19DecDecember 19, 2019 By Patrick

What An Asset Based Loan Can And Can Not Do For You

We occasionally receive calls from people who are looking to buy a business. The advice when seeking an asset based loan is always to target a company with at least some assets. Service companies such as accounting or legal practices for example, typically do not have hard assets that they use on a daily basis. This disqualifies the possibility of an asset based loan assisting in the purchase of the company.

What assets do lenders like to use as collateral for their loan? Essentially, any asset found on a company balance sheet can be used as collateral for a business purchase. These assets include accounts receivable, inventory, equipment and real estate. Ideally, a company has more than one of these available to be used as collateral for the lender.

When dealing with a new business acquisition loan request, the first course of action is to explore the SBA loan program and see if you can qualify for a government insured loan. The advantage of this loan is the low down payment of 10 percent required from the buyer. The disadvantage is that the SBA loan program is difficult to qualify for. The underwriting guidelines review the target company tax returns to ensure that the company can take on the additional debt used in purchasing the business. Tax return analysis is the most conservative form of cash flow analysis because everyone looks to minimize profits on their tax returns to avoid paying high taxes.

Secondly, the SBA is also required to take outside collateral when making a loan. This usually means a 2nd position on the buyer(s) residence. Not all applicants own a home, or if they do, have equity to offer in the home. The psychological effects of placing your home as collateral can also be a bit intimidating.

If the applicant can not qualify for an SBA loan, there are private money solutions available. Asset based lenders outside of the SBA program are a bit more flexible. They look at the collateral of the business and see what cash can be taken out of the existing assets. For example, if a company owns equipment and real estate, can those assets be leveraged and applied toward the purchase price? Another popular way of purchasing a business is through factoring the accounts receivable. Invoice factoring companies are asset based lenders focused strictly on the accounts receivable of the business to be acquired. By factoring the accounts receivable, they can make additional cash available for the purchase. For example, if a company has $1,000,000 in open accounts receivable a cash availability of up to $850,000 can be made available for the purchase.

The last piece is what is referred to as a “seller carry back.” This is simply an amount of the purchase price that the seller agrees to accept over the course of a payment plan agreed to between buyer and seller. Asset based lenders view this as equity, but also prefer that the buyer has cash to bring in to the purchase. Cash investment from the buyer is important because it keeps them invested in making the acquisition a success. If the buyer has no capital at stake personally, it is easier to walk away from a failed acquisition. Buyers prefer 100% financing and lenders want some “skin in the game” in order to keep the borrower invested.

Asset based loans can make your business acquisition goals a reality. However, buyers need to be realistic in their expectations. If a buyer has zero capital to put down towards the acquisition or the company targeted for purchase has zero assets, the likelihood of success is very slim.

Advice: if you are looking to acquire a business using mostly outside capital, make sure the business has hard assets and you have a portion to apply to the purchase price. What was not mentioned previously is buyer experience. You should also have some experience in the industry your acquisition is in. For example, purchasing a repair shop and have adequate prior experience as a mechanic.

If you would like to talk about acquiring a business, give us a call 714-719-8966.

To you success!

Patrick Zazueta
Huntington Coast Capital, Inc.

08MarMarch 8, 2019 By Patrick

Why You Do Not Need Good Credit For An Asset Based Loan

Huntington Beach, CA

In the lending world, so much relies on personal credit as part of the analysis. Strong personal credit is something not everyone has, fewer than you think in fact. As business owners, when payments are delayed, you are forced to delay your payments to suppliers. However, because your business income is your primary source of income (in most cases), this means personal obligations can also be delayed. Timely payments on items such as your personal mortgage payments, electricity bill, car payments, and so forth all attribute toward your credit score. Delays in revenue and income from your business can quickly effect your personal life and negatively impact your credit score. A poor credit score makes it nearly impossible to be approved for additional credit.

Asset based loans come to the rescue in these cases! Asset based loans can be used for either real estate or business loan purposes. Let us explore below.

Asset Based Loans For Business.

