FAQ: business lending & business loans for business owners
Business Loans Frequently Ask Questions
Information About The Semaphore Small Business Loans
Tell me more about Semaphore Small Business Loans
Semaphore unsecured loans offers amounts of between $5,000 and $100,000. Terms range from 3 and 24 months. They also offer cash flow friendly repayments which can be made daily or weekly.
How is what makes the Unsecured Loan different from the traditional business loan?
You can apply to get this Small Business Loan in under 10 minutes on the internet or by phone. You will receive an immediate response, and the money could be in your account in 24 hours. Traditional business loans are based on an annual interest rate along with other charges and fees. This company loan is a pre-paid loan which means you know ahead of time the total amount payable including the interest, fees and charges. Then, it is broken down into either weekly or daily installment amount.
What can the Small Business Loan be used for?
A Small Business Loan can be used for almost any company purpose including managing cash flows, business improvements, advertising to purchase inventory, new equipment, to fund general working capital and much more. The loan is not available for personal purposes.
About larger Semaphore Business Loans
What is the Larger Semaphore Business Loan?
The Larger Business Loan is a larger size loan to aid in business expansion opportunities. The loan ranges from $100,000 to $500,000 over a fixed term with a maximum of 36 months. Repayments are either weekly or fortnightly in order to accommodate you cashflow.
How is the Origination Fee calculated?
The Larger Business Loan has an Origination Fee, which is calculated at 2.5 percentage of the amount of the loan.
Am I eligible for the Larger Business Loan?
To be eligible for a credit that is this large, your company needs to be operating for at least three years, and have an annual income of $700,000. Your company must belong to a New Zealand Citizen (or Permanent Resident) at least 18 years old as well as own a New Zealand business (with a valid NZBN/IRD) and be able demonstrate at the least 12 months of operating.
How can the funding be used for?
A Larger Business Loan can be used to fund almost all business use, including business improvements, purchasing equipment or inventory or 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. This can be done in the form of a charge against assets and can include the registration of this on the PPSR or registering as a caveat.
A personal or director’s guarantee is a guarantee to repay a loan which is generally in nature rather than stipulating security over an asset. The person who is signing the ensure is personally responsible if the company borrower is unable to repay the debt.
The Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) is a central, national online register run by the New Zealand Government. It records security interests that have been registered in respect of personal property (including objects or assets). The PPSR allows the priority of personal property assigned according to the date a security interest was registered.
An affidavit is an official form of document to provide an official notice of a claim against a property.
What is a pre-approval that does not require Credit Check?
If you’re applying for a Larger Business Loan that exceeds $250,000 we can offer an initial pre-approval to make the process. It is possible to get this done without a credit check, and within 6 hours of the initial application. This pre-approval is made based on an initial assessment, which involves answering a couple of financial well-being checks. It’s in no way an offer, nor is it a guarantee of credit. Unconditional approval is subject to an assessment of your creditworthiness and any offer that you might receive could be based on different conditions.
The application process
Do I have the right to receive funds?
You are eligible to apply for an company loan if you:
- are a New Zealand Citizen (or Permanent Resident)
- are over 18 years, own a New Zealand company (with a valid NZBN/IRD)
- can demonstrate at least 6 months’ worth of transactions (for you to qualify for unsecured loan $5K – $100K) or 3 years of continuous trading (for the Larger Business Loan $100K up to $500K)
How do I apply?
The application process is fast and easy. Simply complete the online form within a couple minutes, and an experienced company lending specialist will call you to assist you.
To be eligible for up to $100,000 you’ll need the right identification documents (valid Driver’s Licence) along with a valid NZBN/IRD and at least six months of bank statements.
For larger loan sizes, you’ll also need:
$100K to $250K: Application requirements, including credit consent, 6 – 12 months of bank statements, IRD statement (if you have a loan of more than $150K).
$250K – $500K: Information on the application including credit consent as well as 12 months of bank records, IRD statement as well as the two most recent years’ financial statements, as well as interim financial statements for the current year including Aged Payables, Aged Receivables Summary.
How soon will I hear an answer?
For an unsecured loan ($5K and up) we typically offer an answer within one hour if you apply at standard company hours and permit us to make use of the advanced bank verification system to immediately verify your bank account information online. If you want to send us copies of your bank statements we can offer a decision within an company day.
