5 Cs of Credit

Tags: banks, capital, cash flow, character, collateral, conditions, credit, credit worthy, lenders
By: Dan
July 5, 2017

Are you credit worthy? Right now, is your credit good enough for a lender to give you a loan or line of credit today? If your answer is no or if your not sure of your answer, take a look at the 5 Cs of Credit. This 5-point checklist allows loan officers to easily determine if you are going to be good for their banking business. Although, banks don’t strictly rely on only the 5 Cs of Credit, it’s good to know where they start.

But first, what are the 5 Cs of Credit?

The 5 Cs of Credit include cash flow, collateral, capital, character, and conditions.

Cash Flow

The bank need to know that your company can generate (and has generated) enough cash flow to pay off the debt. To increase your chances of getting approved for a loan, display how you have paid off debt before, had consistent cash flow, and plan to pay off debt in the future. Remember, cash is king. Because of that, this is one of the most important Cs.

If you need to improve your cash flow, download our free 25 Ways to Improve Cash flow whitepaper. Get approved for that loan!

Collateral

Unfortunately, some companies fail. Regardless of whether the company fails or not, the bank wants to make sure that it can be paid. The bank looks for sufficient collateral to cover the amount of the loan as the secondary source of repayment. This C allows the bank to cover all their bases because at the end of the day, they just want to be paid.

The bank wants to make sure it is protected if you cannot repay the loan. As a result, the bank will look into your savings, investments, and/or property.

Capital

Capital is a huge sign of commitment. One of the reasons why the bank looks at capital to approve a loan is to confirm that the company can weather any storm and ensure that the owner will not just walk out any day. The bank needs to know that there is a significant commitment, that being an investment, from the owners of the company.

Character

One of the suggestions we give to clients when developing a banking relationship is to take their banker out to lunch. This provides an opportunity for the banker to assess your character. What are they looking for? Integrity, honesty, respect, and other virtues reflect a good business person who will stick with their commitments in the good times and the bad. Sound character is critical in business. The banks want to feel safe when doing business with you.

Indicators of character include credit history and stability. The biggest question asked is, “will you be able to repay the debt?”

Conditions

With any business, there are external factors that could impact the company’s success. Therefore, the bank looks for conditions surrounding your business that may or may not pose a significant risk to your ability to succeed (and pay off your loan). If there is high risk, the banks will be more cautious when approaching you. But if the risks are small and do not impact any of the 5 Cs of Credit, then the bank is more willing to offer a loan.

Ask yourself: can you repay the debt?

Why do banks follow the 5 Cs of Credit?

In short, banks follow the 5 Cs of Credit to mitigate any risk related to loaning to a company. The risk a bank incurs from lending money to companies can be managed by assessing different areas of credit. Although not every bank uses this list, it’s safe to assume that when approaching a bank, you need to address each of these factors.

Relationships

Business deals with people; therefore, it is critical for the management (especially the owner/CEO/CFO) to have a good relationship with their banker. Imagine a random person coming into your office to ask for a $350,000 loan. Because you have no relationship with them, you don’t know how honest they are, if they have integrity, how willing they are to pay back the loan, how they do business, etc. Because there are a lot of unknowns, the risk increases dramatically.

Trust between a bank and a company is developed when you have proven that you are able to pay off your loans, have long-lasting relationships with customers, vendors, suppliers, etc., and alert the bank if your projections are a little off.

What Lenders Look For

Lenders look to reduce their risk. They are willing to provide loans that may not have the highest return over risky loans with high returns. Areas of risk include the amount of credit used, the number of recent applications for loans, how much the company makes, and available collateral.

To start the process of applying for a loan, address areas that need to be fixed before the application, explain any red flags that your banker might raise, and prove you are credit worthy.

How to be More Credit Worthy

Creditworthiness is a valuation method banks use to measure their customers, your company. Although there may be slight differences between personal and business credit scores, it is a good start to improve your personal credit score. If you follow the same guidelines in your business, the company’s creditworthiness will increase.

Be more credit worthy by:

Paying bills on time
Pay more than just the minimum amount required
Manage credit card balances
Limit or manage the usage of debt

In addition to addressing the factors that directly impact your credit score, take a look at the 5 Cs of Credit. If you find yourself lacking in any one of those areas, make it a goal to increase your creditworthiness in that area over the next quarter. If you have decided to start tackling the first “C” – cash flow – download the free 25 Ways to Improve Cash Flow whitepaper. Make a big impact today with this checklist.