Points & Interest Rates

Points & Interest Rates: Even the most experienced business owners have difficulty understanding the relationship between the interest rate and the points or fees associated with their loans. The reality is that the two are directly related in that "points" are nothing more than interest that is charged up front. The actual rate and number of points a borrower pays is largely dictated by the quality of the borrower's credit. As the credit quality decreases, the interest rate, points and fees increase. This is because these loans are more difficult to fund and pose a greater risk of default to the lender.

A document called the Truth in Lending Disclosure Statement will show you the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) and other payment information for the loan you have applied for.

The APR takes into account not only the interest rate, but also the points, mortgage broker fees and certain other fees that are associated with your loan. Also, ask if your loan will have a charge or a fee for paying all or part of the loan before payment is due (prepayment penalty).

A lender may require you to obtain certain settlement services, such as a new survey, mortgage insurance or title insurance. It may also order and charge you for other settlement-related services, such as the appraisal or credit report. A lender may also charge other fees, such as fees for loan processing, document preparation, underwriting, flood certification or an application fee. You may wish to ask for an estimate of fees and settlement costs before choosing a lender. Some lenders offer no cost or no point loans but normally cover these fees or costs by charging a higher interest rate.

Things You Should Know

If you see advertisements for lenders offering extremely low rates, don't be misled. Most of the time these very low rates refer to the starting rate on an adjustable rate mortgage or graduated payment mortgage. In other cases, the rate advertised may be for a balloon loan. This is a loan where the remaining balance will have to be paid off early. An example of this is called a 30 due in 5. In this type of loan your payments are based on a 30-year term to make them affordable.

The remaining balance of the loan however, must be paid off at the end of the 5th year. This means that you will probably have to refinance the loan or sell the house at the end of 5 years to satisfy the debt. Locking in your rate or point at the time of application or during the processing of your loan will keep the rate and/or points from changing until settlement or closing. Ask if there is a fee to lock-in the rate and whether the fee reduces the amount you have to pay for points. Find out how long the lock-in is good, what happens if it expires and whether the lock-in fee is refundable if your application is rejected.

Finding business financing that you can operate with for the next 30 years is a serious business. Ask about alternative kinds of business loans in your area. Compare rates, down payments, and closing costs among different types of lenders. Here is where a Business Finance Consultant can save you time and money.

There is no single nationwide finance rate; interest rates can vary according to the amount of the business loan, the length of the loan and from lender to lender. Look at the entire package that's being offered, including the fine print about penalties and assumptions. The more knowledgeable you are about the loan process, there will be fewer surprises in store for you at closing.

Types of Business & Commercial Loans

Every business has five major components necessary to operate. These are personnel, equipment, housing, products and services, and last but most vital, is capital. It takes capital to get the other four. Business owners often fear banks and commercial finance companies. This fear has its foundation in a lack of lender knowledge. A Landon Funding representative knows the ways of these lenders and has the contacts to secure financing for virtually any type of business.

  • Commercial Real Estate (New / Existing / Refinance)
  • HUD / FHA Loans
  • Construction Loans
  • Asset-Based Financing
  • New / Used Equipment Loans / Leases
  • Fixtures, Furniture, Equipment Loans / Leases
  • Sale-Leaseback Financing
  • Agriculture Loans
  • Raw Land Loans
  • Non-Profit Loans
  • Business Loans & Leases
  • Purchase Order Financing
  • Accounts Receivable Financing
  • Merchant Financing
  • Lines of Credit
  • SBA Loans
  • Working Capital
  • Because Landon Funding works with many leasing companies nationwide they can help you determine if leasing your equipment is right for your business. If you should decide to lease, they can usually get the equipment you need with just a simple, one page credit application. In many cases they can have the new equipment on site in as little as a few days.

The deregulation of the banking industry has made new choices available that never existed before. One of these is the availability of money through non-traditional lending sources. The types of business loans vary to your specific business needs.

