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NEW YORK--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--As SBA lending continues its return to pre-recession levels¹, now is a good time to consider SBA financing given the current rate environment, says [ Todd Harrington ], Chief Sales Officer for [ CIT Bank a" Small Business Lending ] at [ CIT Group Inc. ] (NYSE: CIT) [ cit.com ], a leading provider of financing to small businesses and middle market companies. This topic is one of many discussed in CITas [ 2012 U.S. Small Business Outlook ] ([ cit.com/spotlightharrington ]), the latest in a series of in-depth executive Q&As featured in [ CITas Executive Spotlight ] series ([ cit.com/executivespotlight ]).

"You need to be aware that personal credit is an important component of a lenderas credit decision"

Opportunities Exist

Consumer confidence and consumer spending need to return to healthy levels to get small businesses growing again. aAs key indicators improve, businesses that have successfully made it through the down market will have opportunities to acquire competitors and under-valued commercial properties,a says Harrington. aLenders need to be able to understand these opportunities and be available to finance these transactions to allow the small business owner to capitalize on the near term value plays that will set the table for growth in years to come.a

Advantages over Traditional Banks

There are benefits of an SBA 7(a) loan over traditional bank loans. The SBA 7(a) program offers longer repayment periods (up to 25 years) than a typical conventional financing (up to 15 to 20 years). aAdditionally, they can offer loan to value terms of up to 90 percent on an owner-occupied real estate deal,a says Harrington. aThis compares favorably with conventional real estate loans in the small business space that will usually offer a 15 or 20 year amortization with a balloon of 5 to 10 years of payments at the end. With an SBA structure, there are no balloon payments, so the SBA borrower does not have the worry of having to look for a bank to refinance that large lump sum that comes due.a

Securing an SBA Loan

There are still a number of challenges with regard to getting funding in todayas economic environment. Small business lenders look at a number of factors beyond the financial strength of the business. aYou need to be aware that personal credit is an important component of a lenderas credit decision,a says Harrington. aA strong personal credit history can increase your chances of getting an approval just as a weak personal credit history can undermine the loan decision.a

Itas important to have a good business plan that shows the impact of the financing you are considering. aInclude at least one to three years of projections and be able to address any major negative or positive trends in the numbers,a Harrington adds. aLenders want to see that you are on top of the financial performance of your company.a

EDITORaS NOTE:

Individuals can go to [ 2012 U.S. Small Business Outlook ] to view the entire executive spotlight. Other recent Q&As featured in [ CITas Executive Spotlight ] series ([ cit.com/executivespotlight ]) include the [ Communications & Technology Financing Outlook ], [ 2012 U.S. Energy Sector Outlook ] and the Commercial Aviation Industry Outlook.

Individuals interested in receiving corporate news releases can register at [ cit.com/newsalerts ] or subscribe to the RSS feed at [ cit.com/rssfeed ].

About CIT

Founded in 1908, CIT (NYSE: CIT) is a bank holding company with more than $34 billion in finance and leasing assets. A member of the Fortune 500, it provides financing and leasing capital to its more than one million small business and middle market clients and their customers across more than 30 industries. CIT maintains leadership positions in [ small business ] and [ middle market lending ], [ factoring ], [ retail finance ], [ aerospace ], [ equipment ] and [ rail leasing ], and [ global vendor finance ]. CIT also operates CIT Bank, [ BankOnCIT.com ], its primary bank subsidiary and an FDIC-insured online bank which offers a suite of savings options designed to help customers achieve a range of financial goals. [ cit.com ]

¹[ U.S. Small Business Administration ]

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