Underneath all the forms and the back and forth, every SBA lender is asking the same three questions about your file. Get a yes on all three and you are the file a bank wants. Miss one and the answer is usually no, and a lot of the time nobody tells you why. We do. We score your business on each C before any bank sees your file, so you know exactly where you stand and what to line up next.
From the Irving Fund SBA desk. New York, since 2016. BBB A+ accredited.
1 of 3 ticked
Credityour score
665
Close. A few points usually come from lower card balances.
Cash Flowcovers the payment
1.12x
The business covers the payment with room to spare.
Clean Filenothing to flag
One thing to clear. Most of it has a fix, and we map it with you.
Open tax liens or judgments?
Cash advances still being paid?
Get all three ticked and you are in good shape. This is a rough look at where the lines are. Your real ScoreCard is built from your own documents.
C is for
Credit
Your personal score goes first.
On a smaller SBA loan there can be no collateral behind the money, which means the bank is betting on you. So before anything else, they look at your credit. It decides which doors are open today and which are one small move away.
The line: 680 and up is the fast lane. 640 to 679 is close.
A few points usually come from lower card balances and on-time payments, and we show you which ones move it.
Try it
665
Close. A few points usually come from lower card balances.
C is for
Cash Flow
Does the business cover the payment, with room to spare?
Banks do not want to see it tight. We read the numbers off your tax return and measure them against the payment on what you are asking for. Add back what is not real cash out the door, like depreciation and interest, and see what is left.
The line: Covering the payment 1.10 times over is good. 1.25 is strong.
Lost money last year? A profitable current year can offset it. A right-sized request moves coverage too.
Try it
1.12x
The business covers the payment with room to spare.
C is for
Clean File
Nothing in the file that makes a bank stop reading.
No open tax liens or judgments. Your existing debt sorted out and counted the right way, because not everything that looks like a cash advance is one. A term loan, an equipment note or a business card is not.
The line: Clear file, clear yes.
If something does need clearing, most of it has a fix, and we map it with you before a bank ever sees it.
Try it
One thing to clear. Most of it has a fix, and we map it with you.
Open tax liens or judgments?
Cash advances still being paid?
How it works
1
Start free
Tell us about your business in a couple of minutes. It costs nothing and has no impact on your credit.
2
We read your documents
Your tax return and bank statements tell us the story. We read them, sort out what counts, and score each C.
3
You see your three ticks
Which C's are ticked, which are close, and exactly what to line up next, in order. A real person walks you through it.
Good questions
Does it affect my credit?
No. Your ScoreCard has no impact on your credit.
What does it cost?
Nothing. It is free, and you are under no obligation.
Is it a loan approval?
No. It shows where you stand on the three things every SBA lender checks, and what to line up next. It is not an approval or a commitment to lend.
What if I do not tick all three?
That is the point of it. Most files have a fix. We show you what moves each C, in order, and we set a date to look again.