We provide lender-ready capital raise packaging and debt or equity placement support for business owners and buyers looking to secure serious term sheets and close funding on a defined timeline.
For business owners and acquirers pursuing private debt or equity, submit your deal for review. We revert within one working day with next steps and either a quote for our services.
For pre-submission discussions, we offer paid consultations. To initiate underwriting and lender outreach, submit the deal.
United States Business Lending
A “loan guarantee” is not free money. It is a risk-sharing structure where a government agency guarantees a portion of a lender’s loss if the borrower defaults.
In the U.S., guarantees are one of the cleanest ways to unlock larger loan sizes, longer tenors, and better approvals for qualified businesses. The tradeoff is paperwork, tighter eligibility rules, and a lender-led process that rewards borrowers who show up prepared.
This guide breaks down the best U.S. business loan guarantee programs, what each one is best for, and how to choose the right lane.
The guarantee reduces the lender’s downside. The lender still underwrites you, sets covenants, takes collateral where appropriate, and controls closing. The agency guarantee sits behind the lender, which is why lenders may say “no” even if a program exists.
What guarantees do best: help bankable businesses obtain credit where the lender likes the business but wants risk mitigation. They do not rescue transactions with weak cash flow, missing tax filings, unclear ownership, or sloppy documentation.
| Program | Best For | What You Should Know |
|---|---|---|
| SBA 7(a) | Working capital, acquisition, refinance, general business purposes | Flexible use of proceeds, strong lender coverage, and widely understood by banks. Often the default “best guarantee” for many SMEs. |
| SBA 504 | Owner-occupied commercial real estate and heavy equipment | Designed for long-term fixed assets. Not a working capital product. Common for expansions and buy-and-build premises. |
| USDA B&I | Rural and eligible areas, larger projects, refinancing or expansions | Powerful guarantee for qualifying geographies. Works when conventional lenders want extra support. |
| EXIM Working Capital Guarantee | Exporters needing working capital secured by export-related AR and inventory | Useful when export orders create working capital strain. Structured like asset-based lending with a borrowing base. |
SBA 7(a) is the flagship U.S. small business guarantee for flexible business lending. It is typically the best place to start if your need is business acquisition, working capital, partner buyout, or refinancing.
SBA 504 is purpose-built for major fixed assets, mainly owner-occupied commercial real estate and equipment. It is often the cleanest guaranteed structure for businesses that want long-term fixed-rate financing on a facility they operate from.
Rule of thumb: 504 is not your product if the primary need is working capital. It shines when the asset is the story and the operating company is stable.
USDA B&I can be a strong alternative when the business, project, or collateral sits in eligible rural areas or qualifying locations. It can support expansions, acquisitions, refinance, and certain larger credit needs where conventional lenders want extra insulation.
If you export goods or services and your constraint is working capital tied to export receivables or inventory, EXIM’s working capital guarantee is one of the most underused tools in U.S. lending. It is commonly structured as an asset-based borrowing base facility.
If your activity includes cross-border trade flows, you may also want to understand documentary controls and trade instruments. Start here: What Is Trade Finance and Trade Finance Services.
| Item | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Tax returns and financial statements | Baseline truth. If these do not reconcile, the deal dies early. |
| Sources and uses | Shows exactly where proceeds go and how the stack closes. |
| Debt schedule and coverage math | Demonstrates repayment capacity under stress. |
| Ownership and UBO clarity | Closing and KYC requirements are not optional. |
| Collateral and control story | Defines recovery path and why the loan survives bad outcomes. |
Financely operates as a transaction-led capital advisory desk. We help borrowers build lender-ready packages and route transactions to the right capital providers based on structure, collateral, and execution path.
If you have a defined financing need and documents available, submit through Submit Your Deal. For process context, see What We Do.
For many SMEs, yes, because it covers acquisitions and working capital with flexible use of proceeds. It is not always best for real estate heavy projects, where SBA 504 can be cleaner.
No. The lender still sets collateral and covenants based on risk. The guarantee is a backstop, not a replacement for underwriting.
Usually you need a real export pattern or firm export orders that create working capital strain. The structure is designed around export-related receivables and inventory.
Clean documents and a lender-ready narrative. The fastest borrowers show tax returns, reconciled financials, a simple sources and uses table, and realistic coverage math.
If you want a guarantee-backed loan, treat it like an underwriting exercise. Bring clean financials, clear ownership, simple sources and uses, and a repayment story that survives stress. That is what lenders can approve.
Financely advises growth-focused businesses on accessing capital by introducing their opportunities to professional investors. Financely is not a securities broker or dealer. Where appropriate, engagements are coordinated with regulated broker-dealers, investment banks, legal counsel, and other specialists.
Financely does not solicit, offer, or accept orders to buy or sell securities and makes no assurance regarding capital-raising outcomes.
Services are strictly business-to-business. Financely does not provide personal finance, consumer credit, or retail advisory services.
Advisory services are reserved for post-revenue companies that recognize the time and resources required for professional underwriting.
To proceed,
request a quote
and receive indicative commercial terms. If you require guidance before engaging,
book a paid telephone consultation.
Security notice: we are aware of third parties using Financely’s name without authorization. Only emails sent from our official domains and communications through our portal are valid. Please verify any outreach before sharing documents or sending payments, and read our impersonation warning.
Email supportdesk@financely-group.com for general enquiries, press & partnership requests.
All mandates start with an RFQ. We review submissions, issue a brief Go/No-Go memo, and where bankable, release a Term Sheet that leads to funding. We arrange capital across Senior Secured, Unitranche, Second Lien/Mezzanine, Preferred Equity, and Gap Solutions. We do not process deals by email or chat.
Letters of Credit, Standby LCs, Confirmations, Receivables Finance, and Inventory Lines with control.
Funding arranged for trade flows with instruments sized to your cycle and aligned to delivery and settlement.
Move forward to secure working capital and keep goods moving. Submit the RFQ to start underwriting for funding.
Limited or non-recourse structures for energy and infrastructure with lender-ready materials.
Funding solutions aligned to project cash flows with credible covenants and conditions to reach notice to proceed.
Advance the file to termable status. Submit the RFQ so we can underwrite and secure funding.
Debt and Preferred solutions anchored on cash flow, Quality of Earnings, and clear closing mechanics.
Funding across senior, unitranche, and preferred to match stable cash flows and acquisition timelines.
Get financed on workable terms for closing. Submit the RFQ to start underwriting.
Acquisition, development, bridge, and refinance with lender-ready packs and third-party reports managed.
Funding calibrated to DSCR, leverage, and tenancy with terms designed to close.
Move to a financeable package. Submit the RFQ to initiate underwriting for funding.
KYC and Source of Funds required. Engagements are best-efforts and subject to underwriting. Preference for operating companies with meaningful revenue. See our FAQ and Procedure.
Financely Inc. (“Financely”) provides corporate-finance advice and is wholly owned by Aurora Bay Trust, a trust formed under Bahamian law, together with its authorized affiliates. Depending on deal structure, jurisdiction, and local rules, engagements may be carried out through Financely Group LLC, a non-deposit-taking, non-banking financial company; Ashford Capital Advisory LLC; or another related entity.
Financely and its affiliates are not registered as securities broker-dealers and do not execute securities transactions or hold client funds or securities. When a mandate involves the purchase or sale of securities and a registered intermediary is required, any orders are introduced to and executed by one or more independent U.S. broker-dealers registered with the SEC and FINRA. Those broker-dealers are solely responsible for trade execution, custody, and related regulatory obligations. Nothing in this material constitutes an offer, solicitation, or recommendation to buy or sell any security or to engage in any specific transaction. Before engaging Financely Group LLC, Ashford Capital Advisory LLC, or any affiliate, you are responsible for confirming that such engagement complies with your own legal, regulatory, tax, and other requirements. In the United States, certain advisory activities may be conducted in reliance on exemptions available under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, including the “foreign private adviser” exemption where applicable. Our services and regulatory status may vary by jurisdiction and by transaction type.
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