Glossary · Doing the deal
Underwriting
In short
The lender's process of evaluating your creditworthiness and the business's financial health to decide if they should approve your loan and under what terms.
What it means in a deal
During underwriting, the lender analyzes your personal credit, the target business's financials (like SDE and cash flow), collateral, and industry risks. They're assessing your ability to repay the loan. Be prepared to provide extensive documentation and answer many questions to satisfy their requirements.
Official sources
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 Underwriting
- What constitutes prudent lending standards for SBA 7(a) 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?
- What constitutes prudent lending standards for SBA 7(a) underwriting regarding credit analysis?
- How does the SBA assess "prudent lending standards" in 7(a) loan underwriting?
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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