. The lender takes the middle score as your baseline. Lenders have different standards, but generally a “C” score is around 500 to 600, a “B” is around 600 to 680, and an “A-” is above 680. Over 700 is the magical number that gets you the attention you desire. If your score is under 500, find someone to privately finance for you or a partner with good credit while you work on improving your score.

How Lenders Rate You

Credit score Available mortgage financing
720 – 800 Superb! You get what you want
700 – 719 Wonderful! You get top rates & terms
680 – 699 Good! You get good rates & terms
660 – 679 All right. You pay higher costs & rates
640 – 659 Okay score if good income
620 – 639 Weak. You need good income & some money
600 – 619 Poor. Use creative loan broker & pay more loan costs
580 – 599 Almost impossible without large down payment
Under 580 Work on fixing credit without delay

What Does Not Count In Your Credit Score

The scoring model doesn’t compute:

Age & gender
Race
Whether you own a home or rent
Length of time at your current address
Job or length of employment at your job
Income
Education
Marital status
Whether or not you’ve been turned down for credit.

Real estate lenders don’t just consider your credit score when you apply for mortgage financing. Understanding your credit score helps you with this one part of your mortgage requirements.

What Is Credit Card Receivable Financing?

dayat — Wed, 04 Jan 2023 14:55:51 +0000

If your company is seeking or has been turned down for a small business loan, an unsecured line of credit, unsecured business financing, or other short-term business financing to use as “working capital” you may have heard of Credit Card Receivable Financing (CCRF) – but you’re not quite sure what it is. CCRF is an alternative funding solution that many existing businesses are able to use when they don’t qualify for traditional bank financing.

Credit Card Receivable Financing is a fast, easy and convenient way of getting working capital or a short-term business loan for a business that has accepted credit cards as payment for its goods or services for at least the previous six months. Unfortunately, it is not available for start-up loans, start-up funding, new business loans as will be explained later in this article.

However, many business owners still don’t fully understand the difference between Merchant Cash Advances (or business cash advances) and Credit Card Receivable Financing. The reason is they are very similar in the requirements to qualify, term length and repayment method – but they are different.

While both are known as a form of credit card receivables funding, the primary (and most important) difference is; a Merchant Cash Advance (MCA) is the actual “purchase” of your future credit card receivables at a discounted rate. It is unsecured financing, but it’s not classified as a loan. Much like “Accounts Receivable Financing” the same concept applies, that is; your business sells its receivables at a discount for cash that you need now and you agree to repay the funds from future revenues. Since this is a purchase of future credit card sales the company providing the funding is not required to give an established rate of interest. In fact they cannot even call what is charged interest, it’s called “the cost of money” and the amount charged can vary based on factors having to do with your business. (Those factors will be discussed in another article specifically related to Merchant Cash Advances).

With CCRF the business still uses future credit sales as a basis on which the lender will determine the amount of funding, but the difference is that CCRF is a true regulated “business loan” and as such the qualifications are slightly more involved but the costs are usually 50-80% less than most MCA’s.

When attempting to secure any type of business loan, unsecured business credit line, or business financing many new small business owners will try to qualify for CCRF because of the savings benefit it offers. In fact, many owners who currently have a MCA will use CCRF to pay off the existing advance because of how much they are able to save on the costs of money.

Another advantage of CCRF is, in the first few years many businesses are unable to establish a credit history that banks will require to qualify for loans. With CCRF as payments are made the business owner can make sure those payments, to an unsecured business loan, are reported to credit agencies so that a history of repayment is being made. This can potentially improve the credit score and possibly help in future bank loan applications. In addition, there could be tax advantages that your accountant may be familiar with regarding interest payment and so forth.

With both CCRF and MCA the amount of funding that you receive depends on your monthly credit card sales. And funding typically ranges between 100 to 150% of your monthly credit card sales average. For example, if your businesses monthly Visa/MasterCard sales average is $10,000 lenders can fund $10,000 to as high as $15,000 for the normal six to twelve month terms that are offered. Remember, this unsecured business loan is short-term working capital so don’t expect a 36 or 60 month payment term.

To qualify, your business must have processed at least $3,000 in Visa/MasterCard transactions each month for the previous six months, be in business for minimum of one year, have a minimum FICO score of 540 or greater, have at least one year remaining on your business lease or own the property and no open bankruptcies, foreclosures or liens (some liens with payments plans may be OK). There is no collateral required and the term is usually six to twelve months.