Free guide
What lenders look at
A free plain-English guide to the seven things lenders review when a UK limited company applies for business finance, and how to prepare for each one.
What's inside
Seven areas, each explained simply.
- 1
Trading history
How long you've been trading and how consistently the business has performed.
- 2
Turnover and its trend
The level of your revenue and which direction it's moving.
- 3
Cash flow and bank statements
How money actually moves through your business account.
- 4
Business and director credit profiles
What credit reference agencies show about the company and its directors.
- 5
Companies House filings
Whether your accounts and confirmation statement are filed on time.
- 6
Existing commitments
What the business already owes and repays each month.
- 7
Security and guarantees
Assets, personal guarantees and what you'd be committing to.
Your preparation checklist
A few of the items from the guide's checklist:
- Latest filed accounts, plus management accounts if your year end was a while ago
- Recent business bank statements
- A 12-month revenue summary
- Companies House filings up to date
Plus 3 more in the full guide