Small Business Lenders in St. Helena, California

Banks that Lend to St. Helena Businesses

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

Business Loan Advice for St. Helena Businesses

Before meeting with banks to get 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, define how the money will be used, and show your ability to pay the loan back to the bank.

A well-defined business plan is essential. If the bank loan 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 pledge your personal assets, such as stocks and bonds that you might own or life insurance policies. The banks will look at your personal credit report 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. Before meeting with the banker, 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.

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