The company balance sheet reflects all the assets of a business (remember assets, minus liabilities equals equity?). Assets that can be used as collateral for an asset based loan are accounts receivable, equipment, inventory, and real estate (more on asset based real estate loans below).

Accounts receivable are payment obligations from customers for goods purchased or services performed. An accounts receivable invoice reflects the amount due and when payment is expected (usually with 30, 60 or 90 days). These invoices are considered assets and can be used as collateral for a loan.

There are two types of asset based loans available against invoices and those are factoring loans and an asset based line of credit. A factoring loan is a buy sell agreement where the factor provides and advance against the face amount of the invoices to improve the cash flow of the business. Factoring loans are more than just an advance. In a factoring arrangement the factor manages the back office and credit and collection functions for the client. Outsourcing the back office functions is often more cost effective than hiring internal staff. For more information on factoring loans click here.

An asset based accounts receivable line of credit provides an advance against accounts on a total availability In this type of arrangement the lender looks at the accounts receivable aging and advances against the total balance outstanding. There is no back office management involved in an asset based line of credit and as such, the rates are a bit lower.

Asset based loans against inventory and equipment are just as you would expect. The lender advances against the value of the collateral. Proceeds are used to increase working capital and assist in growing the business. Equipment loans have been a major source of growth for us in the asset based loan category. For more information on this type of loan please visit our sister company Equipment Finance Quotes.

Asset Based Loans For Commercial Real Estate.

Commercial real estate transactions also use asset based loans on a broad basis. If you have a traditional property type and have plenty of time to close using a bank is your best bet. High scrutiny in underwriting translates in to lower rates although the process can be tedious.

Asset based loans in commercial real estate are used as bridge loans to acquire property. Scenarios where time is of the essence or where a property requires creative underwriting, fit well with asset based commercial loan requests. Virtually all property types are considered and the process is much faster and much less document intensive than traditional bank loans. For more information on asset based loans for commercial real estate click here.

You noticed that I did not mention personal credit in any of the explanations above. This is because it does not come in to the analysis to any important degree. The only exception to this is if the borrower has a negative mark on his credit where a lender providing a similar loan took a loss on that loan. Poor credit due to inquiries, slow payment of personal obligations, charge off notices, default on credit cards and the like rarely come in to play. The main focus is the quality of the asset being used as collateral.

I hope you enjoyed reading this. If your business could use an asset based loan or if you need an asset based loan to acquire commercial real estate, give us a call at 714-719-8966.

To your success!

Patrick Zazueta | Managing Director
Huntington Coast Capital, Inc.

28JulJuly 29, 2018 By Patrick

Huntington Coast Capital Secures $300,000 Factoring Line Of Credit

Huntington Beach, CA An advertising company is the latest example of our asset based loan success stories! The company specializes in Social Hotspot/WiFi Advertising. Their slogan, WiFi is Smart. Phones are Smart. Is Your Advertising Smart? says it all. Their ability to target the audience of their clients with real time advertising sent to the target customers cell phone, is a powerful and engaging marketing concept. They can target age, gender, interests, location and more, to drill down and put the appropriate ads in front of people that would have the most interest. Targeted mobile marketing is the wave of the future in advertising!

The Challenge: Like most of our clients, they were growing quickly and struggling to keep up with the day to day working capital needs of the company. They needed an asset based loan secured by their accounts receivable to speed up their cash cycle. However, this was a more difficult funding request due to the fact that they bill their customers ahead of services rendered. I would estimate that 99 percent of the asset based loan providers that are lending on accounts receivable need to finance the invoices after the service or product has been delivered. We literally spoke with over a dozen companies to discuss a factoring loan for this client. After several attempts we found success with a progressive and forward thinking asset based loan lender. They secured the working capital loan they needed and can now grow the company without worry of running out of cash to support their growth!

If your company could use an asset based loan for your business or an asset based loan secured by commercial real estate, we would like to hear from you! We enjoy these success stories and would like to feature your business in the next one!

To your success!

