FAQ: business lending & business loans for business owners
Business Loans Frequently Ask Questions
About The Houghton Bay Small Business Loans
Tell me more about Houghton Bay Small Business Loans
Houghton Bay unsecured loans offers the range of $5,000 to $100,000. Terms range from 3 and 24 months, cash flow friendly repayments that are either daily or weekly.
What is the Unsecured Loan different from the traditional company loan?
The application to the Small Business Loan in under 10 minutes over the phone. You’ll get an immediate response, and the money could be on your account within 24 hours. Traditional business loans have an annual rate of interest along with other charges and fees. The company loan is a pre-paid loan which means you know ahead of time the total amount to be paid, including the interest, fees and charges. This is then divided into a daily or weekly installment amount.
What could be the Small Business Loan be used for?
A Small Business Loan can be used for nearly every business purpose including control of cash flow business remodels and marketing, to purchase inventory or new equipment, to fund general working capital and so much more. The loan is not available for personal purposes.
Concerning Larger Houghton Bay Business Loans
What is the Larger Houghton Bay Business Loan?
The Larger Business Loan is a larger loan size to support business growth opportunities. The loan ranges from $100,000 to $500,000 over a fixed term up to 36 months. The repayments are made weekly or fortnightly, depending on your cash flow.
How is the Origination Fee calculated?
This Larger Business Loan has an Origination Fee, calculated at 2.5 percent of the amount of the loan.
Am I eligible for the Larger Business Loan?
In order to be eligible for a loan in this amount, your company needs to be trading for at least 3 years, and have an annual income of $700,000. It is necessary to be a New Zealand Citizen (or Permanent Resident) over 18 years and have a New Zealand company (with a valid NZBN/IRD) and be able of proving at minimum 12 months of continuous trading.
How can the funding be utilised?
A large business loan can be used to fund almost any company purpose including business renovations, to purchase equipment or inventory as well as for general working capital, and much more. The loan is not available for personal purposes.
Is the Larger Business Loan one that requires security?
Asset security is required for funding of more than $150,000. This is as a result of an charge over assets, and may include registration in the PPSR or filing as a caveat.
A personal or director’s guarantee is a promise to repay credit that is generally based rather than defining security over an asset. The person signing the ensure is personally liable if the company lender is not able to re-pay the debt.
The Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) is an online central registry run by the New Zealand Government. It lists security interests that are that are registered for personal property (including goods or assets). The PPSR grants the priority of personal property assigned according to the date the security interest has been registered.
Caveats are legal form of document to provide the legal claim against a property.
What exactly is a preapproval without Credit Check?
If you’re applying for a Larger Business Loan of $250,000 or more, we may offer an initial pre-approval that will help make the process. It is possible to apply for this without credit checks and within six hours of your initial application. The pre-approval is based upon an initial assessment that includes the answer to a series of financial well-being questions. It’s in no way an offer, nor is it a guarantee of finance. Acceptance without condition is subject to an assessment of your creditworthiness and any offer you receive could be subject to different conditions.
The application process
Do I have the right to receive funds?
You may be eligible for an company loan if you;
- are a New Zealand Citizen (or Permanent Resident)
- are 18 years or older, have a New Zealand company (with a valid NZBN/IRD)
- you must demonstrate at minimum 6 months of trading (for a unsecured loan $5K – $100K) or 3 years of continuous trading (for the Larger Business Loan $100K up to $500K)
How do I apply?
The process for applying is fast and easy. Complete the online form within a couple minutes, and an experienced company loan specialist will be in touch to guide you through the process.
To apply for up $100,000, you’ll require ID details (valid Driver’s License) as well as an NZBN/IRD that is valid and at least six months worth of bank statements.
For larger loan sizes, you’ll need:
$100K – $250K: Information about the application including credit consent, 6 – 12 months of IRD statements, bank statements (if credit is over $150K).
$250K – $500K: Details for application including credit consent and 12 months of bank statements, IRD statement Last 2 years’ finalised financial statements, in addition to interim financials from the current financial year, Aged Payables and Aged Receivables reports.
How soon will I hear a decision?
For an unsecured loan ($5K up to $100,000) We can usually provide a response in one hour, provided you make your application in standard company hours and permit us to use the advanced bank verification system to instantly verify your bank information online. If you choose to submit copies of your bank statements , we are able to provide an answer within just 1 business day.
