If you own a small business, are just starting your business or if your credit is less than excellent then non-bank alternative lenders might be a good source of financing.

Broadly speaking an alternative lender is any non-bank institution that gives loans to businesses. The internet offers a wide variety of financing options from these types of lenders, from the traditional term loans to more innovative loans like invoice-factoring and merchant cash advances. Below we discuss this growing industry and the general advantages and disadvantages involved in alternative lending. This will help you evaluate whether alternative lending is the best option for you.

Overall traditional banks are less willing to finance small businesses, so alternative lenders are becoming a go to source for smaller businesses to get the funding they need. Traditional banks see small businesses as equally risky investments that offer a smaller pay off. This tendency is reflected in the fact that traditional banks gave 72.5 billion dollars in financing to small businesses in 2006 versus just 44.7 billion in 2014. Small business owners still have to go through the same rigorous application process as their larger counterparts when getting loans from traditional banks, but they are more likely to be denied. By contrast, alternative lending is a booming industry, projected to provide 200 billion in financing by 2025. These types of lenders typically approve 61-65 percent of the applications they receive.

There are some noted advantages and of course disadvantages to getting a Texas Commercial Loan from an alternative lender. The most obvious advantage is the speed of the application process. It takes on average 25 hours to apply for traditional bank financing, not to mention the many weeks or months it may take to get approval. By contrast, alternative lenders are not nearly as regulated as traditional banks and many use software in order to approve your application quickly.

Alternative lenders also offer more flexible loans. For example you can borrow against outstanding invoices or purchase new equipment using the new equipment as collateral. Because the process is more streamlined, alternative lenders are willing to offer smaller loans that wouldn’t be economical for traditional banks. These and other factors make alternative lenders a great source of financing for smaller businesses, startups and business owners with bad credit.

Sounds great but what are the disadvantages?

The faster processing time and the higher rates of approval by alternative lenders means such loans are often more expensive and the terms of repayment can vary widely. Because these institutions process and approve loans faster, the loans they issue are considered riskier, resulting in higher interest rates. The loans issued are often for less money and the terms of payment may consistently eat away at your revenue streams. Some alternative loans require weekly or even daily payments ( for instance merchant cash advances take a percentage of your daily credit card transactions). Therefore if you are going to seek alternative financing it is important to plan ahead in order to find the least expensive loan on the terms that suit your needs.

Alternative lenders may be a good source for

a commercial loan depending on your situation.

The wide variety of alternative lenders and the many types of loans they offer mean that some of these advantages and disadvantages may or may not apply. Depending on your situation you may want to exhaust more traditional financing options before pursuing a loan from a non-bank institution. If you have a good credit score and have a well-established business, a loan from a traditional bank might better suit your needs. However if your just starting your business, need financing quickly, don’t have much in the way of collateral or if your credit score isn’t ideal, alternative loans can be a great way to secure the funding you need.

Dennis Dahlberg

Broker/RI/CEO/MLO
Level 4 Funding LLC  Private Hard Money Lender
Arizona Tel:  (623) 582-4444
Texas Tel:      (512) 516-1177
Dennis@level4funding.com NMLS 1057378 | AZMB 0923961 | MLO 1057378
22601 N 19th Ave Suite 112 | Phoenix | AZ | 85027
111 Congress Ave |Austin | Texas | 78701

About the Author:  Dennis has been working in the real estate industry in some capacity for the last 40 years. He purchased his first property when he was just 18 years old. He quickly learned about the amazing investment opportunities provided by trust deed investing and hard money loans. His desire to help others make money in real estate investing led him to specialize in alternative funding for real estate investors who may have trouble getting a traditional bank loan. Dennis is passionate about alternative funding sources and sharing his knowledge with others to help make their dreams come true. Dennis has been married to his wonderful wife for 42 years. They have 2 beautiful daughters 5 amazing grandchildren. Dennis has been an Arizona resident for the past 40 years.

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