Small Business Lenders in Amherst, New York

Local Amherst Lenders

To assist you in finding a small business banker, here's our list of small business banks in Amherst.

Other Lending Resources for Amherst Businesses

This is a list of banks outside of Amherst, New York that have provided SBA loans to Amherst businesses. Some of these may be national banks with local branch locations.

Business Loan Advice for Amherst Businesses

As a prerequisite to contacting banks to discuss getting a bank loan, you will need to determine exactly what size loan you will be asking for.

You need to be able to clearly explain your business, explain how much you want to borrow, walk the banker through the planned use of proceeds, and show your ability to pay the loan back to the bank.

A well-defined business plan is an important prerequisite. If the money is to for a company that is already doing business, you should also have financial statements covering the last three years. You will also need to discuss what collateral you have available to guarantee the loan. Collateral is relevant because banks always want to be prepared for a worst-case scenario in which cash flow from the business does not meet your projections.

If the business has few assets, you will likely be asked to secure the business with your personal assets, such as stocks and bonds that you might own or life insurance policies. The banks will check on your personal credit history in any case, so hopefully you have good credit history -- you may want to get a copy of your credit history prior to meeting with the banker.

Many of the banks in our list participate in the financial assistance programs available through the SBA. Prior to visiting local banks, you may want to read up on on SBA loans programs to see if you qualify. SBA 7(a) loans, SBA 504 loans and SBA disaster assistance loans may be available to you.

Gaebler.com Advice on Raising Money

Take the time to learn as much as you can about Raising Money. For starters, we recommend you read Find Start-Up Capital.