Patrick Zazueta | Founder
Huntington Coast Capital, Inc.
714-719-8966 direct

26FebMay 19, 2018 By Patrick

Asset Based Loans Versus Bank Loans. Which Is Better For My Business?

Huntington Beach, CA: Our clients come to us with an asset based loan or financing need that almost always is required in order to grow their business. If you are like most business owners, cash flow is tight and if you receive a big order outside the normal course of business, it could be challenging coming up with the cash to cover the cost of goods and deliver the product. Your cash need could also be to finance additional equipment and require an asset based equipment loan in order to meet the increased capacity required to fulfill a contract.

Traditional banking places the emphasis on the cash flow and financial strength of the company, the borrower. They are primarily concerned with how financially solid the company they are lending to is. This is good practice, and it makes sense that the companies that the banks deal with are in good financial health. The obstacle to clear however, is that most companies are leveraged to a high degree and can not meet all of the required ratios banks look for when making a credit decision.

If your company is growing quickly and every dollar is going back out the door to cover ongoing working capital needs, it is likely that you will not meet all the requirements of bank lending. For example, banks look at the leverage ratio of the company. This ratio is figured by dividing the total debt of the company by the equity of the company. Equity being the total assets minus the total liabilities. If you have more than 3 or 4 times the liabilities as you do equity, banks will shy away from offering you more credit for fear that your profits and company cash flow will not be able to pay off the new debt. Again, a prudent way to look at things, but the problem is that most borrowers do not qualify.

The advantage to bank lending is the cost. If your company can qualify, then banks will be able to offer the lowest borrowing rates.

The other option are asset based loans. Asset based loans have a broad spectrum of categories. An asset based loan can be used for commercial real estate purchases, inventory loans, equipment loans and purchase order financing to name a few. In an asset based loan, the lender is looking at the asset being used as collateral in the transaction. For example, if your company received a large purchase order and needs additional cash to pay the upfront costs or deposit required by the supplier, and asset based loan is a good option. The asset in this instance is the purchase order itself. Purchase order financing is often accompanied by a factoring loan. Factoring loans are asset based loans secured by the invoice sent to the customer versus the purchase order sent to the supplier. For more information on factoring loans click here.

In our experience, business owners are qualified for asset based loans more often than bank loans. We explore each option as appropriate and the obvious choice is always revealed in the end. Our clients like the unbiased consultation and industry insight we bring to the table. Because we are not lending our own money and acting in a consultant capacity, we are able to align ourselves on your side of the table and deliver the best options for you and your funding needs. Additionally, in the majority of cases, our services are free to our clients. Our lender network compensates us for bringing them asset based loan opportunities.

If your business would benefit from an asset based loan or equipment loan, give us a call. My direct line is 714-719-8966.

To your success!

16JanJanuary 16, 2018 By Patrick

Huntington Coast Capital Secures $400,000 Equipment Loan For Southern California Manufacturer

Huntington Beach, CA A $400,000 asset based loan secured by equipment was obtained for a long time Huntington Coast Capital client. The company came back to Huntington Coast Capital for some additional equipment loan needs for their expanding business. The assembly line equipment will enable them to meet growing customer orders. The asset based loan secured exclusively by the equipment offered better terms than other equipment finance companies and even the equipment supplier’s terms!

The production manager said, the new equipment will allow us to deliver the additional orders being requested by our customer and enable us to deepen our relationship with them.

Asset based loans are a great way to leverage specific collateral for a loan. Equipment loans and factoring loans are great examples of this. In factoring loans, the asset being pledged is the accounts receivable of the company. Business owners in need of cash flow to sustain operations often turn to a factoring loan for the flexibility, speed and fewer restrictions involved in the loan agreements. When compared to traditional bank financing, asset based loans offer a more user-friendly experience and allow you to grow your business without the bank hassle.

Could your business benefit from an asset based loan? Are you looking for a less complicated lender experience? Through our network of lenders throughout the United States, we have most every business loan request covered. To learn more, give us a call 714-719-8966.

