Loans

The Micro Business Home Equity Loan Crunch

By Scott Shane - Jun 3, 2013 - Leave a Comment

To obtain the capital they need to finance their business operations, some micro-business owners tap the equity in their homes by drawing on home equity lines of credit. But in recent years, this strategy has become more difficult for business owners, as banks have cut back on home equity … Read More

Why Small Businesses Have Trouble Getting Credit

By Scott Shane - May 27, 2013 - 9 Comments

Only one third of small business owners were able to obtain all of the credit that their businesses need, a recent National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) survey shows. The survey’s finding is not surprising. Many economists, policy makers and small business advocacy groups have … Read More

Small Businesses Are Borrowing Less Again, Per PayNet Index

By Joshua Sophy - May 15, 2013 - 3 Comments

Small businesses are borrowing less again. A March report from the U.S. Small Business Administration showed small business lending had increased for the first time in 10 quarters in the last part of 2012. But more recently the Thomson Reuters/PayNet Small Business Lending Index (SLBI) says … Read More

British Incentives for Small Business Loans: Take a Page From the US

By Anita Campbell - Apr 28, 2013 - 3 Comments

The Bank of England and U.K. Treasury announced this week they are offering lending institutions incentives for small business loans. But if the U.S. experience is an example, incentives won't do the trick. U.K. Incentives for Small Business Loans British small businesses say they are starved … Read More

Lending to Home Based Businesses Increases, Reports Kabbage

By Annie Pilon - Apr 26, 2013 - 8 Comments

More home-based businesses involved in online selling are getting cash advance loans for their businesses. Kabbage Inc. reports paying out more than $200 million in annualized cash advances to more than 100,000 small business customers so far in 2013. The company says the advances represent a … Read More

Latino Small Business Owners Lack Financing

By Joshua Sophy - Apr 21, 2013 - 2 Comments

Latino small business owners are increasing in number. But the Latino business community still lacks access to that -oh-so-important resource: capital. Latinos are one of the fastest-growing segments of small business owners in the United States. Estimates suggest by the end of the decade … Read More

Franchise Loans Are Up But Still Not Meeting Demand

By Joshua Sophy - Apr 17, 2013 - 2 Comments

Not every small business is having trouble getting funding. One kind of small business has experienced steady growth over the last five years. A recent report says franchises are receiving more funding than most in the years following the recession. The "Small Business Lending Matrix and … Read More

Public Funds Spent on Bailout Debt Instead of Small Business Loans

By Joshua Sophy - Apr 11, 2013 - 2 Comments

A new government watchdog report says community banks used money intended for small business loans to pay back their federal bailout debts instead. The conclusions were released by the Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP) in a report titled, … Read More

CrowdIt: Raise Money Online, Get Feedback and Mentorship, Too

By Annie Pilon - Mar 23, 2013 - 1 Comment

A new crowdfunding site to raise money online for projects has emerged. But this time, the site claims to offer more than just the opportunity to raise some startup cash. The new site also offers entrepreneurs the opportunity to get feedback and mentorship. Said CEO and Co-founder … Read More

3 Ways To Get Your Small Business Loan Denied

By Tom Gazaway - Mar 4, 2013 - 18 Comments

"If only I could get a small business loan for my business." What a common thought by many of us! Business owners need small business loans and access to working capital to start, build or grow their businesses. Statistics abound on the reasons why businesses don’t succeed. At the top of those … Read More

You Can Use These 5 Steps to Negotiate a Personal Guarantee

By James R. Coughlin - Feb 14, 2013 - 6 Comments

The experienced business owner is no stranger to signing personal guarantees. It has become standard practice for lenders to require owners, and even their families, to sign a personal guarantee (PG) to secure a commercial loan. While this is often the price of doing business, what does a … Read More

Are Banks Losing Interest in Small Business?

By Scott Shane - Feb 4, 2013 - 26 Comments

If you think that banks are less interested in lending to small business than they used to be, you’re right. In 2012, only 29 percent of all non-farm, non-residential, loans were less than $1 million, a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) proxy for small business lending. But the … Read More