FAQ: business lending & business loans for business owners
Business Loans Frequently Ask Questions
Information About The Aotea Small Business Loans
Let me know more about Aotea Small Business Loans
Aotea unsecured loans provides amounts between $5,000 and $100,000 with terms between 3 and 24 month and cash flow friendly repayments which can be made daily or weekly.
What is this Unsecured Loan different from an ordinary company loan?
Apply for your Small Business Loan in under 10 minutes on the internet or by phone. You will receive an immediate response, and the funds could be in your account in 24 hours. Traditional business loans are based on an annual rate of interest as well as other fees and charges. This company loan is an upfront priced loan so you will be aware in advance of the total amount due, which includes any interest, fees or charges. Then, it is broken down into either a daily or weekly installment amount.
What can be the Small Business Loan be used for?
A Small Business Loan can be used for virtually any company reason, such as cash flow management, business remodels and marketing to purchase inventory, new equipment, as general working capital and so much more. The loan is not available for personal reasons.
Concerning Larger Aotea Business Loans
What is the Larger Aotea Business Loan?
The Larger Business Loan is a larger size of loan that can be used to fund company growth opportunities. Loans are between $100,000 and $500,000 with a fixed-term with a maximum of 36 months. Repayments are weekly or fortnightly depending on you cashflow.
How’s the Origination Fee determined?
It is crucial to note that the Larger Business Loan has an Origination Fee which is determined at 2.5 percentage of the loan amount.
Do I qualify for the Larger Business Loan?
To be eligible for a credit that is this large the company needs to be in operation for at least 3 years and have an annual turnover of $700K. Your company must belong to a New Zealand Citizen (or Permanent Resident) at least 18 years old and have a New Zealand company (with a valid NZBN/IRD) and be able to prove at the least 12 months of operating.
How can the funding be utilised?
A large business loan can be used for nearly any company need, including company improvements, purchasing inventory or new equipment for general working capital and much more. The loan cannot be used for personal reasons.
Is the Larger Business Loan a secured loan?
Asset security is needed to obtain funding above $150,000. This is in the form of a charge against assets and can include registering this with the PPSR or filing a caveat.
A personal or director’s ensure is a guarantee to repay credit that is generally in nature rather than stating the security for a particular asset. The person signing the guarantee is personally liable if the company creditor is unable to pay back the debt.
The Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) is a central, national online register operated by the New Zealand Government. It lists security interests that are granted to individuals who own personal property (including items or assets). The PPSR gives priority over personal property to be granted according to the date a registration of a security interest.
The caveat can be described as a formal form of document to provide the legal claim to a property.
What exactly is a preapproval without Credit Check?
When you’re applying for larger business loans of more than $250K we can offer an initial pre-approval that will help smooth out the process. We might be able to apply for this without credit checks and within six hours of your initial application. This pre-approval is made based on an initial assessment that includes you answering a few financial health questions. It is in no way an offer, nor is it a guarantee of credit. A conditional approval is subject an exhaustive credit evaluation, and any offer you are offered could have different conditions.
The application process
Are I eligible for funding?
You can apply for an business loan if you:
- are a New Zealand Citizen (or Permanent Resident)
- are over the age of 18 and own a New Zealand company (with a valid NZBN/IRD)
- can demonstrate at least 6 months’ worth of transactions (for a unsecured loan $5K – $100K) or three years of trade (for the Larger Business Loan $100K or $500K)
How do I apply?
The application process is quick and simple. Just complete the online application in just a few minutes, and a dedicated business expert in lending will contact you to assist you.
To apply for up to $100,000, you’ll require the right identification documents (valid Driver’s License) as well as an active NZBN/IRD, and at least 6 months’ worth of bank statements.
If you’re looking for loans with larger sizes, you’ll require:
$100K – $250K: Information about the application including credit approval, 6-12 months of IRD statements, bank statements (if you have a loan of more than $150K).
$250K to $500K: Details for application including credit consent, 12 months of bank statements, IRD statements Last 2 years’ finalised financial statements, and interim financials from the current financial year, Aged Payables and Aged Receivables summary.
What speed will I be able to get a decision?
For an unsecured loan ($5K and up) we usually offer an answer within an hour if you make your application at standard company time and you allow us to use the advanced bank verification system to instantly verify your bank details online. If you opt to upload copies of your bank statements we can offer the decision in just 1 business day.
