Financial Sectors have a major business policy that helps them boost up every year and keep themselves in the big-money race. Loans are one of the most fruitful ideas interpreted by those money giants. A Loan could be given to any individual or corporation on behalf of the necessary procedures by the bank. Bridge Loans are such a kind of a loan sought by the needy in case of some enormous financial transaction for the sake of cementing any asset under their name.
What Is A Bridge Loan?
Now we may have a question in mind, what is a bridge loan? It is the amount of money that a single person or an entire corporation seeks when they don’t have the full amount they need to perform a certain transaction. It acts as a source of financial cover for the buyer in front of the seller.
As a bridge helps us to cross a waterbody or hilly area which would otherwise be difficult for us to go through, similarly in case of deficit of certain amount of wealth for some unfortunate events, it helps the buyer to cover the remaining expenses to proceed with the transaction.
They are Short-Term Loans
Bridge loans are generally issued for less than a year. These are short-term loans as they are required instantly and are easily repaid once the desired transaction takes place. They are also called short-term loans as the rates for repayment are much higher compared to other loans.
Bridge Loans are not only used for large-scale buying, they are also used as capital expenses for certain projects as well as money for start-ups, young entrepreneurs, and small companies.
The Small Business Administration or SBA came up with a new scheme in 2019 post covid time where they have started giving SBA Express Lenders permission to lend loans under the SBA Express Bridge Loans Scheme which will regulate the lenders on the amount of interest they charge as well as the receivers will have the security of the SBA accounting to which SBA norms will be applied generally.
SBA Express Bridge Loans
SBA Express Bridge loans are preferred worldwide to get the security of the SBA and their instant approval policy and minimal paperwork. They also provide minimal and reasonable bridge loan rates and are thus much popular and preferred.
So, as to speak of the bridge loan definition, The Loan provided by the organization to the recipient to cover up the transactions in between two transactions acting as a bridge.
Now the question comes up for repayment of the loans. So how do we calculate how much we would get as a loan and depending on the rates, how much would we have to repay? Now bridge loan calculation is easy. We would be eligible for approximately 80% of our total asset that we are possessing on documentation and would be approved instantly. Liabilities are not preferred criteria for the calculation of bridge loan eligibility.
What’s the Rate?
Bridge loan rates are generally ranged between 7.5 to 11.5 % and for the short term only. There is no fixed date for the repayment of the loan but it is generally returned within the period of time for which the loan is taken. The repayment money includes the total amount of money along with the interest earned off the money at the given rate every month. Then finally everything will be added up along with the processing fee. This is how a bridge loan works.
The extra amount charged by the bridge loan lenders makes it a valuable transaction for the lender but it becomes a costly venture for the recipient.
Bridge Loans almost increase up the amount to a lot more than the principal amount. It is a good mode of transaction for those having a large amount of equity and asset. Brilliant business tycoons of the FORBES business magazine did state in various interviews that they are not a great mode of transaction for the recipient.
Drawbacks of Bridge Loans
They do have a lot of pros in terms of dealing with the rigorous paperwork and documentation, which are not needed in this case. But they do deal with a huge drain of wealth for people eying on Startups and small businesses which is a big con in this kind of short-term loans. The bridge loan rates are never stable and are often swinging up high and low according to the regulations of the bank which is why they are also referred to as swing loans.
There are a lot of bridge loan lenders present out in the market nowadays. A lot of private banks act as lenders. Some of them to be named are
- United Trust Bank Bridging Loan
- Pivot Bridging Loan Bank
- Octopus Bridging Loan Bank.
Bridging loan banks take a good look at the background of anyone wiling the loan so that they have enough reserves to pay off the loan if needed without much hassle.
A Case of Involving Bridge Loan
One of the famous instances was during the Florida Bridge Loan program. It was a plan of action brought down to the small business supplies by the government lenders which states that no one would be charged interest during their loan tenure. This was an effort made by the government executives to continue the livelihood of small-scale businesses during a financial disaster in the country.
The economic section remained down and hence the executives sent State Relief Fund money as a loan which they were expected to return with as much time in hand as they need. The program won much praise worldwide for the quick skills and recovery of the people living there and helping them to sustain their livelihood. People were given individual receipts for the amount of money issued to them. The rough estimation was about one thousand to twenty-five thousand US Dollars per head.
Real Estate Transactions
Bridge Loans hold a major part in real estate transactions. Real Estate Transactions are quite a large amount and the realtors are often exposed to financial problems due to the delay or acceleration of transactions of any plot. Real Estate Transactions include loan transactions often so as to prevent the realtor from getting bankrupt or even sometimes to delay the process mostly because of the delay in selling off of the previous asset.
In case of personal house selling or buying off, they are of much assistance to the realtor keeping the headache off them as well as ensuring their trust in the other party with whom he is transacting.
Bridge Loans are ladders sometimes as well as snakes in the board of finances. It is good in case of speed and paperwork as it’s almost instantly available with a minimum amount of paperwork and bad because of the heavy interest and service charge that needs to be given back. But if necessary the organization can opt for it regardless of the rates. In case of necessity, every loan seems to be helpful as it creates an opportunity to get ourselves in a stable place and then hold the noose of life. Thus to conclude on to how I started, A loan in need is a loan indeed!
