FAQ: business lending & business loans for business owners
Business Loans Frequently Ask Questions
More about the Serpentine Small Business Loans
Tell me how you are able to avail the Serpentine Small Business Loans
Serpentine unsecured loans provides the range of $5,000 to $100,000, with terms ranging from 3 and 24 months. They also offer cash flow friendly repayments which can be made daily or weekly.
What makes this Unsecured Loan different from the traditional business loan?
You can apply to this Small Business Loan in under 10 minutes on the phone. You’ll receive an immediate response, and funds may be on your account within 24 hours. Traditional business loans reference an annual rate of interest along with other charges and fees. Our company loan is a loan that is priced upfront and you’ll know ahead of time the total amount to be paid, including any interest, fees or charges. Then, it is broken down into either a daily or weekly installment amount.
What can you use the Small Business Loan be used for?
The Small Business Loan can be used to fulfill almost any company use, including managing cash flows, business improvements, advertising to purchase inventory or new equipment, to fund general working capital, and much more. The loan cannot be used for personal use.
Concerning Larger Serpentine Business Loans
What is the Larger Serpentine Business Loan?
The Larger Business Loan is a larger loan size to support business growth opportunities. Loans range between $100,000 and $500,000 with a term fixed up to 36 months. The repayments are made weekly or fortnightly to work with your cash flow.
How is the Origination Fee determined?
It is important to note that the Larger Business Loan has an Origination Fee, which is calculated at 2.5 percent of the amount of the loan.
Do I qualify for the Larger Business Loan?
To qualify for a loan that is this large, your business needs to be operating for a minimum of 3 years with an annual turnover of $700,000. The applicant must also be a New Zealand Citizen (or Permanent Resident) who is over the age of 18 or have a New Zealand business (with a valid NZBN/IRD) and be able of proving at minimum 12 months of business.
How can the funds be utilised?
A larger business loan can be used for nearly any company reason, such as company improvements, purchasing inventory or new equipment, as general working capital and much more. The loan is not available for personal reasons.
Is the Larger Business Loan one that is secured?
Asset security is necessary to access funding over $150,000. It is usually as a result of an charge against assets, and may include registration in the PPSR or registering as a caveat.
A director’s or personal ensure is a guarantee to repay credit that is general in nature, rather than stating security over a particular asset. The person who is signing the guarantee is personally accountable if the company creditor is unable to make the repayment.
The Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) is an online central register operated by the New Zealand Government. It contains security interests that are registered for personal property (including goods or assets). The PPSR grants priority over personal property to be granted according to the date the security interest has been registered.
The caveat can be described as a formal form of document to provide notice of a legal claim against a property.
What is a pre-approval without Credit Check?
When you’re applying for the Larger Business Loan that exceeds $250,000 it is possible to offer an initial pre-approval that will help make the process. It is possible to apply for this without credit checks and within 6 hours of the initial application. This pre-approval is based on a preliminary assessment which includes you answering a few financial well-being checks. It is not an offer of credit or guarantee of financing. Unconditional approval is subject to an assessment of your creditworthiness and any offer that you may receive may be on different terms.
The application process
Do I qualify for funds?
You may apply for an company loan if you;
- are a New Zealand Citizen (or Permanent Resident)
- are 18 years or older, own a New Zealand company (with a valid NZBN/IRD)
- you must prove at least 6 months’ worth of transactions (for the unsecured loan $5K – $100K) or three years of trading (for the Larger Business Loan $100K up to $500K)
How do I apply?
The application process is simple and simple. Just complete the online application in just a few minutes, and an experienced business expert in lending will be in touch to assist you.
To apply for up to $100,000 you’ll require proof of identity (valid Driver’s License), a valid NZBN/IRD and at least six months worth of bank statements.
If you’re looking for loans with larger sizes, you’ll need:
$100K-$250K: Application requirements, including credit consent, 6 – 12 months of bank statements, IRD statement (if you have a loan of more than $150K).
$250K to $500K: Details for application including credit consent as well as 12 month bank accounts, the IRD statements Last 2 years’ finalised financial statements, in addition to interim financial statements for the current year including Aged Payables, Aged Receivables Summary.
How quickly will I receive an answer?
For an unsecured loan ($5K or more) we typically offer an answer within one hour if you apply during quality company timings and let us utilise the advanced bank verification system link to instantly verify your bank’s information online. If you choose to upload copies of your banking statements we can provide an answer within just 1 company day.
