Straight answers

On a straightforward unsecured loan, most clients have a decision within four hours and funds within three to five working days. Secured and property-backed deals take longer because of valuation and legal work, so allow two to six weeks.

Not to enquire, and not if the deal does not complete. When a lender funds your deal, the lender pays us a commission. On a small number of specialist cases there is a broker fee, and where that applies you will see the exact figure in writing before you commit to anything.

No. We use soft searches to work out which lenders are likely to say yes. A hard search only happens once you agree to proceed with a specific lender, so you avoid the footprint of applying to six places at once.

On most unsecured business lending, yes. A director's guarantee is standard and it is not the same as putting your home up as security. We will explain exactly what you are signing, and what would have to go wrong for it to be called on, before you sign it.

Sometimes. Adverse credit narrows the panel and raises the rate, but recent trading performance often matters more than a CCJ from four years ago. Tell us the full picture up front and we will tell you honestly whether it is workable.

We are a credit broker, not a lender. Some of what we arrange is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and some is not, because most business lending falls outside the regulated perimeter. We will tell you which applies to your case.

For most unsecured lending: two years of filed accounts, six months of business bank statements, and up-to-date management figures. Property and asset deals need more. We give you one complete list at the start rather than drip-feeding requests.

Four working days is typical on a straightforward unsecured case, measured from first call to funds. Asset finance runs about a week. Commercial mortgages take six to twelve weeks because of valuation and legals.

Someone calls you the same working day for a twenty-minute conversation about the position. If it is fundable, you will have shortlisted options with indicative rates within twenty-four hours.

Usually yes, but the terms vary enormously. Some lenders charge no early settlement fee at all, others charge the full remaining interest. This is one of the things we compare, and it is often worth more than a small difference in headline rate.

Under twelve months of trading is difficult but not impossible. The realistic routes are asset finance, merchant cash advance where you take card payments, or a personally guaranteed facility. We will be straight with you about which.

It uses the standard amortisation formula, which is the same maths a lender uses for a fixed-rate term loan. What it cannot know is the rate you will actually be offered or any arrangement fee, so treat it as a guide to shape rather than a quote.

Three reasons, usually. Your offered rate differs from the one you typed in, the lender charges an arrangement fee, or the repayment structure is not straight-line monthly. Your written quote is always the figure that counts.

If you have no idea, around 10% is a reasonable starting assumption for unsecured business lending. Secured and asset-backed rates are considerably lower. Short-term and adverse-credit products are considerably higher.

No. It shows capital and interest only. Arrangement fees typically run from 1% to 5% of the facility, and some lenders add them to the balance rather than deducting them from the advance, which changes the monthly figure.

Monthly interest is what you pay in the first month, when the balance is at its highest. It falls every month as the balance reduces. Total interest is the sum of every month across the whole term.

We record the amount, rate and term so we understand what visitors are looking for. That record is not linked to you and we do not use it to contact you.