Business Loan Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Before reaching out to banks for a loan, you will need to develop the specifics of your loan request.

You need to be able to clearly explain your business, explain how much you want to borrow, define how the money will be used, and show how you plan to pay the loan back to the bank.

Being able to present a well-written business plan is an important prerequisite. If the financing is to for a company that is already doing business, you should also have financial statements covering the last three years. In addition, you should itemize what collateral you have available to secure the loan. Collateral is relevant because banks always want to be prepared for a worst-case scenario in which you cannot repay the loan .

If the business has few assets, the bank may ask you to to secure the business with your personal assets, such as your individual retirement account or pension plan. The banks will check on your personal credit history in any case, so hopefully you have good credit history -- you may want to get a copy of your credit history prior to meeting with the banker.

Many of these banks participate in the financial assistance programs available through the SBA. Before meeting with the banker, you may want to get up to speed on SBA loans programs to see if you qualify. SBA 7(a) loans, SBA 504 loans and SBA disaster assistance loans may be available to you.

Without further adieu, here's our list of small business banks in Oak Ridge.

More Advice on Raising Money

Take the time to learn as much as you can about Raising Money. To get started, we recommend you read Borrowing Money from Friends and Family.