Independent business finance journalism

Funding your business should not require a decoder ring.

We read the loan agreements, convert the factor rates, and publish what the lenders would rather you skimmed. Then we point you at the application with your eyes open.

Takes 2 minutes · No impact to your credit score

180+ Lenders tracked
2 min To check options
$0 Cost to you
Funding snapshotUS · 2026
Loan amount $5K – $5M
Repayment term 3 – 120 months
Time to funding 24 – 72 hours
Credit score 550+ FICO
Annual revenue $100K+
Illustrative ranges across the lenders we track. Your offer depends on revenue, time in business, and credit profile.
Data sourced fromSBA.govFederal ReserveFDICCFPBU.S. Census Bureau
Latest

Fresh from the newsroom

Browse the archive
1 min read

Fast USA Loans: What You Need to Know Today

Fast USA loans are short-term borrowing solutions designed to provide quick approval and funding. Unlike traditional bank loans that can take weeks to process,...

Run the numbers

Business loan calculator

Move the sliders to see what a loan actually costs before you talk to anyone.

$50,000
$5K to $500K
12.0%
SBA 7(a) runs roughly 10–14%. Online term loans and MCAs run far higher.
Repayment term
Estimated monthly payment

$2,354/mo

Principal $50,000
Total interest $6,500
Total repayment $56,500
Cost of capital 13.0%
Principal Interest
Get pre-qualified today

Estimates only, using simple amortization. Actual offers depend on the lender, your credit profile, and time in business. Not an offer of credit.

By the numbers

The state of US small business credit

0% Applied for financingShare of US employer firms that sought credit in the past year.
0% Fully approvedApplicants who received the full amount they asked for.
$0B SBA 7(a) volumeApproved 7(a) lending in the most recent fiscal year.
0 Days to fundingMedian time from application to money in the account.

Sources: Federal Reserve Small Business Credit Survey and SBA lending reports. Figures are illustrative until you connect live data.

Readers

Owners who stopped guessing

What business owners told us after using our guides to prepare an application.

The factor rate explainer saved us. We were about to sign an advance that would have cost us 68% APR without realising it.
Marcus Ellery
Owner, Ellery HVAC · Columbus, OH
I walked into the bank with every document on their checklist. Underwriting took nine days instead of the six weeks I was quoted.
Priya Raman
Founder, Northline Dental · Austin, TX
Straight answers, no lender fluff. The SBA 504 breakdown is the only one I have read that actually explained the two-loan structure.
Dwayne Kessler
Managing Partner, Kessler Fabrication · Erie, PA
Dana Whitfield Every guide fact-checked
Who writes this

Dana Whitfield

Editor-in-Chief · Former SBA 7(a) underwriter

Dana spent nine years underwriting SBA 7(a) and 504 files at a national bank before moving to journalism. She has reviewed more than 2,000 small business credit applications and now writes the guides she wishes borrowers had brought to her desk.

  • 9 years underwriting SBA 7(a) and 504 loans
  • 2,000+ small business credit files reviewed
  • Cited by three state small business development centers
Questions

Frequently asked questions

It depends entirely on the product. SBA 7(a) lenders typically look for 680 or better. Online term lenders often start around 600. Merchant cash advances and invoice financing weigh your revenue and receivables more heavily than your personal score, and some approve at 500.

Online lenders can fund in one to three business days. Bank term loans usually take two to four weeks. SBA loans are the slowest, commonly 30 to 90 days, because of the eligibility review and documentation the program requires.

Pre-qualification uses a soft credit pull, which does not affect your score. A hard pull only happens later, once you accept an offer and move to a formal application. Always confirm which type of pull a lender is running before you submit.

A factor rate is a multiplier on the amount advanced, so a 1.3 factor on $50,000 means you repay $65,000. Because it is repaid over a short window, the equivalent APR is usually far higher than the factor rate suggests. Always convert to APR before you compare offers.

Yes, but the menu shrinks. Most banks want two years. Online lenders often accept six months of operating history with consistent deposits, and equipment financing can work from day one because the equipment itself secures the loan.

No. We are a publisher. We research lenders, explain products, and point you to an application page where a licensed partner reviews your business. Every credit decision is made by a lender, not by us.

Still unsure? Check your options

Funding

Need funding for your business?

See the offers you actually qualify for before you spend a week filling in bank paperwork. Checking takes about two minutes.

  • No impact to your credit score
  • No obligation to accept
  • Bank-level encryption
Head office

Downtown Montréal, sixth floor

Two minutes from McGill station. Walk in, sit down, and have someone read your numbers back to you in plain English.

Coordinates
45.5027°N
73.5736°W
Meridian Capital
Meridian Capital
2000 McGill College Ave, Suite 600
Montréal, QC H3A 3H3
Get directions
Open in Google Maps
Floor Suite 600
Hours Mon – Fri, 9:00 – 18:00
Phone (514) 555-0142
Metro McGill — 2 min