Commercial Mortgage May Require Personal Indemnity
There is not really a lot of difference in obtaining a commercial mortgage than a residential loan, except the lender will requires additional assurances of being repaid. Typically, the company applying for a commercial loan will be required to offer collateral for the property they are buying above the amount of the property itself.
When applying for a commercial mortgage many lenders will require the person or persons responsible for the business to include their personal information on the loan application and their individual credit history will be used to process the application. Essentially, the person is agreeing to use their personal assets as collateral for the commercial mortgage. In cases where the applicant is a corporation, principals of the corporation will be securing the loan with their personal assets.
Of course, a well-established business can possibly receive a commercial mortgage based on the financial health of the company, but there will still need to be a person agreeing to be responsible for repayment of the loan as well as being the one the lender can go to if the business fails. Additionally, further inspections of the property will be required on top of the building's usability and expected life span before any commercial mortgage is written.
Loans For Expansion Easier Than Startup Funds
In most cases, seeking a commercial mortgage to expand a business is much easier than finding a source of funds to open a new business. Even one that has outgrown the garage of the owner, may have several more hoops to jump through than the owner of an established company. Since established businesses have a reputation with their financial institution, the odds of obtaining additional loans are increased.
In some cases of business expansion obtaining a commercial mortgage can be made easier with back from the Small Business Administration. Although the SBA does not make direct loans for business purposes, once the application process is successfully completed it will guarantee funds given by a lender, assuring them of repayment. This makes securing commercial mortgage money that much simpler.
When starting a new business that has no financial history a business plan will be needed to not only show how the money will be repaid but also to show the potential of the new business will be in creating additional resources. Without any type of plan, receiving a commercial mortgage based solely on the owner's financial and credit history may not be possible, especially if the owner's sole income will be from the new business.
