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Financing
Business financing options and funding strategies
Georgia's SB 69 Litigation Funding Law: NMLS Registration, the $25,000 Discovery Rule, and What Small Businesses Should Check Before Signing
Georgia's SB 69, effective January 1, 2026, requires litigation funders to register with the Department of Banking and Finance via NMLS, makes funding agreements of $25,000 or more discoverable, caps funder fees at net recovery, and bars foreign-adversary funding. Here's what small business owners should verify before accepting a litigation funding offer.
Is Medical Debt Still on Your Credit Report in 2026? A State-by-State Guide for Small Business Owners
The CFPB's nationwide medical debt credit reporting ban was vacated by a Texas federal court in July 2025, leaving protection to 15 state laws and the bureaus' voluntary policies — paid debts, collections under $500, and a 365-day grace period stay off reports everywhere. Here's what still applies in your state and how to keep a medical collection from raising your business loan rate.
The SBA's 90% Grocery Guarantee: A Financing Guide for Small Grocers and Food Businesses
The SBA's 90% Grocery Guarantee, launched May 2026, raises the federal guarantee on food-supply-chain loans from 75% to 90% — up to $5 million over 25 years — and approved $30 million in its first month. Here's who qualifies, how it differs from a standard 7(a) loan, and what lenders need to see in your books before you apply.
The SBA's New 90% Grocery Guarantee: A Financing Lifeline for Small Grocers and Food Suppliers
The SBA's 2026 Grocery Guarantee raises its loan guarantee from 75% to 90% for roughly 20 qualifying food-supply-chain NAICS codes, covering loans up to $5 million with terms up to 25 years, and backed 19 loans totaling more than $30 million in its first month.
SBA MARC Loans Explained: FY2026 Fee Waivers for Manufacturers
The SBA has waived upfront fees on 7(a) and 504 loans for manufacturers through September 2026 and launched MARC, a revolving credit line up to $5 million for NAICS 31-33 businesses, after issuing its first $3.5 million in MARC loans to four manufacturers in December 2025.
C-PACE Financing for Commercial Property Energy Upgrades: Rates, Terms, and the Lender Consent Catch
C-PACE financing lets commercial property owners fund HVAC, solar, and resiliency upgrades with 100% financing repaid through the property tax bill at 5.5%-9.5% fixed rates over 20-30 years, though the senior-lien structure requires existing mortgage lender consent, which is the most common closing bottleneck.
SBA's Made in America Loan Guarantee: A Manufacturer's Financing Guide
The SBA's Made in America enhancement raises the 7(a) International Trade Loan guarantee to 90% on loans up to $5 million for manufacturers and waives guarantee fees through fiscal year 2026, cutting a lender's unguaranteed exposure on a $3 million loan from roughly $750,000 to $300,000.
New State Disclosure Laws Are Forcing Merchant Cash Advance Providers to Show Their Real Numbers
Ten states now require merchant cash advance providers to disclose an APR alongside the factor rate, turning opaque MCA pricing into an apples-to-apples comparison for small business owners.
B2B "Buy Now, Pay Later": How Net-Terms Financing Lets Small Suppliers Offer Credit Without Eating the Risk
B2B Buy Now, Pay Later platforms pay suppliers upfront on Net 30/60/90 invoices and take on non-recourse collection risk, with transaction volume around $14 billion in 2023 forecast to grow at over 25% annually through 2030.
Building Business Credit From Zero: The D-U-N-S, Net-30, and SBSS Playbook
Building business credit from zero follows a fixed sequence — form an LLC, get an EIN, obtain a D-U-N-S number, open vendor accounts that report to bureaus, then add a business credit card — with PAYDEX and FICO SBSS scores following naturally from on-time payment history.
The Fed's 2026 Rate Pause: What It Means for Your Variable-Rate SBA Loan
The Fed held rates at 3.50%-3.75% for a fourth consecutive meeting in June 2026, keeping the prime rate at 6.75% and SBA 7(a) variable rates near 9-11.5% APR, so refinancing into a fixed rate can pay off once you account for SBA prepayment penalties (5%/3%/1% in years one through three) and lender fees.
Letters of Credit for First-Time Exporters: How a Bank Guarantee Gets You Paid Overseas
A letter of credit is a bank's guarantee to pay an exporter once shipping documents match its terms exactly — issuance typically costs 0.75%-2% of the transaction, and the ICC estimates 60-70% of first-time document presentations get rejected for discrepancies.