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Small Business Loans

Small business loan options and application guides

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Turned Down for a Bank Loan? Your State Might Guarantee It Through SSBCI

The State Small Business Credit Initiative routes nearly $10 billion in federal money into state loan guarantee, collateral support, loan participation, capital access and venture programs delivered through local banks, with a $20 million loan cap and a 750-employee ceiling. This guide covers who qualifies, how SSBCI differs from SBA 7(a), the no-stacking rule, and the five steps to get a participating lender to enroll your loan.

mike

small-business-loansfinancingsba-loans

A Lender You've Never Heard Of Just Raised $525 Million. Here's What It Means for Your Next "No" From a Bank

Forward Financing closed $525 million in new funding as alternative lenders grew from about 29% of small business lending in 2023 to roughly 41% today. What that shift means for borrowers banks reject, how to convert a factor rate to an effective APR (a 1.35 factor over 9 months is roughly 46%), and a five-point checklist to run before signing any non-bank financing offer.

mike

small-business-loansmerchant-cash-advancerevenue-based-financing

The 7(a) Program Risk Oversight Act: What SBA Lender Transparency Means for Borrowers

The 7(a) Program Risk Oversight Act would require the SBA to publish loan performance data by loan size, seasoning, borrower age, and lender type — and post it publicly within seven days of reporting to Congress. Here's what lender-level risk data means for the 70,000+ businesses borrowing $31 billion a year through the program, and how to keep your records audit-ready.

mike

sbasba-loanssmall-business-loans

The Community Bank Leverage Ratio Just Dropped to 8%: What It Means for Small Business Credit

On July 1, 2026, the FDIC, Federal Reserve, and OCC lowered the Community Bank Leverage Ratio from 9% to 8%, making roughly 477 more banks eligible for the simplified capital framework and freeing lending capacity at institutions under $10 billion in assets. Here is what the change means for small business borrowers — and how to keep your books loan-ready.

mike

bankingsmall-businesssmall-business-loans

The SBA Just Sunset the SBSS Score — How 7(a) Small Loan Underwriting Works Now

As of March 1, 2026, the SBA eliminated the mandatory FICO SBSS score prescreen for 7(a) Small Loans of $350,000 or less, replacing the single national cutoff (most recently 165) with lender-specific credit models and a new 1.1x minimum debt service coverage ratio — here's what changed, why approval criteria now vary by bank, and how to prepare your financials before applying.

mike

sbasba-loanssmall-business-loans
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