To your success!
Patrick

19May By Patrick

Huntington Coast Capital Secures $500,000 Term Loan For Contractor

Huntington Beach, CA: We successfully secured a $500,000 term loan for a general contractor in New Orleans, LA. The company specializes in a broad range of construction projects including both ground up development and renovation work. Some of their projects include residential lot development, hospital and university rehabilitation projects, and local municipality work.

The company currently has a line of credit factoring loan through their local bank, but this was not enough to meet the cash needs of the upcoming projects they were awarded. The subject contracts were coming in the summer and were for some local schools that were looking to beautify their campuses. The projects have to start as soon as school let out for the summer and be concluded by the time the kids returned after the break. They needed additional capital and quickly if they were to meet the deadline and be awarded the contract. Their existing factoring loan improved their existing working capital, however, they were in need of a term loan to cover the upfront costs of the contract if they were to be able to mobilize on the projects.

The company started early in their search for the additional capital. They started by inquiring with their existing bank who was unable to provide additional funds above and beyond their factoring loan formula. They initially thought that they would have to refinance their entire factoring loan in order to acquire a more lenient business loan package to meet their needs. Huntington Coast Capital advised that they should keep their existing bank financing as that is the lowest cost option. Instead, the strategy was to add to their existing factoring loan by bringing in another lender to supplement their capital needs. This secondary term loan financing was more expensive than the bank factoring loan, however the opportunity cost of not being able to fulfill the new contracts would have been much more costly.

Perhaps the biggest benefit to the client is that not only are they able to fulfill these contracts, they now have a funding partner they can turn to for the next set of awarded contracts. Establishing a reliable capital source for your business is invaluable. Huntington Coast Capital specializes in bringing capital to business and adding value to our clients future growth.

How can we assist your business? If additional capital would help your business grow, we would like to speak with you.

To your success!
Patrick

10AprApril 10, 2017 By Patrick

How Will A Rise In Interest Rates Effect Business Owners?

Huntington Beach, CA – How does a change in interest rates effect business owners? Business owners borrower money in order to grow their company’s and expand. Whether the need is for an equipment loan, SBA loan, factoring services, a commercial real estate loan, inventory loan, or asset based loan or line of credit in California or any other state, the cost goes up.

Things That Traditionally Increase When the Fed Increases Interest Rates

The recent rise in the Fed funds rate will likely cause a ripple effect on the borrowing costs for consumers and businesses that want to access credit based on the U.S. dollar. That has an impact across numerous credit categories, including the following:

The Prime Rate: A hike in the Feds rate immediately fueled a jump in the prime rate, which represents the credit rate that banks extend to their most credit-worthy customers. This rate is the one on which other forms of consumer credit are based, as a higher prime rate means that banks will increase fixed, and variable-rate borrowing costs when assessing risk on less credit-worthy companies and consumers.
Credit Card Rates: Working off the prime rate, banks will determine how credit-worthy other individuals are based on their risk profile. Rates will be affected for credit cards and other loans as both require extensive risk-profiling of consumers seeking credit to make purchases. Short-term borrowing will have higher rates than those considered long-term.
Savings: Money market and credit-deposit (CD) rates increase due to the tick up of the prime rate. In theory, that should boost savings among consumers and businesses as they can generate a higher return on their savings. However, it is possible that anyone with a debt burden would seek to pay off their financial obligations to offset higher variable rates tied to credit cards, home loans, or other debt instruments.
U.S. National Debt: A hike in interest rates boosts the borrowing costs for the U.S. government and fuel an increase in the national debt. A report from 2015 by the Congressional Budget Office and Dean Baker, a director at the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, estimates that the U.S. government may end up paying $2.9 trillion more over the next decade due to increases in the interest rate, than it would have if the rates had stayed near zero.

Things That Are Largely Unaffected When the Fed Increases Benchmark Interest Rates

Auto Loan Rates: Auto companies have benefited immensely from the Fed’s zero-interest-rate policy, but rising benchmark rates will have an incremental impact. Surprisingly, auto loans have not shifted much since the Federal Reserve’s announcement because they are long-term loans.
Mortgage Rates: A sign of a rate hike can send home borrowers rushing to close on a deal for a fixed loan rate on a new home. However, mortgage rates traditionally fluctuate more in tandem with the yield of domestic 10-year Treasury notes, which are largely affected by inflation rates.

