Loans Business Owners Can Get from Canadian Banks
There are many options for businesses in Canada to get financial help from banks. Whether you own a small business or a larger organization there are loans for every type of business. Usually, these loans can be divided into short-term and mid or long-term loans.
Unlike financial help from the Canadian government, these loans need to be repaid and are not funds or grants. When it is time for you to pay them back, you will have interest in them, so it is important for you to choose the best loan for your business in order to accommodate your needs.
In this article, we will divide the different loans by the biggest banks in Canada and then further divide them into different lengths.
Royal Bank of Canada
This is the largest bank in Canada by revenue. In 2020 they had a revenue of 11.4 billion CAD and a capitalization of 132.5 CAD. It has over 17 million customers all over the world and it was founded back in 1864 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The loans the RBC offers are divided into short-term loans and mid to long-term loans. [link]
Short-term
Short-term loans are designed to cover some gaps that your business might have in their cash flow, or if you are planning to do a minor transformation like refurbish your current location or just want to add more workers.
- Royal Business Overdraft
This is a loan designed for companies that are going under and just need a slight push to avoid their credit rating from decreasing and your funds going negative. With this loan, as soon as your overdraft in your business bank account goes below, you have automatic access to the money, so you can make sure that every payment will go through and won’t be declined.
The overdraft limit on your business account is up to $10,000.
This is great if you are trying to cover outstanding payments if your revenues take slightly longer to come, it also aids in managing your day to day cash flow, and if you are trying to simplify your borrowing needs.
- Royal Business Operating Line
This is a line of credit that allows businesses that are looking for stability and need to ensure that they have available funds when they need them. It is also great if your aim is to simplify the management of your cash, as you only have access to what you need and start paying interest on what you have borrowed rather than the maximum borrowed.
You will have access to your funds through the Online Business Banking app, any ATM or in any branch, so you can be comfortable anywhere. This line of credit will also be paid from your everyday operating account for ease of use and the credit lines start at $10,000.
- Asset Based Lending
This loan is great for businesses that want less restrictive measures when it comes to borrowing money. With this loan, you will have higher rates but increased liquidity, as well as a higher and more frequent reporting of your assets, to make sure everything is in place and you have collateral if you can’t pay back the loan. Even though it is considered a short-term loan, the financial commitment is between 2 to 5 years and there is no annual renegotiation of your terms and conditions. This loan starts at $2,000,000.
Asset Based Lending is great for businesses that need not only money to stay on top of their financial responsibilities, but also need the funds to grow. Usually, businesses that are in seasonal or cyclical industries or are in industries that are in recovery and need cash flow are the best recipients for this loan, as well as businesses that want to improve their working capital.
- CreditLine for Small Business
This line of credit is designed for small businesses that are looking for low-interest rates on borrowed money. There are no fees, and you can earn points that you can invest in your business or reward your employees.
This is great for businesses where employees don’t have cards or employee cards. If you are looking for unsecured lines of credit with convenient credit card functionality, or if you are looking for rewards and almost zero interest rate.
Toronto-Dominion bank
Toronto-Dominion Bank, many times just called TD is the second largest bank in Canada and is the bank that has the most assets valued at around 1.7 trillion CAD as of January 2021. With over 9 million clients all over the world, this bank was formed as the merger of Dominion bank and Toronto bank back in 1955. [link]
This bank has three different loans that are designed to help businesses with specific issues that they might come across.
- Auto Finance Small Business Vehicle Lending
If your business needs vehicles such as delivery vans, vehicles for salesforce, or just a van or tew, this loan is great for you. With this loan, you can fund any vehicle purchase up to $250,000 using your business name. You will need two years of financial data and the amount of loan will be based on your strong financials. Any business that is a corporation, partnership, sole proprietor or incorporated association has access to this loan. With this loan, you can get an amortization for up to 84 months. You can purchase any type of vehicle from cars to vans, and even light trucks. This loan has also flexible terms and payment options, as well as great aid in freeing working capital for your business.
- Business Credit Insurance
Here you can choose between two different options: Business Credit Life Insurance and Business Credit Living Benefits Insurance. First make sure the financial obligations that your business might have are met in case of death, accident of someone essential to the business. The benefits with this credit insurance are:
- Life and accidental protection
- Benefits up to $1 million per insured person
- Competitive group rates
With the Business Credit Living Benefits Insurance, the bank will provide your business with Critical Illness and Disability coverages and can pay up to $1,000,000. The disability cover, however, can pay up to $3,000 a month for a maximum of 24 months.
Bank of Nova Scotia
Also called Scotiabank, this is the third-largest bank in Canada. As assets valued at $1.1 trillion in the year-end of 2020 and revenue of $32 billion. This bank also offers stock trades on both the Toronto Stock Exchange, as well as the New York Stock Exchange. Although it was founded in Halifax in 1832, its headquarters are currently in Toronto. [link]
This bank has great choices when it comes to business loans, with easy and approachable terms and conditions and low rates.
- Term Loan for business
This loan offers both fixed or variable interest rates so you can meet your conditions, it has Small Business loan Protection available so you don’t go under and fall into more debt. They also allow you to choose between variable and fixed monthly payments allowing you to control your finances better.
It has a limit of up to $1,000,000 and an up to five-year term with amortization for real estate up to 20 years. You can add additional services such as scotiaflex for business that allows you to control the borrowing with transferred and flexible rates. Credit line for a business that is a tool to help you manage your cash flow and something called the Right Size Account for business that works as an operating account that you only pay interest on when you use it.
Bank of Montreal
The Bank of Montreal is the fourth largest bank in Canada with assets worth $949 billion and a revenue of $25 billion at the end of 2020. With over 40,000 employees just in Canada over their 900 branches, this is a solid bank. [link]
This bank has several options for small businesses with loans and commercial mortgages.
- Small Business Lines of Credit for ongoing or One-time Financing Needs
This is a line of credit for small businesses that allows quick access to funds through the Credit Line Business card, you can borrow up to $120,000 and pay interest only on what you use.
- Small Business Homeowner Readline
This is both a mortgage as well as a line of credit. It is easy to apply as you only need to do one no-fee application and it has easy and predictable mortgage instalment payments.
- Operating Line of Credit
If your business needs to borrow more than $50,000, easy access to funds is what you need. You will also have everything into one account, as well as borrow your funds in US dollars.
- Commercial Loan Insurance Plan
This is an insurance plan that can help you protect your business in case something goes wrong with an essential person at your company. You can qualify for up to $1,000,000 in benefits and even get cash flow during low or uncertain times.
Q&A
How much business loan can I get in Canada?
That depends on the business you have, as well as on the type of loan or bank you are going for. Usually, anything between $5,000 and $500,000 is the norm, but there are a lot of factors that should be accounted for.
Does Canada have Small Business Administration loans?
Yes, the Canadian SBA loans are part of the Small Business Financing program that allows small businesses to get extra help from banks and the Canadian government.
How much can a small business make before paying taxes in Canada?
For the year 2020, a small business or self-employed in Canada has to pay 10.5% of their income up to a maximum of $5,796.00 to the CRA.
Conclusion
There are a lot of options when it comes to business loans and other help for small organizations. Depending on your needs, you can have flexible interest rates, fixed or lines of credit where you only pay interest on what you borrow.
It is also important that you understand your situation and ponder properly on the type of loan or line of credit that you want to go for before asking. Make a business plan and assess all your possibilities.