For Larger Business Loans ($100K and up) we could be likely to provide you with a conditional pre-approval within about six hours. After you’ve signed the pre-approval, the turnaround time is around 2-3 days for final approval, however this may be quicker depending on the particular circumstances of each application. Some deals have been approved within less than 24 hours.
The fastest way for you to apply is ensure you apply during standard company hours and permit us to use the advanced bank verification system to check your bank’s information online. If you opt to upload the copies of bank accounts, it takes a bit longer.
What is the time frame to receive the money?
For the Small Business Loan ($5K or more) We can usually provide an answer in just one hour – as long as you apply during normal business timings and permit us to use the advanced bank verification system to instantly verify your bank’s information online. If you decide to submit copies of your bank statements, we are able to provide an answer in as little as 1 business day.
For the Larger Business Loans ($100K and up) we could be able to provide you with a conditional pre-approval in about 6 hours. Once you’ve signed the pre-approval, turnaround times are between 2 and 3 days for the final approval, however this could be shorter based upon the circumstances for each application. Certain transactions have received approval within 24 hours.
The fastest method for you to apply is ensure you apply during normal business hours and allow us to use the advance bank verification to verify your bank account information online. If you choose to upload documents from your account statement, it may take a bit longer.
How much can I borrow?
We provide loan amounts between $5,000 to $500,000. If you apply for a certain amount we consider a variety of aspects for determining what is the health that is your business and the amount of repayments your company can support. The amount you receive from your loan will depend on the particular circumstances for your business.
When you apply for a certain amount, we look at a range of aspects to determine your well-being of your company and the amount of payments your business is able to afford. The total amount of your loan will depend on the specifics of your business.
Fees & repayments
How do you charge for the cost of a company loan?
When you make an application for our company loan, we’ll assess the risk profile for your company and offer you with a customised offer including loan amount, term and the interest rates. The company loan is an upfront cost loan and you’ll know in advance the total amount due, which includes any interest rates, fees or charges.
What is the factor that determines the price I’m charged?
Interest rates for business loans rates differ based on various factors like the amount of money borrowed, the business assets the money are used to purchase and the sector the business operates in, the long the business has been in operation for, whether the business has enough cash flow to pay for the loan, and also the general health or creditworthiness of the company.
What are the cost?
There are no hidden costs for our company loans, and you’ll know precisely how much you be required to pay and when, from the very first day. There’s no compounding interest and there are no additional charges (as long as you make your payments in time).
We don’t charge an Application Fee. You are able to make an application for loans with with no upfront cost or commitment to apply.
The Origination Fee covers the expenses involved with the setting up and management of the loan. The only way to pay this fee if you choose to proceed with the loan. The Origination Fee for us is 2.5% of the amount of loan.
Do I have the option of paying off the loan earlier?
You may choose to pay back the entire amount of the loan at any point in time.
If you do decide to do this please speak to our friendly business lending experts. The experts will offer you with details on repayment and an early payout figure. This is calculated as the total of the principal amount remaining and the accrued interest up to the time of the early payout, plus 1.5% of the principal remaining and any outstanding fees.
How do you make repayments work?
To ensure that you don’t miss payment dates and to align your cash flow schedule, we offer repayments that are either weekly or daily. They will be automatically deducted from your nominated business account.
Security & privacy
Will my data be secure?
The security of your personal information, as well as being clear about how we collect the information we collect, use, share and ensure the security of your information is vital and a vital element of our relationship with you.
Is it safe to link my bank account to the platform?
Yes. We utilise industry-recognised encryption techniques to protect your personal, sensitive financial information and our funders are ISO 27001 certified for our commitment to protecting the security of customers and security. We utilise a sophisticated bank verification system link to immediately verify the bank account details online. This allows us to offer a fast response.
About business loans
What is asset-based borrowing (a secured loan)?
Asset-based borrowing is when a company owner uses the assets they have to secure the funding. The asset can be either an individual property, such as the family home or it could be a company asset such as a vehicle as well as a piece of machine.
The vast majority of the lenders including the major banks, prefer to guarantee loans against an asset. If you’re struggling to pay back the loan then the asset could be offered for sale by the lender. In essence it is the process of securing new funding using the worth of the asset you already have.
Are I require security to secure an business loan?
For loans that exceed $150,000, no asset security is required upfront to access the money however, we do require the personal guarantee. As long as you follow your loan obligations (as detailed in your loan contract) and you are able to meet your obligations, asset security is not needed. For loans of over $150K generally there is the option of a personal guarantee and security in the form of a charge over assets.