For Larger Business Loans ($100K up to $500,000) we might be capable of provide you with conditional pre-approval within about six hours. Once you have signed the pre-approval document, you will require to wait around 2-3 days for final approval. However, this may be quicker depending on the specifics of each application. Some transactions have received approval within less than 24 hours.
The quickest method can be make sure you apply during normal business hours and allow us to use our modern bank verification link to instantly verify your bank information online. If you choose to upload copies of your bank statement, it may take a bit longer.
What is the time frame to receive the money?
For the Small Business Loan ($5K to $100K) we typically provide a response in one hour, provided you submit your request at standard business hours and allow us to use the advanced bank verification system link to immediately verify your bank account information online. If you decide to submit copies of your bank statements we can offer an answer within one business day.
If you are applying for Larger Business Loans ($100K and up) we might be capable of provide you with conditional pre-approval within 6 hours. Once you’ve signed the pre-approval, the turnaround time is around 2-3 days for final approval, however this can be faster depending on the circumstances of each application. Some deals have been approved within just 24 hours.
The most effective method can be ensure you apply during normal business hours. Also, allow us to use our sophisticated bank verification to instantly check your bank’s information online. If you send us documents from your account statements it takes a bit longer.
What is the maximum amount I can borrow?
We offer loan amounts between $5,000 and $500,000. If you apply for a certain amount we will consider a number of aspects in order to assess what is the health of the company as well as the amount of the repayments your company is able to afford. The amount you receive from the loan will be determined by the specifics of your business.
When you apply for a set amount, we take into consideration a variety of aspects to assess your well-being of your business and the extent of repayments your company will be able to support. The total amount of your loan will be contingent on the specific circumstances of your company.
Fees & repayments
How much do you charge for an business loan?
When you make an application for the business credit, we will assess the risk profile of your business and provide you with a customised offer that includes loan amount, term and interest rates. It is a company loan is an upfront priced loan so you will know in advance the total amount payable including any charges or interest.
What determines the amount I am charged?
Business loan interest rates vary due to factors like the amount of money that is borrowed, what company assets the money will be used for as well as the field the company operates in, the long the company has been running and in the event that the company has sufficient cash flow to fund the loan, and general well-being or financial standing of the company.
What are the costs?
There aren’t any hidden costs for our company loans, and you’ll know exactly how much you’ll be required to pay, and when, from the very first day. There’s no compounding interest and no extra fees (as long as you are able to make your payments punctually).
We don’t charge an application fee. You can get a cash loan absolutely no upfront cost and no the obligation to take action.
The Origination Fee is the cost associated with establishing and managing the loan. It is only charged for this cost if you take out the loan. The Origination Fee for us is 2.5% of the amount of loan.
Can I repay the loan early?
You can repay all of your loan at any point in time.
If you are deciding to take this route, please speak to our friendly business loan professionals. They’ll provide you with the details of your repayment and an early payout figure. This will be calculated as the sum of the principal amount remaining and any accrued interest at the time of early payment, plus 1.5% of the principal amount remaining and any fees that remain unpaid.
How do you make repayments work?
In order to help you avoid missing repayments and to fit in with your cash flow cycle we offer repayments either daily or weekly. These are automatically deducted from your designated company account.
Security & privacy
Will my data be protected?
Making sure that your information is secure, and knowing how we collect information, use it, and exchange it, as well as safeguard your data, is of huge importance and is an essential element of our relationship with you.
Is it safe to link my bank account to the platform?
Yes. We make use of industry-standard encryption standards to secure your sensitive, personal financial and other data. Our funders are ISO 27001 qualified for our dedication to protecting the security of customers and security. We make use of an advanced banking verification system to immediately verify your bank account details online so we can provide rapid response.
About business loans
What’s an asset-based borrow (a secured loan)?
The term "asset-based" refers to borrowing where an business owner borrows from an asset that they own to obtain a loan. The asset can be an asset belonging to the personal, like the family home or a company asset such as a truck or other piece of machinery.
The vast majority of the lenders even the big banks, tend to secure loans against an asset. If you have trouble paying back the loan then your assets could be offered for sale by the lender. In essence it is means of securing additional financing making use of the value of what you already own.
Should I need security to get an company loan?
For loans that exceed $150,000, the requirement for asset security is not required before you are able to access the money however, we require a personal guarantee. need an individual guarantee. If you adhere to the terms of your loan (as stipulated in your loan contract document) the security of assets is not required. If you take out loans in excess of $150,000 generally, you can get a personal ensure and security in the form of charges on assets.