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Here are some Frequently Asked Questions about U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loans and their answers:
Why Should a Business Owner consider an SBA loan? The SBA loan benefits to a business include both longer terms and larger loan amounts than may be available through a commercial bank. Interest rates on SBA loans are competitive with conventional loan rates and SBA loans never have balloon payments, prepayment penalties or annual reviews. All SBA loans are fully amortized. The benefit of full amortization is illustrated in the following table. This table assumes a $1,000,000 real estate loan amortized over 25 years at 10%. The conventional loan is normally amortized over 25 years but renewed every 5, 7 or 10 years, whereas the SBA loan is fully amortized over the full 25 year term. The loan payments for the renewed conventional loan are determined by the loan balance at the end of each lending period which has been reduced only slightly as most of your payments up to this point go to interest. Note too that this table does not include any additional loan fees that the conventional lender may charge at renewal.
*Conventional real estate loans are normally amortized over 25 years but due in full in 5, 7 or 10 years depending on lender. Many business owners find cash flow to be a major concern. For them an SBA guaranteed loan may be the answer and possibly the best way of obtaining long term financing. SBA guaranteed loan terms typically range from 7 to 25 years, fully amortized, depending on the purpose of the loan. Under its Congressional mandate, the SBA assists the nation's small businesses through a number of programs and efforts. The SBA helps new or growing businesses meet their financial needs and through its work this agency helps to preserve the nation's free enterprise system and to strengthen the economy. The SBA offers two types of loans: Direct Loans and Guaranteed Loans. Direct Loans are loans directly made and funded by the SBA to the applicant with no bank involvement. These loans were popular in the early stages of the agency but funding for direct loans has almost dried up due to unsuccessful results of the program. Direct loans are still made under special circumstances, such as natural disasters, but are no longer common. For our purposes, Guaranteed Loans are far more pertinent. Guaranteed loans are made by private lenders, such as banks, thrifts, savings & loans, etc., but are guaranteed by the SBA with funds appropriated by Congress. The funds appropriated for purposes of guarantee are much larger than those appropriated for direct loans. Therefore, the majority of SBA loans are guaranteed loans. Annually the SBA guarantees over $10 billion through these types of loans. There are several myths connected with the SBA Program, such as:
Let's separate myths and facts. On average, it takes 45 days to process an SBA Guaranteed Loan from submission to funding. Some of our applicants saw their money in as little as 30 days, and some cases took up to 60 days, depending of course upon the complexity of the loan application just like with a regular commercial loan and applicant cooperation. But in a few property purchase transactions, our lender was ready to fund the loan before escrow and the seller were ready. There is not much red tape involved, or many strings attached. Applying for an SBA Loan requires the same documentation as a regular commercial or real estate loan. In the past, however, many banks were quite frivolous in their loan application process which made for an "easy" application for regular loans. With recent regulations this practice has stopped, and commercial loans now require much more documentation and due diligence before it will be granted. Because the SBA has had a due diligence loan procedure in place all along, the SBA program has managed to stay very successful, and it continues to lend money in areas where many of the nation's financial institutions have pulled back, and it will continue to be successful as long as its due diligence procedures are upheld. Applicants for SBA Guaranteed Loans in most cases are not required to provide more financial information than they would for any loan from any financial institution. You do not have to be a minority to get an SBA Loan. The U.S. Government does not discriminate against anybody. This myth dates back to the days when the SBA used to make "direct loans" to minorities in order to help the nation's minority business communities. This program has long been abandoned and replaced with the current "Guaranteed Loan Program" which has been very successful in helping all small business owners, without regard to color or race. Under the Guaranteed Loan Program, if a bank approves a loan and the applicant qualifies under the SBA Guidelines, the SBA will guarantee the loan to the bank. Note that the SBA does not fund these loans, but guarantees between 