Merchant Loans are Still Great Alternatives to Bank Loans

Despite numerous federal efforts to make bank loans available to small business owners, bank lending is still extremely low and merchant loans are still serving as an excellent alternative.  In the last five months, the 22 biggest Tarp recipients have cut their outstanding lending balances by $8 billion, according to Catherine Clifford of CNN Money.  These statistics have obviously led small business owners into the arms of alternative funds providers.

Attributable to the availability of merchant loans, small business owners have been able to get up to $500,000 for their businesses and use it without restrictions.  Even merchants with no collateral and lower credit scores have had access to these funds and they have been able to renew their accounts approximately every three and-a-half months.

According to CNN Money, there are other initiatives in the works, to help boost bank lending to small businesses.  For example, the President will unveil programs that “…increase the maximum amount businesses can borrow through the Small Business Administration's primary loan program…[and] expand access for smaller banks to the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), a move aimed at spurring more local lending by community banks,” according to CNN Money.

However, in the meantime, small business owners still need access to business cash now.  Moreover, when bank lending does improve small business owners can still use merchant loans if they don’t qualify for bank loans, if they don’t want to endure long waiting periods for bank funds, or even in addition to bank loans.

Merchant loans can be approved in only 48 hours and funded in as little as five business days.  Qualified merchants have owned their business for at least six months, process at least $3,500 in monthly credit card sales, have at least one year remaining on the business lease and have no unresolved bankruptcies.

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