FAQ: business lending & business loans for business owners
Business Loans Frequently Ask Questions
Information About The Elwood Small Business Loans
Let me know about the Elwood Small Business Loans
Elwood unsecured loans offers amounts of between $5,000 and $100,000. The terms range between 3 and 24 months. They also offer cash flow friendly repayments which can be made daily or weekly.
How is this Unsecured Loan different from the traditional company loan?
The application for your Small Business Loan in under 10 minutes via the internet or over the phone, receive an instant response and the funds could be in your account in 24 hours. Traditional business loans refer to an interest rate per annum together with additional fees and charges. Our company loan is a pre-paid loan and you’ll know in advance the total amount to be paid, including any interest, fees or charges. Then, it is broken down into weekly or daily payment amount.
What can the Small Business Loan be used for?
The Small Business Loan can be used for virtually every business need, such as managing cash flows, company improvements, advertising to purchase inventory or new equipment, for general working capital, and much more. The loan cannot be used to fund personal expenses.
About larger Elwood Business Loans
What is the Larger Elwood Business Loan?
The Larger Business Loan is a larger size loan to aid in company growth opportunities. Loans range from $100,000 to $500,000 with a term fixed with a maximum of 36 months. The repayments are made weekly or fortnightly to work with your cash flow.
How is the Origination Fee calculated?
This Larger Business Loan has an Origination Fee which is calculated at 2.5% of the loan amount.
Am I eligible for the Larger Business Loan?
To be eligible for a credit of this size, your company needs to have been operating for at least three years and have an annual turnover of $700K. You must be a New Zealand Citizen (or Permanent Resident) at least 18 years old and have a New Zealand company (with a valid NZBN/IRD) and be able to prove at minimum 12 months of business.
What can the funds be used for?
A larger company loan can be used for almost every business purpose including company renovations, purchase of new equipment or inventory or as general working capital and much more. The loan is not available for personal purposes.
Is the Larger Business Loan one that requires security?
Asset security is needed to obtain funding above $150,000. This is as a result of an charge on assets, and could include registering this in the PPSR or the registration of a caveat.
A director’s or personal guarantee is a promise to repay credit that is generally based rather than defining security over a particular asset. The person signing the ensure is personally liable if the business the borrower fails to re-pay the debt.
The Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) is an online, central register that is operated by the New Zealand Government. It lists security interests that are which are registered with respect to personal property (including the assets or goods). The PPSR permits prioritisation over property that is personal to be assigned depending on the date that a registration of a security interest.
The caveat can be described as a formal document filed to offer notice of a legal claim to property.
What is a pre-approval minus Credit Check?
If you’re applying for a Larger Business Loan that is greater than $250,000 we may be able to provide an initial pre-approval in order to smooth out the process. We may be able to make this decision without credit checks and within 6 hours of your initial application. The pre-approval process is based on an initial assessment, which involves you answering some financial health questions. It’s in no way an offer, nor is it a guarantee of credit. A conditional approval is subject an assessment of your creditworthiness and any offer you may receive may have different conditions.
The application process
Are I eligible for funding?
You are eligible to apply for an business loan if you
- are a New Zealand Citizen (or Permanent Resident)
- are over the age of 18 and have a New Zealand company (with a valid NZBN/IRD)
- you must demonstrate at minimum 6 months worth of trade (for the unsecured loan $5K – $100K) or 3 years of continuous trading (for the Larger Business Loan $100K or $500K)
How do I apply?
The application process is fast and easy. Simply complete the online form within a few minutes and an experienced company lending specialist will call you to help you.
To apply for up $100,000 you’ll need ID details (valid Driver’s Licence) and an NZBN/IRD that is valid and at least 6 months’ worth of bank statements.
In addition, for larger loan sizes, you’ll also require:
$100K – $250K: Application details including credit consent, 6 – 12 months of bank statements, IRD statement (if you have a loan of more than $150K).
$250K-$500K: Details of the application, including credit consent and 12 months of bank statements, IRD statement Last 2 years’ finalised financial statements, and interim financials for the current financial year, Aged Payables and Aged Receivables reports.
What speed will I be able to get an answer?
For an unsecured loan ($5K up to $100,000) We can usually provide an answer in just one hour – as long as you apply within quality business time and permit us to utilise the bank verification system link to immediately verify your bank account information online. If you want to upload copies of your bank statements , we are able to offer a decision within just one company day.
