Business and Finance

Posts Tagged ‘Line’

As an alternative to obtaining a traditional business line of credit, there are two types of facilities that use your future earnings or current receivables. A credit card receivables LOC is linked to your merchant account. This type of lender typically refers to this type of credit facility as a “credit card receivables advance.” Typically, this lender provides an advance of up to 2 months of income based on your merchant account usage history. Each time a sale is made, a certain percentage of the sale is deducted from your balance owed to the lender. However, this type of lending is very expense. The interest rates for this type of business loc can range anywhere from 15% to 29% depending on the state’s lending laws.

An accounts receivable business loc is secured by the individuals or businesses that owe you money. In this scenario a lender will look at your receivables, who your customers are, and how long they have owed you money. Based on these factors, these lenders (often called factoring companies) will provide you with a capped line of credit. However, it should be noted that even if your client does not pay – you will still be liable for the money drawn down on the business loc.

As an alternative to this, some lenders will “purchase” your receivables for a discounted rate. For instance, if John Doe owes you $1,000 then the lender will buy that receivable from you for $850 to $900. If you decide to sell your receivables to a third party – you need to carefully consider whether or not you can afford to sell your receivables for a substantial discount.

In today’s lending world, many people have flocked to smaller banks or community based credit unions when seeking to obtain a business LOC or business line of credit. This is because, while still very scientific and numbers driven, the people that are ultimately making credit decisions are people located within your area. Unlike large money center banks that have thousands of branches, the bankers in your community can see your success in person. Of course, this does not delineate from the fact that you must still have the appropriate collateral and credit in place in order to obtain a business line of credit. However, small banks tend to be more lenient in their credit decisions when determining whether or not to extend a business a line of credit.

Small banks, despite the news of major bank failures and bailouts over the past three years, have thrived in this environment. While many have dealt with the same issues as large sized banks, small banks typically did not make complicated investments that included credit default swaps, interest rate swaps, and use of other exotic financial instruments. As such, their capital levels and profitability did not take nearly the same hit as their major money center bank counterparts.

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There is a very big misconception about the purpose of the SBA (Small Business Administration). Many new entrepreneurs think that the SBA acts as an arm of the government to provide loans for startup and small businesses. This is not true. The SBA acts as a guarantor of business LOC and loans provided by banks enrolled in the SBA program. In the event that you default on a credit facility, the US Federal Government will reimburse an enrolled bank or financial institution. Essentially, Uncle Sam acts as your cosigner on a business line of credit or business loan.

As of 2010, in the event of default, the Federal Government will provide a bank with a reimbursement of up to 85% of the loaned amount depending on the SBA program that you enrolled in when you applied for a credit facility. The requirements for applying for an SBA Business LOC are pretty straightforward. Foremost, you must be a US citizen of good moral character (you cannot be a convicted felon and apply for a SBA program). The second important characteristic of an SBA backed business line of credit or business loan is that you must have the appropriate collateral and credit to support the debt obligation that you are undertaking. If you do not possess these requirements then you may want to seek alternative methods of financing discussed in our previous business articles.

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The primary difference between a Business LOC and a business loan is that with a credit line you can draw down the principal as needed rather than taking on a debt obligation as one lump sum. You only pay interest on the portion of the credit line that you have drawn down. Additionally, with a Business LOC you are able to repay the principal of the credit facility and reuse it again at a later time. A business line of credit works very similar to that of a credit card with the exception that it is to be used for business purposes rather than personal purchases.

Additionally, Business LOC facilities typically do not have a plastic card associated with their usage. In most situations, the borrower (you) are given a series of checks as if the credit line were a checking out with a finite balance. Each time that you need to drawn down the Business LOC you can write a check to a supplier, vendor, or to yourself (to be deposited into your operating account). This allows you tremendous flexibility when using a Business LOC.

In the case of a business loan, you are granted the full amount of the applied for credit once approved. In this case, you are required to pay interest on the full borrowed amount even if you are still waiting to use some of the debt proceeds. This is the benefit to a business line of credit versus a business loan. However, much like business loans, Business LOC can be applied for in a similar manner. The SBA has a number of programs that allow small business borrowers to acquire business lines of credit as if they were business loans.  Read more... (343 words, estimated 1:22 mins reading time)

Not every business requires the usage of a <a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackPageview', '/outgoing/article_exit_link']);” href=”http://www.businesloc.com”> business line of credit</a>. Some businesses produce more than enough cash flow to sustain the operations on an ongoing basis without needing to take on the liabilities associated with a credit facility. These businesses are most suited to take out a business LOC during times of expansion rather than financing the day to day operations of the business. For other businesses (such as large scale distribution firms, manufacturing companies, and other capital intensive businesses), a business loc may be the only way to conduct business. Below is an overview of the types of businesses that are most suited to use a credit facility:

Most Suited

Manufacturing Companies
Retail Businesses that carry extensive inventory
Wholesale Distributors with substantial inventory
Service firms that carry substantial amounts of accounts receivables
Medical Product Distributors
Pharmacies and Pharmaceutical Companies

Partially Suited

Firms that are undergoing a significant expansion over a set period of time
Companies that have irregular cash flows but regularly fixed cost expenses
Professional Service firms that receive government payments
Law Firms
Medical Practices and Allied Health Professional Practices

Ultimately, it is up to you to determine whether or not your business truly does need a business LOC. As always, you should speak to your accountant to determine your cash flow needs and whether the acquisition of a revolving credit facility is in your best interest. If you have additional questions whether or not your business is suitable for a business line of credit then you may also want to a specialty business advisor that has an extensive understanding of business credt.