For the Larger Business Loan ($100K to $500K) we might be likely to offer you with a conditional pre-approval in about six hours. Once you’ve signed the pre-approval form, it will take around 2-3 days for final approval, however it could be faster based on the particular circumstances of each application. Some transactions have received approval in just 24 hours.
The quickest method can be make sure you apply during standard company hours. You can also permit us to use the advance bank verification to instantly verify your bank information online. If you upload duplicates of your banking statement, it may take a bit longer.
How quickly will I receive the funds?
For the Small Business Loan ($5K to $100K) we can often offer an answer within one hour – provided you apply within standard business hours and allow us to use the advanced bank verification system link to instantly verify your bank information online. If you opt to upload copies of your banking statement, we’ll offer the decision within an business day.
For the Larger Business Loans ($100K to $500K) we might be able to offer you with pre-approval conditional to your application within 6 hours. Once you’ve signed the pre-approval document, you will require to wait approximately 2-3 days to receive final approval. However, this can be faster depending upon the circumstances for each application. Certain offers have been approved in less than 24 hours.
The most effective method would be to make sure you apply during normal business hours. Also, let us use the sophisticated bank verification to verify your bank account information online. If you decide to upload duplicates of your banking statement, it can take a bit longer.
How much can I borrow?
We provide the loan amount between $5,000 and $500,000. When you make an application for a certain amount we take into consideration a range of elements for determining what is the well-being of the business as well as the amount of repayments your company can afford. The amount you receive from your loan will be contingent on the specifics the company.
When you make an application for a set amount, we look at a range of variables to determine how much we can lend you such as well-being of your company and the level of payments your company will be able to support. The total amount of the loan will be determined by the specifics the company.
Fees & repayments
How do you charge for an business loan?
When you apply for the business loans, we’ll assess the risk assessment that you have for your business and provide you with a tailored offer, including the loan amount, the terms and interest rates. The business loan is an upfront cost loan therefore you will know the exact amount due, which includes any charges or interest.
What determines the amount I pay?
Interest rates for company loans rates differ based on various 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 business has been running for, in the event that the business has sufficient cash flow to support the loan, and overall well-being or financial standing of the company.
What are the cost?
There are no hidden fees with our business loans. You’ll know precisely how much you be required to pay, and when, starting from the first day. There’s no compounding and no additional fees (as as long as you pay your payments punctually).
We do not charge an application fee. You are able to get a cash loan without any upfront costs or commitment to apply.
The Origination Fee includes the expenses associated with the setting up and management of the loan. You are only charged this fee if you decide to take the loan. Our Origination Fee is 2.5 percentage of the loan amount.
Can I repay the loan early?
You may choose to pay back all of your loan in full at any time.
If you choose to take this route, please talk to one of our helpful business loan experts. They’ll provide you with repayment details and an early payment figure. This will be calculated as the sum of the principal remaining and accrued interest to the date of early payout in addition to 1.5 percent of the principal remaining and any fees that remain unpaid.
How do you make repayments work?
To help you avoid missing repayments and to fit in your cash flow cycle we offer repayments either daily or weekly. They will be automatically deducted from your designated company account.
Security & privacy
Will my data be secure?
Security of your data, and knowing how we collect, use, exchange and safeguard your data, is of paramount importance and an integral part of our relationship you.
Is it safe to link my bank account to the platform?
Yes. We use industry recognised encryption techniques to protect your personal, sensitive financial information and our funders are ISO 27001 certified for our commitment to the security of our customers as well as their privacy. We utilise a sophisticated banking verification system to immediately confirm your bank account information online to offer a fast response.
About business loans
What exactly is an asset-based loan (a secured loan)?
An asset-based loan is when the company owner utilises an asset that they own to secure a loan. The asset may be an asset belonging to the personal, like the family home, or it could be a business property like a truck as well as a piece of machine.
The vast majority of lending institutions, not just the big banks, tend to make loans secured by an asset. If you have trouble paying back the loan, your asset may be sold by the lender. In essence, it’s means of securing additional financing making use of the value of what you already have.
What do I need security for a business loan?
For loans of up to $150K, no asset security is required upfront to access the money, however we do need an individual guarantee. If you adhere to the terms of your loan (as stated in your loan contract document), asset security is not required. For loans that exceed $150,000, generally there is personal guarantee and security is provided in the form of an asset charge.