Glossary · The loan itself
Loan underwriting
In short
This is the lender's process of evaluating your application and the business to decide if they'll approve the loan and under what terms. It's where they assess risk.
What it means in a deal
During underwriting, the lender scrutinizes your creditworthiness, the business's financial statements, collateral, and your business plan. They're looking for strong repayment capacity and mitigated risk, using the 5 Cs of Credit. Your job is to provide clear, complete information to expedite this process.
Official sources
13 CFR Part 120 — Business Loans
Office of the Federal Register · Federal regulation
SOP 50 10 — Lender and Development Company Loan Programs
U.S. Small Business Administration · SBA Standard Operating Procedure
Last checked 2026-06-15. Official sources control — verify before relying on any rule for a live deal.
Related terms
Common questions about Loan underwriting
- How does the underwriting timeline for business life insurance impact loan closing schedules?
- What is the underwriting timeline for business life insurance relative to loan closing?
- What happens if the acquired business declines significantly during the loan underwriting period?
- How does the SBA assess "prudent lending standards" in 7(a) loan underwriting?
- What constitutes prudent lending standards for SBA 7(a) underwriting?
- What common underwriting errors typically lead to an SBA 7(a) loan guaranty repair?
Defined by CapBench SBA Intelligence — plain-English definitions for business buyers, lenders, advisors, and AI agents, grounded in public SBA rules and records. Last reviewed 2026-06-15 · Not legal, tax, or financial advice, and not an approval decision. Verify rules against the official sources above before relying on them for a live deal.
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