If you are applying for a Larger Business Loan ($100K or more) we might be in a position to provide the conditional pre-approval within 6 hours. Once you have signed the pre-approval form, it will take between 2 and 3 days for the final approval. However, this may be quicker depending upon the circumstances for each application. Some agreements have been approved within the space of 24 hours.
The fastest way is to ensure you apply during normal business hours and allow us to use the modern bank verification link to verify your bank account information online. If you upload duplicates of your banking statement, it may take a bit longer.
What is the time frame to receive the money?
For the Small Business Loan ($5K and up) we can often offer an answer within one hour – provided you apply during normal business times and you allow us to use the advanced bank verification system to instantly verify your bank information online. If you decide to submit copies of your bank statement, we’ll provide the decision in as little as 1 business day.
For Larger Business Loans ($100K or more) we may be likely to provide you with a conditional pre-approval within 6 hours. Once you’ve signed the pre-approval form, it will take approximately 2-3 days to receive final approval. However, this could be shorter based upon the circumstances for each application. Certain deals have been approved within 24 hours.
The fastest way for you to apply is ensure you apply during standard business hours and allow us to use the advanced bank verification system to verify your bank information online. If you decide to send us duplicates of your banking statements it takes a bit longer.
What’s the minimum amount I can borrow?
We offer the loan amount between $5,000 to $500,000. When you submit an application for a particular amount, we look at a variety of variables in order to assess your health of the company and the amount of repayments that your company will be able to support. The total amount of the loan will be determined by the specifics that are unique to your business.
If you apply for a certain amount, we take into consideration a variety of factors to assess how much we can lend you such as well-being for your company as well as the amount of repayments that your company will be able to support. The total amount of the loan will be determined by the particular circumstances for your company.
Fees & repayments
How much do you charge for an business loan?
When you make an application for one of our business credit, we will assess the risk assessment of your business and offer you with a tailored proposal that includes loan amount, term and interest rates. The company loan is an upfront cost loan therefore you will know the exact amount you will have to pay, including costs, fees, or interest rates.
What determines the amount I pay?
The interest rates on business loans rates differ based on various factors such as the amount that is borrowed, what business assets the money will be used for in addition to the industry that the company operates in, how long the company is in operation and how long the company has sufficient cash flow to cover the loan, and the overall health and creditworthiness of the business.
What are the cost?
There aren’t any hidden charges for our company loans. You’ll know precisely how much it is that you be required to pay and when, from the day you sign up. There’s no compounding and there are no additional charges (as as long as you pay your payments on time).
We do not charge an Application Fee. You can request a credit loan with without any upfront costs or obligation to proceed.
The Origination Fee covers the expenses involved with setting up and managing the loan. The only way to pay this fee if you decide to take the loan. The Origination Fee for us is 2.5 percent of the amount of the loan.
Do I have the option of paying off the loan early?
You can decide to repay the entire amount of the loan in full at any time.
If you decide to take this route, please talk to one of our helpful company loans experts. They will provide you with details for repayment as well as an early payout amount. The figure will be calculated as the sum of the principal remaining plus any accrued interest as of the time of the early payout and 1.5% of the remaining principal plus any outstanding fees.
What is the process for repayments?
In order to help you avoid missing payment dates and to align with your cash flow standard, we provide repayments either weekly or daily. These are automatically deducted from your nominated business account.
Security & privacy
Will my information be protected?
Security of your data, and making it clear how we collect the information we collect, use, share and safeguard your data, is of paramount importance and is an essential aspect of our relationship with you.
Is it safe to link my bank account to the platform?
Yes. We employ industry-recognised encryption techniques to protect your sensitive, personal financial information and our funders are ISO 27001 qualified for our commitment to security for our clients and privacy. We employ an exceptionally sophisticated bank verification system that allows you to instantly verify your bank account information online to provide rapid response.
About business loans
How do you define asset-based lending (a secured loan)?
The term "asset-based" refers to borrowing where the company owner uses assets they own to make a loan. The asset could be an individual asset, such as the family home, or an company property like a truck or piece or equipment.
The vast majority of banks, not just the largest banks, are inclined to secure loans against an asset. If you are having difficulty paying back the loan, your assets could be taken over by the lender. In essence, it’s an opportunity to secure new funding taking advantage of the value of what you already own.
What do I need security for a company loan?
For loans up to $150,000 it is not necessary to secure assets upfront to access the money, however we do require a personal guarantee. If you adhere to your loan commitments (as stated in your loan contract) and you are able to meet your obligations, asset security will never be required. For loans that exceed $150K, typically, you will need the option of a personal ensure and security that is in the form charges on assets.