Archive for March 11th, 2009
Small Business Administration or SBA is an independent federal agency formed in 1953. It was established to provide financial assistance to small businesses. The SBA provides direct loans to borrowers who are unable to obtain conventional financing, it participates in loans originated by financial institutions, and also guarantees loans made by banks and other financial institutions. This independent agency of the federal government assists and protects the interests of small business entities, in turn strengthening the overall economy while preserving free competitive enterprise. Maintaining their bottom line consistently the agency is here, to provide Americans start, build, and grow businesses. They have an elaborate network of field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. They cover United States, Puerto Rico, the U. S. Virgin Islands and Guam.
The SBA program provides SBA-guaranteed loans. This is filled through loan applications submitted to the designated financial institutions. This reduces the time needed to obtain SBA funding. Small Business Investment Company also benefit from SBA as it provide venture capital assistance to such companies. Normally, the SBA guarantees 85% approximately of loan for a small business. There is also disaster assistance provided to small businesses, in addition to this financial counseling is also given to minority-owned businesses. The SBA guarantees bank-originated business loans up to $750,000 in loan principal.
On their official website http://www.sba.gov one can find an array of information and customize to suit individual requirement. A user friendly site helps you to navigate with ease and look up information, for example from helping you in planning your business, to getting ready, to writing a Business Plan. They also walk you through starting your business, finding a mentor, finance start-Up; buying a business or a franchise, to naming a business. Finally through managing your business, leading, making decisions, managing your employees, market and price, market and sell, understand fair practice, pay taxes, and get Insurance etc. Furthermore, SBA also services getting out deals, through exit plans, selling your business options, transferring options, liquidation, filling for bankruptcy and Closing. There are Services like Financial Assistance, grants, contracting opportunities, disaster assistance and more. Interactive tools help you find the bits of information required like Audio visuals, library research, Marketing and Outreach, Monthly web chat, forms and more. There are various district offices available for different states which may be contacted for further information. There are separate centers for various requirements like, Women’s Business Centers, Small Business Development Centers, U.S. Export Assistance Centers, Veterans Business Outreach Centers.
SBA Advocates through its guidelines, by taking leadership in building a productive partnership between the American people and its government. They assure that their team focuses on delivering results for small business, being accountable, accessible and responsive. The agency helps empower the spirit of entrepreneurship within every community and promotes the ability to realize the American dream.
For more information about SBA Business Loans see SBA Business Loan.
We all need loans at some point of time in our life. Be it for buying the house, automobile, setting up new business, higher studies and so on. There are two types of loans available in the financial market. In this article, we will discuss unsecured loans in detail.
Unsecured loans do not require pledging your assets as collateral for the loan. In such case, the borrower obtains the loan by signing few documents agreeing to pay back the loan within a set term. It is also known as signature loan.
The main criterion for getting the unsecured loan is the creditworthiness of the borrower. If you do not have good credit rating, the chance of obtaining the unsecured loan is low and even if you get a loan, the interest rates may be too high and the loan amount is less. The repayment terms for unsecured loan may be usually shorter as the lender is taking higher risk by giving a loan without collateral. You may also apply for the loan through online application forms available on the lender’s website.
Advantages
You do not require any expensive assets or properties to obtain the loan.
There is no risk of losing your assets, as the lenders are not entitled to stake claims on your assets.
This type of loan is usually cheaper than credit/store card as it has lower interest rate.
These loans are perfect for an emergency, as the process of acquiring loan is faster.
Unsecured loan could be availed for the following purposes:
For existing business needs
For start-up business
For personal needs, such as, home improvements, debt consolidation, education, wedding, or vacation
The process of acquiring unsecured loan is simple. You need to put together your employment papers and financial records for an unsecured personal loan. In case of a business loan, you may be required to furnish the details of your revenue in the last few years, credit reports, details of business assets and liabilities along with personal identity information in case of small business. For a new business start-up, you have to decide the business you want to start and then obtain the federal tax ID. After you have set-up the legal structure of your company, you must acquire a business banking account. Post this; you are eligible to apply for a loan, which may be granted on the basis of your personal credit history. It is also essential to conduct a thorough research to find the best deals available in the market. The loans are customized in terms of loan amount and repayment terms to meet the demands of the each customer.
Like with all loans, make sure that you keep up on your repayments to your lender.
For more information about unsecured loans see Unsecured Loan.