75-80% of the full loan amount to the bank, while it is the bank that actually funds the loan. You do not have to be turned down by two banks to get an SBA Loan. The myth that an applicant has to be turned down by 2 banks dates back to when the SBA used to fund its own loans under the Direct Loan Program. This has now more or less been phased out completely, as it turned out to be an unsuccessful program. Who can qualify for an SBA Loan? A business must be independently owned and operated for profit. It must not be dominant in its field, and must meet certain criteria in terms of size, number of employees, and annual sales. Loans cannot be made to speculative businesses, media businesses, or businesses engaged in gambling activities. What is considered a small business? Over 90% of the nation's companies are classified as "small" by the SBA size standards, with limitations on dollar volume and number of employees set according to industry. Almost every type of business qualifies for an SBA Guaranteed Loan. For example: Manufacturing: Maximum number of employees may range from 250 to 1,500 depending on which industry the business is in. Wholesale: Number of employees must not exceed 100. Services: Annual sales must not exceed $2 to $8 Million depending on the industry. Retailing: Annual sales must not exceed $2 to $7.5 Million depending on the industry. What can the funds from a loan be used for, and for how long? Whether the applicant already owns a business, or is starting, expanding or purchasing a business, he can use the funds for the following purposes:
Now, what happens if a business needs a loan to purchase a building, install new equipment and needs some money for moving expenses? In that case the term will be blended. Let's look at the following example: A business is buying a building for $300,000, needs $100,000 for equipment, and needs $50,000 for moving expenses, i.e., working capital. In this case the $300,000 (two thirds of the full loan amount) will be at 25 years, blended with $100,000 at 10 years and $50,000 at 7 years for an actual $450,000 loan term of 19 years, fully amortized. Obviously, if the business is very successful and the owner wants to pay off the principal balance earlier, he may do so. There is no prepayment penalty on SBA Loans. What are the costs involved with an SBA Loan? The interest rate on an SBA Loan is variable and is tied to the New York Prime Rate, adjusting quarterly in most cases. The spread, or margin, is usually from 1.5% to 2.75% over the prime rate. The SBA precludes lenders from charging any lender points to originate or service the loan; however, the SBA itself charges a guarantee fee of between 1.6% to 2.5% of the full loan amount. This fee is paid by the borrower directly to the SBA upon loan funding. In addition, the borrower will have to pay direct processing costs such as title insurance, appraisal fees, loan closing costs and any loan packaging fees to consultants or packagers. How much can a business borrow? There is no minimum amount the SBA will guarantee, but we do not handle loans below $250,000. By law, the SBA maximum guarantee is $750,000 which at 75% of the total loan amount means that you can borrow up to $1,000,000 under the SBA program. Sometimes a lender will take a higher risk than its normal 25% share and will lend more than $1,000,000 with a lower guarantee percentage from the SBA, depending on the borrower's qualifications. What are the credit requirements? The credit requirements for an SBA Loan applicant are as follows:
Why Finance Equipment with an SBA Loan? With an SBA loan a business can finance 100% of the equipment cost (including installation costs) whereas equipment leasing companies do not cover any installation costs associated with the leased equipment, and very rarely if ever do leasing companies or commercial lenders provide a fully amortized loan over 10 years. Additionally, the SBA loan does not carry a pre-payment penalty. The catch is that the SBA loan may require additional collateral such as a blanket lien on all business assets or real estate. This is how a $500,000 SBA equipment loan compares to a normal lease or financing option (monthly payments):
In this chart Sample 1 assumes that all loans are at Prime + 2.75% (11.00% at this calculation). Sample 2 assumes that the SBA loan is at Prime + 2.75% (11.00% at this calculation) and that the conventional loans are at 9.00%. As this chart illustrates the SBA loan payments are $1,157-$3,983 lower than the conventional options. Any prudent business owner can see the wisdom of this as the longer term markedly improves business cash flow, the one thing that normally concerns him the most. Should the business cash flow support the higher payments, however, the SBA loan advantage then becomes that with a loan fully amortized over 10 years he can afford $789,000 worth of equipment as compared to the $500,000 that the shorter term loans will afford him. See the following chart.