Above are a few of the loans that can be arranged by a Landon Funding. We can give your business access to all of these types of financing and more. With one phone call you, can have dozens of lending sources competing for your loan.

Factoring & Accounts Receivable

Frequently, a commercial bank cannot provide all the loan funds a growing company needs. A balance sheet is not liquid enough, or it can't clear off the bank debt every 6 or 12 months. A factor can provide funds to clear off bank loans periodically or make additional bank credit possible by guaranteeing accounts or replacing accounts receivables with cash. One of the biggest advantages of factoring is that businesses get immediate cash (from 70 -80% of the face value of the invoices) within 24-48 hours, which means you can accelerate your cash flow by speeding up payment of the receivables. You will have an immediate source of funds for operating expenses and future growth. You will be able to use your own, hard earned cash without having to wait 30, 60, 90 or 120 days to collect from customers. Additionally, since only receivables are used as collateral for the cash advance, other assets (such as real estate and equipment) can be used for future borrowing.

Cash flow is probably the most important element in the success of a business. Accounts receivables may be the biggest asset on a company's balance sheet. They also represent the business' best source of operating capital that is in permanent disuse. Factoring improves cash flow. A business can use cash currently tied up in receivables to increase sales and take advantage of supplier discounts. Factoring accelerates cash flow by eliminating the time lag between the delivery of goods or the performance of a service and the payment for it. Most businesses have to pay their expenses before they can collect their receivables, disrupting cash flow.

Equipment Lease & Loans

In addition to the initial cost and obsolescence, leasing your equipment can also provide your business with a substantial tax advantage. While you should always consult with your tax advisor first, most equipment leases can be structured so that you can write off 100% of the annual lease payments. By contrast, current tax laws only allow a business to write off the interest paid on loans. However, because a lease is a rental and the business is only using the equipment, the business can usually write off all of the monthly lease payments just like any other legitimate business expense.

The last major advantage of leasing your equipment instead of buying is that leasing allows you to not show the equipment on your balance sheet. Once again, this is because the equipment is being rented and therefore actually belongs to a different company than the one that is using it. For this reason leases are often referred to as "off balance sheet" financing and this can be a tremendous advantage to many businesses both large and small.

Big businesses prefer this option because they don't want to own millions of dollars in equipment. This equipment will depreciate substantially with the day-to-day usage. Whoever owns the equipment is responsible for the depreciation on their balance sheet. Also, large corporations may require that the board of directors approve any new loans to the business since. This can make it difficult for the management of the business to operate efficiently.

But a lease is not a loan and therefore may not require approval by the board for the managers to get the equipment they need. In smaller businesses this can also be an advantage because they will not show additional debt on the balance sheet that will affect their ability to borrow money in the future. If you are considering selling your business, this may also make your company more attractive to potential buyers since you will be showing less debt on the balance sheet.

Lease and Loans

Many business owners continue to finance their equipment the "old fashioned" way, through loans, because they don't fully understand the potential benefits of leasing their equipment. These benefits can be seen in four important areas, initial cost, equipment obsolescence, tax benefit and off balance sheet financing. Because of these benefits, Businesses do not need to own their equipment, they only need to use it.

Interest Income

  • Interest income is the amount of interest that has been earned during a specific time period through an investment vehicle. Interest income is earned from borrowers and paid to private investors. Interest income is usually taxable and ordinary income tax rates apply to this form of income.
  • Landon Funding raises capital from investors and lends to business & commercial borrowers. The investors are returned their investment through monthly principal & interest payments matching the borrower term. Investor payments are not dictated by the borrower staying solvent; Landon Funding guarantees all payments directly to the investors.
  • Tired of earning <1% with your surplus cash? Contact Landon Funding today and learn how you can earn 7 – 10% with your investment.

Equity Investments

  • Equity Investments offer a security representing ownership in a business / commercial real estate property. Landon Funding offers a diverse portfolio of equity investment opportunities with desired returns to the investor.
  • Contact Landon Funding today to learn about current equity investment opportunities.