Business Lending


Five high-level bankers speak up on availability of small business credit

To prepare for a CNN interview on the 'freeing up' of small business lending, I had a very interesting discussion with:•    Director of SBA Special Assets with a national $282 Billion Bank •    CEO of

Posted Sep 16 2010 by Linda Keith

Can Your Bank Do This? Learning from the past...

One of the interesting things about the internet is that whatever is written stays out there for a very long time...forever? This morning I ran across an Inc. Magazine Online article from 1996 suggesting that

Posted Aug 28 2010 by Linda Keith

What business lenders can learn from ag lenders: Replacement of Assets

Last week I had the pleasure of spending two quality days with Greenstone Farm Credit Services in Michigan and Badgerland Farm Credit Services in Wisconsin. By the end of our two-day tax return analysis training,

Posted Aug 24 2010 by Linda Keith

Can you or can't you use Capital Gains as recurring cashflow to qualify your borrower for a loan?

Once again, I sense you are looking for a definitive answer. And it is....(wait for it)...it depends.When it makes sense to use Capital Gains as recurring cashflow:The borrower is receiving payments on an installment sale.

Posted Jul 20 2010 by Linda Keith

How your business borrower can manage cash flow better...

Toolbox for Finance offers this article by SAP: Managing Cash Flow in Times of Crisis.It is a good article to read if you have business borrower's challenged by cash flow...and I am guessing that most

Posted Jun 25 2010 by Linda Keith

NEW Complimentary eCourse on Balance Sheet Basics!

We are adding the section on Financial Statement Analysis to Lender's Online Training with a complimentary eCourse on Balance Sheet Basics. This joins 4 eCourses on General Analysis Topics, 15 on Tax Return Analysis and

Posted Jun 17 2010 by Linda Keith

5 Sources of Cash Flow to Pay Debt: What's your preference?

It clearly takes cash flow to pay down a business loan. There are five places for it to come from in a business:Cash flow from operationsCash flow from selling off assetsCash flow from borrowing money

Posted Jun 10 2010 by Linda Keith

The most important question you must answer about your borrower

As a lender, you have three questions to answer before you can say 'Yes' to their loan request: Would the borrower pay the loan if they possibly could? Does it look like they can pay

Posted Jun 03 2010 by Linda Keith

Maintaining "Business as Usual" in a Disaster: Are your business borrowers ready?

This information might be a good insert for your next business borrower email or newsletter. Did you know that 40 to 60 percent of small businesses never reopen their doors following a disaster? According to the

Posted May 20 2010 by Linda Keith

Rundown: Forbes.com 20 Most Profitable Small Businesses

Check out the Forbes.com listing of the 20 Most Profitable Small Businesses. Are your business borrowers on this list?Guess what? CPA firms top the list. Does this mean I should have stayed in public accounting

Posted May 06 2010 by Linda Keith