Can SBA Loans be used to Refinance Business Debt? The answer is: Yes! Under the following conditions:
Let's review these points. The original loan proceeds must have been used for a valid business purpose such as equipment purchase, leasehold improvements, working capital, inventory, etc. If we can document this, and particularly that the borrower did not use any of the funds personally (investment, etc.), the loan can be refinanced by the SBA. Additionally, the original loan to be refinanced needs to be a secured loan. Unsecured loans, such as unsecured lines of credit, credit card debt or loans from family members, etc., cannot be refinanced by the SBA. A caveat here is that the SBA will not consider refinancing an existing fully amortized loan, no matter what the interest rate unless we can demonstrate that the business cannot support the current payments either due to exorbitant interest or shorter (than SBA) term. Normally, the loans we refinance are short term loans with balloon payments just around the corner which creates a burden on the business and its cash flow. Here's a classic example of an eligible business refinancing loan. We were called by a bank to help them save one of their good customers who was heading towards default on his loan and maybe towards bankruptcy. The owner ran a profitable business that unfortunately had terrible cash flow due to a multitude of short term loans on his equipment and real estate leading to monthly loan payments of $33,750. We restructured his 12 loans and converted them into 2 long term loans: the first a conventional loan secured by real estate amortized over 25 years and the second an SBA loan amortized over 10 years. This resulted in monthly payment of just $18,318, which was a $15,000 savings per month. Needless to say, the business was saved. Can SBA Loans be used for Working Capital? The most needed business financing, but the one most misunderstood by business owners, is the Working Capital loan. There are two distinct types of working capital loans:
While the line of credit normally has collateral built into it, the term loan, such as the SBA 7 year working capital loan, requires additional hard assets as collateral which can be in the form of equipment or real estate. In some cases both types will be required, in some cases just one or the other. The main point that differentiates the SBA loan from the line of credit is that it is a term loan with a maturity of up to 7 years. An inability to distinguish between the two types of loans can sometimes be a cause for a decline, i.e., the borrower asks for a term loan when the business really needs a line of credit and vice versa. A conventional lender may turn down a working capital loan request for various reasons:
In these situations an SBA guaranteed working capital loan may be the answer. So, if your business needs working capital for
then give us a call. We can determine the best way to structure such a loan request. In some cases a business may be able to obtain a Line of Credit to handle working capital needs but often this line is insufficient to fully support the current needs. In such cases we can help the business by combining the Line of Credit with an SBA Term Loan for the additional working capital requirements. This can make the difference between sufficient and insufficient capital and can make the difference between a successful and unsuccessful business. Business Purchase Loans SBA loans can be used to purchase the assets of an existing business. The SBA guidelines concerning such transactions are as follows:
SBA terms for a business purchase loan are up to 10 years. Business Start-Up Loans While many commercial banks shun loans for start-up operations it is the SBA's mission to assist such ventures. There are several requirements for qualification:
Business start-up loans can be used for the following:
The SBA terms for a start-up loan vary according to use of funds and my be blended. Why Finance Real Estate with SBA Loans? Most traditional sources of real estate financing such as banks, savings & loans, insurance companies and pension funds, can be difficult to work with for buyers, brokers and developers. Terms have tightened and their conditions are even tighter. With the phenomenon of the five year call provision on many real estate loans, the property owner will be confronted with the issue of renewal with the lender at the terms and conditions the lender then chooses, if the lender chooses to renew the loan at all. The SBA will guarantee 75% of up to $1,000,000 for purchase of real estate, fully amortized over 25 years with no balloon payments or pre-payment penalties. What is the loan to value ratio? The SBA requires a 10% down payment on a real estate loan. In essence, the SBA is making a business loan secured by real estate rather than a classic real estate loan. Therefore, the emphasis is on business cash flow, earnings, balance sheet and management capabilities, not Loan to Value. Can I refinance my commercial/industrial property with an SBA Loan? Yes. If your original property loan included a balloon payment, an SBA loan can refinance your property on a long term basis and as long as we can verify that the entire loan to be refinanced was used for the subject property and not for investment or other purposes. Also, the balloon payment must be due within the next 12 months. Note: we cannot refinance a fully amortized. Also, we normally have to demonstrate a payment savings up 25% in order to qualify a real estate refinancing loan. What kind of property can I purchase? You can purchase any kind of property as long as it is for business use. It can be commercial, industrial, retail shop, office condominium, single purpose (such as a gas station, car wash, motel, restaurant, etc.). However, the business has to occupy 51% of the property if purchased and 67% of the property if constructed. Can SBA financing be used to purchase land? Yes. If the property will be used for business purposes, now or in the near future. Can SBA financing be used for construction? Yes. As long as the business will occupy at least 67% of the total building size. This construction loan will be interest only during the construction period and will convert to a permanent 25 year, fully amortized loan at the end of construction. What is the procedure for SBA Loan approval? These are the steps for SBA Loan approval:
SBA e-loans takes you through these steps in the fastest and most efficient way. How does SBA e-loans compare to other SBA Lenders?
5 Reasons why you should work with SBA e-loans:
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