We Are All in This Together - Working Capital Loans

Many commercial financing observers have expressed concerns that the largest business lenders (primarily those receiving federal funds recently to assist with their troubled business finance funding operations) are not acting as if "We're all in this together". In the Working Capital Journal and other financial publications, there have been numerous reports that only a small number of the larger banks appear to be lending normally and acting as responsible corporate citizens.

Two major problems are becoming more obvious for business borrowers as a result:

(1) Even though the funds have supposedly been provided to do just, banks receiving bailout funds have failed to resume a normal lending pattern for commercial finance funding. Of equal concern, these banks have largely refused to report with any clarity how they have spent billions of dollars in bailout funds.

(2) Many banks are decreasing their commercial loans and commercial real estate loans by recalling outstanding loans or cancelling business lines of credit.

There has already been much public backlash in reaction to inappropriate banking bonuses and spending. So far that has primarily taken the form of criticism and questions about how banks are allocating the financial resources largely subsidized by the taxpayers providing bailout funding. As it becomes more obvious that the action of many banks is impeding the recovery from economic chaos, it is likely that most business owners will choose to obtain their business finance funding from a lending source that has helped rather than hindered financial recovery efforts.

As always, business owners cannot typically afford to wait for government and external action to resolve problems like those described above. Given the facts that many banks have exited or reduced commercial lending activities, business owners should attempt to find alternative sources for working capital loans and commercial loans.

With appropriate help from a commercial financing expert, commercial borrowers will be able to identify which commercial lenders have been acting like responsible corporate citizens and business neighbors. It is unfortunately common to find that most bigger banks have eliminated new working capital financing and commercial mortgage loans. Although they are proving to somewhat difficult to identify and locate, there are commercial lenders actively making new commercial loans.

Although the discussion above focused primarily on the questionable lending activities of many larger banks, an equally problematic commercial financing situation is that very few local (and smaller) banks have resumed normal business lending. A previously familiar and reliable source for working capital loans might not continue to be a viable business funding choice. For the most part, local and regional banks simply do not have sufficient capital for new commercial loans.

Many commercial borrowers will discover new financing choices such as business cash advance programs as well as alternative funding choices. Under most circumstances, business cash advances are provided by business lenders other than commercial banks. As a result, these working capital funding sources are often proving to be more effective than traditional banks of any size in providing reliable commercial financing. In the end, business owners should hopefully find that their business financing situation will improve by choosing lenders which display the appropriate attitude of "We're all in this together".