Loan Packaging

Small businesses borrow for four principal reasons: starting a business, purchasing inventory, expanding, and strengthening the firm’s financials.

 “Small business owners across the country tell me that access to capital remains one of their central concerns,” said Chief Counsel for Advocacy Winslow Sargeant. “The research we are releasing today will add to the understanding of small business financing needs and sources, and will inform policymakers seeking to strengthen the productive small business sector.”

The Finance FAQ is replete with data about where small businesses obtain their financing, including 15 graphs showing types of startup and expansion financing, as well as trends in bank lending, interest rates, venture capital, initial public offerings, SBIC funding, and SBA loans.
 

Startups, newly established and growing small businesses now have a new source of financing backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration as 20 community organizations have been funded by SBA to start making loans up to $200,000 to qualifying small businesses.

Authorized under the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, the new Intermediary Lending Pilot Program will provide direct loans up to $1 million to 20 community organizations or intermediaries in fiscal year 2011, which in turn will use those funds to help finance small businesses, mostly in underserved markets.

Lenders who participate in the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Preferred Lender Program can approve loans through the agency’s new Small Loan Advantage program beginning Feb. 15. At the same time, the agency will begin accepting applications from community-based, mission-focused lenders who are interested in making SBA-guaranteed loans through the new Community Advantage program.

Both the Small Loan Advantage and Community Advantage programs were announced in December as part of the agency’s efforts to increase the number of lower dollar loans being made to small businesses and entrepreneurs in underserved communities.