Credit Finance

Commercial borrowers are likely to be confused when they are turned down and will probably be unsure as to why it happened and what to do next. For each of the five major reasons that a bank might decline commercial real estate loans, a practical strategy is provided for converting declined commercial loans into an approved business loans.

When lenders disapprove commercial loans,Guest Posting business owners need to be prepared to take appropriate action. Because rejected commercial real estate loans are common, it is important for borrowers to have an alternative strategy for obtaining business loans.

Business owners are likely to be distressed when a commercial loan application is turned down and will be unsure as to why it took place and how to avoid a similar problem again. For each of the five primary reasons that a commercial lender might decline commercial real estate loans, a practical solution is suggested for transforming the rejected commercial funding into approved business loans.

Two reasons (tax returns and business plan requirements) could impact virtually all commercial loans. Many loan officers will begin their review of potential commercial real estate loans by stating “We will need to see at least three years of tax returns” and “Can you show me your business plan?” before proceeding.

Small business mortgage requests are sometimes too unique for a traditional commercial lender. In these situations (even if a business owner has an adequate business plan and favorable tax returns), it is not unusual for commercial borrowers to be declined for business loans by a traditional commercial bank.

The five major issues described here are very common problems encountered by business owners. It is likely that two or three of the reasons described will be important for typical commercial real estate loans.

(1) Commercial Real Estate That is Used for Special Purposes. The first key reason for rejection of business loans will be due to lack of lender interest for specific business categories. As one illustration, very few commercial lenders will provide financing for bars and restaurants. In a similar fashion, an auto service business is often given expensive and unnecessary environmental stipulations. There are many special purpose commercial properties such as campgrounds, churches, funeral homes and gas stations that most traditional lenders have eliminated from their commercial lending program.

Strategy number one for converting the disapproved business loan into an approved commercial mortgage loan is realizing that there are reasonable options beyond traditional commercial lenders. Specialized commercial lenders will regularly be interested in special purpose property financing. When a traditional bank cannot make a commercial loan, the best loan options will probably be found from a commercial lender considered to be non-traditional.

(2) Tax Returns. Reason number two for commercial loan disapprovals is when loan officers find a problem on an income tax return that disqualifies a commercial borrower under the bank’s loan guidelines. This “problem” will typically be related to net income after business deductions, but when loan officers review tax returns, there are many possibilities which will result in the same outcome.

Strategy number two for converting the declined commercial mortgage into an approved commercial real estate loan is to apply for a “Stated Income” commercial loan. Very few traditional banks use Stated Income (no tax returns, no income verification, no IRS Form 4506) for business loans. Borrowers should search for commercial lenders using Stated Income commercial financing. Unfortunately, this suggested solution will not work for all loans because of a normal maximum loan amount of about $2-3 million for a Stated Income loan.

(3) Cash Out Limitations. The third reason for rejection of business loans will be seen frequently during refinancing attempts which involve a need to obtain cash by the borrower. It is common for a traditional commercial lender to limit what the funds are used for and to restrict the amount of cash to as little as $100,000. Borrowers should realize that the bank is essentially disapproving the loan when they refuse to provide adequate cash to the business owner.

The third strategy for responding to a commercial mortgage rejection is to search for alternate sources for the loan. The commercial borrower’s mission (and it is not impossible at all) is to use a commercial real estate lender that will allow them to get much larger amounts of cash out of a commercial refinancing without restrictions on what they do with it.

(4) Collateral Required. Reason number four for commercial mortgage loan disapprovals is that the bank will not make a commercial loan without sufficient collateral such as a lien on personal assets.

Strategy number four for converting the declined commercial mortgage into an approved commercial real estate loan is for commercial borrowers to seek out lenders that do not “cross collateralize” assets as a condition for obtaining a business loan. This will provide greater flexibility for the commercial borrower and avoid unnecessary (and unwise) connections between personal and business assets.

(5) Required Business Plan. 0Reason number five for commercial mortgage disapprovals is when a bank’s loan officer determines that the business plan does not support the needed commercial loan.

Strategy number five for converting the disapproved business loan into an approved commercial mortgage loan is to save money and avoid possible delays by working with a lender that does not require a business plan. This can result in several primary advantages:

(A) Decrease commercial mortgage costs by several thousand dollars. A typical business plan (prepared to normal bank specifications) costs $5,000 to $10,000.

(B) Reduce the period needed to complete business financing. A typical time for a business plan to be prepared is one to two months.

(C) If a professional business plan is not needed, an approval for the commercial financing requires one less item.

Unfortunately, the circumstances described in this article are responsible for many commercial finance difficulties. However, as noted above, the five key reasons for loan officers rejecting business loans can be overcome by most business owners. Similarly, with proper advice and strategies for small business mortgages, commercial real estate loans that are disapproved for other reasons (beyond the five issues described here) can also result in successful and effective commercial loans.