Are we asking too much of bankers?

Posted by Vested for Growth on Apr 9, 2018 3:47:51 PM
Young man in suit and tie using pen and paper to explain to young woman.

Banks can’t provide for all small businesses' capital needs. Some business owners need an alternative lender or investor.

When we hear business owners bemoan their inability to get loans, we often defend bankers’ business-lending practices, or at least try to put their role in context.

Before a commercial loan officer makes a loan, he or she needs to feel confident that the borrower has the ability to repay it. Their role as providers of “least-cost” debt means banks have to be selective and avoid losses.

So when a banker says your collateral is insufficient to support your loan, realize that banks need evidence of a secondary way of being repaid. Their viability depends on it.

Also, remember that banks are government-regulated. If they don’t insist on sufficient collateral for their loans, regulators may penalize them (and they should, because, among other things, the government insures bank depositors up to $250,000 through the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.).

One byproduct of tighter bank lending is that alternative lenders are expanding their financing options. These lenders are more risk-tolerant, and also more expensive.

There are also times when the loan size is so small that it would cost the bank more to make and monitor the loan than it would earn back in interest.

As frustrating as it can be for business owners, banks can’t provide for all the capital needs of small businesses. When the business has a profitable record and sufficient collateral to cover the loan, banks can deliver. But if the business has had recent losses, or the loan request exceeds its collateral, it may require a lender or investor who can do an in-depth analysis of the management team and who will cover the probability of future losses by charging more for the loan.

One byproduct of tighter bank lending is that alternative lenders are expanding their financing options. These lenders are more risk-tolerant, and also more expensive. The good ones look beyond the business’s financials, evaluate its potential, and can extend capital when they believe in the business.

So appreciate your banker for what he or she does best—provide lower-cost capital. And if you need capital beyond what your banker can provide, ask for a referral to a lender who make loans that are too small or too risky for banks. But don’t ask a bank to be something it can’t be.

Learn more about how Vested for Growth extends the reach of traditional bank financing.

Tags: Capital, Debt, Alternative lenders

Share this with a friend: