Every business – irrespective of its type and size – needs funds. In an age, when people have to take loans even for routine personal needs, self-financing a business is virtually unfeasible. Business loans can give a concrete shape to the dreams of an aspiring entrepreneur and a new life to an existing business. But, to get the maximum benefits, deciding the right type of business loan is very important. As per their requirement, businesspersons can choose from secured and unsecured business loans.

Secured business loans require collateral – home, property, valuable asset or even your business premises – for the loan amount. As collateral secures the lenders investment, the loan seeker can negotiate for low interest rates and suitable repayment terms and conditions. The bargaining feature of this loan type makes it suitable for large monetary requirements (£50000 to £1000000 approx). Please note that repayment slackness can lead to security seizure. Hence, loan seekers should avoid over borrowing and keep track of their repayment schedules.

Unsecured business loans on the other hand do not require collateral for the loan amount. As there is no collateral to secure the lenders investment, this loan comes with higher interest rates and virtually fixed repayment terms and conditions. In the absence of the bargaining feature, this loan type is suitable for short-term business requirements. Though absence of collateral makes it a comparatively safe option and poses no immediate risks to the borrower, non-repayment or repayment slackness can force the lender to take a legal action.

The approval time of a secured business loan is longer as compared to an unsecured business loan because the entire property evaluation process requires a lot of time. For an unsecured request, the basic approval criterion’s are past credit record, future repayment capacity, required amount and purpose. Secured loans are majorly availed for new set-ups and major expansions whereas unsecured loans for short-range or urgent business requirements. But, what if a businessperson is neither in a position to offer collateral nor in position to show a positive credit record? Nowadays, lenders have opened arms for bad credit holders too and are offering them a second chance under ‘bad credit business loans’.

Besides, the above mentioned types, there a variety of other business loans segregated on need basis like small business loans or micro business loans, commercial real estate loans, franchise start-up loan, business acquisitions loans, equipment financing loans, construction financing loans, equipment leasing loans, etc. Previously, getting a loan support especially for business purposes was not easy, as the credit market was scattered, unplanned and uncontrolled. Earlier the concern was simply approval centric. But, now it has diversified into getting the right type of business loan. So, take advantage of the growing competition by doing a proper market analysis.