Big banks are more willing to grant bigger loans to business owners that have a track record of proven success.
New York, NY (PRWEB) May 12, 2015
Small business loan approval rates at big banks and institutional lenders continue to climb, reaching post-recession highs for April 2015, according to the Biz2Credit Small Business Lending Index, the monthly analysis of 1,000 loan applications on Biz2Credit.com.
Big banks ($10 billion+ in assets) approved 21.7% of small business loan requests in April 2015, up from 21.6% in March. Moreover, big banks' loan approval rates have improved for six consecutive months and in 12 of the last 13 months.
“Now that 2014 tax returns have been filed, it is evident that the economy is doing better. I expect that loan approval rates will continue to go up in the foreseeable future,” suggested Biz2Credit CEO Rohit Arora, who oversaw the research. “Big banks are more willing to grant bigger loans to business owners that have a track record of proven success.”
Meanwhile, institutional lenders approved 61.1% of funding requests by small business owners in April, up from 60.9% in March. Approval rates by institutional lenders have increased each month ever since Biz2Credit began monitoring this category of lenders in January 2014.
“Institutional lenders are becoming mainstream lenders in the small business market and are supplanting cash advance companies among non-bank sources of capital,” Arora said. “Since advance companies charge a premium rate, the laws of economics dictate that unless you differentiate the product, eventually a lower price competitor will steal market share. We have seen this happen to cash advance companies.”
Lending approval rates at small banks improved one-tenth of a percent in April to 49.6% from 49.5% last month. Although the rate of funding requests improved, this category of lenders has denied more than half of their loan requests for their sixth consecutive month. Although the rebound is slight, April was the first month in which lending approval rates improved at small banks in nearly a year.
“Small banks are holding steady, but they face fierce competition as institutional players are becoming mainstream,” explained Arora. “Deals happen faster through electronic marketplaces, such as Biz2credit's platform, which works against small banks in attracting more credit-worthy borrowers.”
Approval rates at alternative lenders -- merchant cash advance companies, factors, and other non-bank lenders – dipped to an Index-low of 61.1% in April, from 61.2% in March. Alternative lenders' approval percentages have declined each month since January 2014, coinciding with the emergence of institutional lenders in the small business lending marketplace.
“Cash advance companies use a network of brokers who charge 8-10 percent upfront,” explained Arora. “This fee is factored in the form of high interest rates, which are working against alternative lenders. Meanwhile, institutional lenders make deals happen faster through electronic marketplaces, such as Biz2Credit's platform, and offer more attractive rates.”
Credit unions approved 43% of loan applications in April, a slight drop from 43.1% in March 2015.
"Credit unions are not adapting to their counterparts quickly enough with respect to improvements in technology,” Arora said.
To view the historic chart of the Biz2Credit Small Business Lending Index, visit https://www.biz2credit.com/small-business-lending-index/april-2015.
About the Biz2Credit Small Business Lending Index
Biz2Credit analyzed loan requests ranging from $25,000 to $3 million from companies in business more than two years with an average credit score above 680. Unlike other surveys, the results are based on primary data submitted by more than 1,000 small business owners who applied for funding on Biz2Credit’s online lending platform, which connects business borrowers and lenders.
About Biz2Credit
Founded in 2007, Biz2Credit has arranged more than $1.2 billion in small business financing and is widely recognized as the #1 online credit resource for startup loans, lines of credit, equipment loans, working capital and other funding options in the U.S. Using the latest technology, Biz2Credit matches borrowers to financial institutions based on each company's unique profile -- completed in less than four minutes -- in a safe, efficient, price-transparent environment. Visit http://www.biz2credit.com, follow on Twitter @Biz2Credit, and join on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/biz2credit.