For Larger Business Loans ($100K and up) we may be capable of offer you with a conditional pre-approval within about six hours. After you’ve signed the pre-approval, turnaround times are about 2-3 days for final approval. However, this can be quicker based upon the circumstances for each application. Certain offers have been approved within less than 24 hours.
The fastest way can be make sure you apply during normal company hours. You can also allow us to use our modern bank verification to instantly verify your bank account information online. If you decide to upload copies of your bank statement, it will take a little longer.
How quickly will I receive the money?
For the Small Business Loan ($5K up to $100,000) we can often provide an answer in just one hour, provided you submit your request at normal business timings and allow us to make use of the advanced bank verification system link to instantly verify your bank information online. If you opt to upload copies of your banking statements, we’ll be able to offer an answer within 1 business day.
If you are applying for Larger Business Loans ($100K and up) we could be in a position to provide the conditional pre-approval in around six hours. Once you have signed the pre-approval document, you will need to wait about 2-3 days for final approval, however this may be quicker depending upon the circumstances for each application. Certain offers have been approved in 24 hours.
The fastest way for you to apply is ensure you apply during normal business hours. You can also let us use the modern bank verification to check your bank’s information online. If you upload the copies of bank statements it takes a bit longer.
How much can I borrow?
We offer the loan amount between $5,000 to $500,000. If you apply for a particular amount, we consider a variety of variables that determine your health for your company as well as the amount of the repayments your business can afford. The total amount of your loan will be contingent on the specifics the company.
When you submit an application for a certain amount, we look at a range of variables to determine your health of the business as well as the amount of repayments that your business will be able to support. The total amount of your loan will be determined by the particular circumstances that are unique to your company.
Fees & repayments
What is the cost for a company loan?
If you decide to request one of our company loan, we will assess the risk profile for your business and provide you with a customised offer, including the loan amount, the terms and interest rates. The business loan is an upfront priced loan so you will know the exact amount to be paid, including any charges, interest rates or fees.
What determines the rate that I will be charged?
Business loan interest rates depend on a variety of factors like the amount of money that is borrowed, what business assets the money will be used for and the sector the business is in, how long the company has been running for, what percentage of the company has sufficient cash flow to fund the loan, as well as the overall well-being or financial standing of the business.
What are the charges?
There aren’t any hidden charges with our company loans. You’ll know precisely what you be required to pay and when, starting from the day you sign up. There’s no compounding interest, and there are no additional charges (as long as you make your payments on time).
We don’t charge an application fee. You can get a cash loan with no upfront cost or any obligation to sign up.
The Origination Fee covers the expenses involved in establishing and managing the loan. The only way to pay this fee if you choose to proceed with the loan. The Origination Fee for us is 2.5% of the loan amount.
Can I pay off the loan earlier?
You can repay the total amount of your loan early at any time.
If you do decide to take this route, please talk to one of our helpful business loan experts. They’ll offer you with details on repayment along with an early payout estimate. It will be calculated using the sum of the principal remaining and accrued interest to the time of the early payout in addition to 1.5 percent of the principal balance plus any outstanding fees.
What are the repayment methods?
To make sure that you don’t miss payment dates and to align with your cash flow standard, we provide payments that are either weekly or daily. These are automatically withdrawn from your designated company account.
Security & privacy
Will my data be secure?
Making sure that your information is secure, and making it clear how we collect the information we collect, use, share and protect your information, is crucial and an integral part of our relationship you.
Is it safe to link my bank account to the platform?
Yes. We make use of industry-standard encryption standards to protect your sensitive, personal financial and other data. Our funders are ISO 27001 qualified for our commitment to protecting the security of customers and privacy. We utilise a sophisticated bank verification system to immediately verify your bank account details online to offer a fast response.
About business loans
What is asset-based borrowing (a secured loan)?
The term "asset-based" refers to borrowing where a business owner makes use of an asset they own to obtain a loan. The asset can be either an asset belonging to the personal, like the family home or a company asset such as a vehicle or piece of equipment.
The majority of the lenders even the largest banks, are inclined to secure loans against an asset. If you have trouble paying back the loan, the asset could be taken over by the lender. In essence, it is a way of securing new funding taking advantage of the value of what you already have.
Should I need security for an company loan?
Up to $150K in loans it is not necessary to secure assets prior to the loan’s access However, we do need a personal guarantee. As long as you follow the loan terms (as stated in your loan contract), asset security is not needed. For loans that exceed $150K, generally there is a personal ensure and security that is in the form an asset charge.