Commercial borrowers are likely to be confused when they are turned down and will probably be unsure as to why it happened and what to do next. For each of the five major reasons that a bank might decline a commercial mortgage, a practical strategy is provided for converting the declined commercial mortgage loan into an approved business loan.

Two of the reasons (business plans and tax returns) will potentially impact all commercial borrowers. Many commercial mortgage loan officers will start their business loan review by stating some variation of "Can you show me your business plan?" and "We will need to see several years of tax returns."

Business projects are occasionally too unique for business financing via a typical commercial bank. In these circumstances (even if a borrower has an acceptable business plan and tax returns), it is not unusual to be declined for a commercial loan by a traditional commercial lender.

The reasons provided below do not represent obscure issues. It is likely that two or three of the reasons described will be important for typical commercial mortgage or business loan circumstances.

Commercial Mortgage Loan Disapprovals: (1) Limited Use Properties

Reason Number One for commercial mortgage rejections: The bank does not generally make business loans for the type of business involved or imposes special requirements that make the commercial loan impractical for the commercial borrower. For example, fewer banks are making commercial mortgage loans for bar/restaurant properties.

Similarly, auto service businesses are frequently given unnecessary (and expensive) environmental reporting requirements. There are many "special purpose" properties such as funeral homes, campgrounds and churches that most traditional banks will not include in their business lending portfolio.

Strategy Number One for converting the disapproved business loan into an approved commercial mortgage loan: For most business owners, there are reasonable commercial loan options beyond traditional commercial lenders.

There are action-oriented non-traditional commercial lenders that will offer commercial mortgage loans for most special purpose commercial property situations. The best business financing could be available only from a non-traditional lender when a traditional lender won't provide the necessary commercial real estate loan.

Commercial Mortgage Loan Disapprovals: (2) Tax Return Requirements

Reason Number Two for business loan rejections: A loan underwriter finds an issue on tax returns that disqualifies a business borrower under the bank's lending standards. This "issue" will often be inadequate net income, but when commercial loan underwriters analyze income tax returns, there can be a wide variety of other possibilities which produce the same disapproval.

Strategy Number Two for converting the declined commercial mortgage into an approved commercial real estate loan: Business borrowers will never have this reason to worry about if they are applying for a "Stated Income" commercial loan. Very few traditional banks use Stated Income (no tax returns, no income verification, no IRS Form 4506) for a business loan.

Business borrowers should look for lenders using Stated Income business loans. This approach, however, will not work for all commercial loans due to a prevailing maximum loan of $3 million for typical Stated Income commercial mortgage situations.

Commercial Mortgage Loan Disapprovals: (3) Limitations for Cash Out

Reason Number Three for commercial mortgage rejections: When a business is refinancing their current commercial mortgage loan and wants to get a large amount of cash out for various uses, it is not unusual for the bank to restrict what the funds are used for and to limit the cash to amounts as small as $100,000. Even though the bank might make the business loan, if they won't provide the amount of cash needed by the commercial borrower, this is equivalent to declining the loan.

Strategy Number Three for converting the declined commercial mortgage into an approved commercial real estate loan: As mentioned above, there are other commercial lending options available. The commercial borrower's mission (and it is not impossible at all) is to use a commercial real estate lender that will allow them to get much larger amounts of cash out of a commercial refinancing without restrictions on what they do with it.

Commercial Mortgage Loan Disapprovals: (4) Cross Collateral Requirements

Reason Number Four for commercial mortgage rejections: The bank will not provide a business loan without adequate collateral, usually in the form of a lien on personal assets such as the commercial borrower's home.

Strategy Number Four for converting the rejected commercial real estate loan into an approved business loan: Commercial mortgage borrowers should seek out business lenders that do not cross collateralize assets as a requirement for receiving a commercial loan. This will provide more options for the borrower and eliminate unnecessary and unwise connections between personal and commercial assets.

Commercial Mortgage Loan Disapprovals: (5) Required Business Plan

Reason Number Five for commercial mortgage loan and business loan disapprovals: A bank's loan officer determines that the business plan does not support the needed commercial loan.

Strategy Number Five for converting the declined commercial mortgage into an approved commercial real estate loan: Commercial borrowers will incur fewer business loan costs and delays with a commercial lender that does not require a business plan due to the following major benefits:

(A) Reduce commercial loan costs by thousands of dollars. A common range for an average business plan (prepared to typical bank specifications) is $5,000 to $10,000.

(B) Shorten the business financing closing period. Business plan preparation is likely to take 1-2 months or more.

(C) If a commercial lender does not need a formal business plan, there is one less condition to meet for an approved commercial mortgage.

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