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Business Financing without Banks

Date Added: March 17, 2010 06:00:00 PM
Author: Stephen Bush
Category: Business: Finance Services: Loans
The concept of "working capital financing without banks" has recently assumed a critically important role for business owners unable to obtain bank financing. The process of replacing a bank is rarely an option which is openly pursued by a small business. Pursuing such a path when their bank says "no" to routine requests for small business financing is realistically the primary option to be reviewed by any astute business owner. Improvements to the overall financial health of a business will be achieved in a pleasantly surprising number of cases even though this search for new commercial finance alternatives is undertaken under protest by most commercial borrowers.

There are two financing situations that businesses should especially be prepared for banks saying "no". One of these involves working capital (including business lines of credit) and the other commercial mortgage financing. While a small number of banks are still proving to be reliable sources for some business financing options, recent nationwide commercial banking reports clearly show a drastic reduction in business loans for commercial mortgage loans and working capital loans.

For commercial borrowers to adequately evaluate how to get working capital loans and other business finance help when their bank says "no", a prudent starting point is likely to be an extended discussion with a business loans expert. Finding and selecting such an expert will not be a quick or easy task for business owners, but this step is likely to be critical to eventual success in formulating a strategy for obtaining new sources of business funding. One aspect that should not be overlooked in locating a viable expert to help is to ensure that the selected small business finance expert is totally independent and not affiliated in any way whatsoever with the bank which has already said "no".

Banks are routinely saying "no" to small businesses which are both profitable and long-term customers. It has become common to hear phrases such as "working capital financing without banks" and "thinking outside the bank" when talking about alternatives small business owners need to consider because this has become such a widespread commercial lending problem. Banks are currently saying "no" more frequently than they have in decades. Small businesses are increasingly hearing their bank say "no" to requests for the working capital loans and business financing which they require. For most commercial borrowers this represents uncharted waters and they are often not sure what to do next. While a bank saying "no" is not a result that any business owner would seek, in many circumstances it can eventually lead to an overall improvement in commercial financing strategies. Small business owners are usually pleased to discover that they can not only replace existing bank financing satisfactorily but also improve their bottom line in the transition when they have literally been forced to find new small business finance choices.