Biz Intel Desk explains how banks and lenders look at small and medium businesses, in plain English and with worked numbers. This page lists every guide on the site in one place, grouped by topic, so you can read in a logical order. If you are preparing a loan application for the first time, start with the first section and work down.
Start here: how lenders make decisions
- How Banks Actually Evaluate a Business Loan Application: the full picture of what a credit officer checks, from cash flow to character.
- Why Banks Decline Business Loans: 10 Common Reasons (and How to Fix Them): the most common reasons for a “no”, and what to fix before you reapply.
- 10 Documents Banks Usually Ask For in a Business Loan Application: a checklist of financial statements, bank statements and legal papers to prepare.
- Personal Credit vs. Business Credit: How Banks Evaluate Small Business Owners: how your own credit history affects a business application.
Security, guarantees and borrowing limits
- Collateral for a Business Loan: What Banks Accept and How They Value It: which assets banks accept as security and how much they lend against each one.
- Personal Guarantees on Business Loans: What You’re Really Signing: what a personal guarantee commits you to, and how to limit it.
- How Much Can My Business Borrow? The Three Limits Lenders Check: the three limits lenders use to set the maximum loan size.
- How to Get a Small Business Loan With Bad Credit (A Lender’s-Eye Guide): realistic routes to finance when your credit history is weak.
- SBA Loan vs Bank Loan: Which Is Better for Your Small Business?: how SBA-backed loans compare with conventional bank loans.
Loan costs, structures and terms
- How Is a Loan EMI Calculated? The Formula, a Worked Example and the Flat-Rate Trap: the EMI formula step by step, with a worked example.
- Flat Rate vs Reducing Balance Interest: What a Business Loan Really Costs: why a flat rate can cost far more than the same headline reducing-balance rate.
- Fixed vs Floating Interest Rates on Business Loans: how each type of rate behaves when interest rates move.
- Term Loan vs Line of Credit: Which One Does Your Business Need?: choosing between a fixed loan and a revolving facility.
- How to Read a Bank Term Sheet: 10 Terms to Check Before You Sign: the ten clauses to understand before you sign an offer.
- Loan Covenants Explained: The Promises You Make After the Loan Is Approved: the financial and reporting promises that stay with you after approval.
Financial ratios lenders use
- DSCR Explained: Formula, What Counts as a Good Ratio, Stress Tests and How Banks Use It: the single most important ratio for repayment capacity, with stress tests.
- 6 Financial Ratios Banks Use to Judge Your Business (With Examples): the core ratios behind most credit decisions, with examples.
- Current Ratio vs Quick Ratio: Formulas, Example and How Lenders Read Them: two liquidity ratios and how lenders interpret them.
- Break-Even Analysis: How to Calculate It and Why Lenders Ask: how to find your break-even point and why it matters to a lender.
- Cash Flow vs. Profit: Why a Profitable Business Can Still Run Out of Money: why profit on paper does not always mean cash in the bank.
Working capital
- The Working Capital Cycle, Explained: How Much Cash Your Business Really Ties Up: how long cash is tied up between paying suppliers and collecting from customers.
- Debtor Days Explained: How Banks Read Your Receivables: how quickly customers pay you, and what lenders read into it.
- Inventory Turnover and Days Inventory: Formula and Worked Example: how fast stock turns into sales, and why slow stock worries lenders.
Islamic finance
- Islamic Banking Modes of Financing Explained: Murabaha, Ijarah, Musharakah, Mudarabah, Salam and Istisna: Murabaha, Ijarah, Musharakah, Mudarabah, Salam and Istisna explained step by step.
- Murabaha, Ijara and Diminishing Musharaka: A Simple Comparison: a side-by-side comparison of three of the most common Islamic financing structures.
Free tools
- Free business calculators: DSCR, EMI, loan comparison, borrowing capacity, working capital, cash conversion cycle, break-even and LTV.
- Free loan checklist: a printable list of what to prepare before you apply.
- SME Loan Package Starter Kit (Excel): ready-made templates to put a complete loan package together.
How we write these guides
Every guide is written from a lender’s point of view, uses worked examples you can repeat with your own numbers, and is reviewed when rules or market practice change. Read our editorial policy for details. The guides are general education, not financial advice; always confirm terms with your own lender or adviser.
New guides are added every week. Have a topic you want covered? Contact us.