Things That Traditionally Decrease When the Fed Increases Interest Rates

Business Profits: When interest rates rise, that’s typically good news for the profitability of the banking sector, as noted by investment giant Goldman Sachs. But for the rest of the global business sector, a rate hike carves into profitability. That’s because the cost of capital required to expand goes higher. That could be terrible news for a market that is currently in an earnings recession.
Home Sales: Higher interest rates and higher inflation typically cool demand in the housing sector. On a 30-year loan at 4.0%, home buyers can currently anticipate at least 60% in interest payments over the duration of their investment. Any uptick is surely a deterrent to acquiring the long-term investment former President George Bush once described as central to “The American Dream.”
Consumer Spending: A rise in borrowing costs traditionally weighs on consumer spending. Both higher credit card rates and higher savings rates due to better bank rates provide fuel a downturn in consumer impulse purchasing. (For more, read How Interest Rates Affect Spending.)

24FebFebruary 24, 2017 By Patrick

HCC Secures $700,000 Factoring Line Of Credit For A Manufacturing Client

Huntington Beach, CA: In the second tranche of financing, Huntington Coast Capital secured a $700,000 factoring line of credit for a snack food manufacturer. In the previous post we discussed the equipment loan needed to meet demand from new orders. This factoring line of credit was established for the ongoing working capital needs the company faces. Everything from managing payroll, supplier payments and other overhead burdens the company faces can now be met more quickly through the revolving line of credit.

Are your expenses piling up while you are waiting for customers to pay you? Through our network of capital providers we have most every business funding need covered. Experience the difference Huntington Coast Capital can make in your growth goals!

Call us at 714-719-8966.

20Sep By Patrick

Huntington Coast Capital Obtains $250,000 Factoring Facility For Growing Apparel Company

An upcoming menswear line was growing and needed outside funding in order to meet demand. They locally source all of their fabrics from a number of fabric suppliers and manufacture the goods all in Los Angeles. Their supplier’s cash up front requirements put a strain on their cash flow and they needed to do something fast in order to capitalize on the opportunity. Huntington Coast Capital was able to piece together a factoring facility within two weeks time to meet their cash needs and manufacturing deadlines. The company is now well set to grow the company and take their operations to the next level.

About the company:

LAUNCHED – 2012, a new menswear project based in Los Angeles, California

INSPIRATION – Traditional menswear, vintage classics, military uniforms and athletic sportswear.

PROCESS – Juxtaposing vintage garments with new fabrics and materials to create modern silhouettes.

COLLABORATION – With local artisans and craftsmen to complete the garment making process. Each item is often pieced together and finished by hand.

RESPECT – The distinguishing characteristics, quality and durability that only clothing and fabrics from another era can offer.

TRIBUTE – Each new collection is a tribute to the journey these garments have traveled. It is re-purposed and made modern with the intention of giving them new life for a new era. And the journey begins again.

If your company could benefit from a creative capital solution, call us 714-719-8966.

06NovJune 7, 2016 By Patrick

HCC Secures $750,000 Factoring Facility For A Coffee Importer

Huntington Coast Capital secured a $750,000 factoring facility for a coffee bean importer! The company was outgrowing its current lenders capacity quickly and needed a solution to meet the growth needs going forward.

The coffee, mainly beans imported from El Salvador, was experiencing huge demand from their existing and new customers. They needed a capital partner that could provide Letters of Credit and assist in speeding up their working capital cycle once the goods had been shipped to their customers.

Huntington Coast Capital moved quickly to find them the right solution to guarantee they had the funds they needed to take the business to the next level. We saved our client time, money and frustration during the process of finding a new lender.

Could your business benefit from additional capital? Call us! 844-239-2632. Unbiased Consultation. Proven Results.