The Answers…

You don’t have the time to search for a bank that might be willing to do your loan.

• Your time is valuable and should be spent on growing your business through increased sales.
• Stew Ross has the time and knowledge to seek only those banks or funding sources that match your financial needs.

You don’t like meeting with bankers.

• You don’t know their language. You are uncomfortable with a banker.
• Stew Ross has 31 years of experience as a commercial banker. He will establish immediate credibility with the bankers and negotiate on your behalf.

You don’t know what the banker is looking for.

• You are not knowledgable about what collateral is acceptable and what isn’t. You’re not sure if the company can meet the “Five Cs” of credit that the banker is looking for (credit, collateral, conditions, character, cash flow).
• Stew Ross has been a credit officer for a super regional bank. He has the experience in analyzing balance sheets and income statements. He knows how to structure loan requests to meet bank standards.

You don’t know which bank or funding source specializes in your need.

• You thought all banks provide all services to every business in every industry with equal emphasis.
• Stew Ross knows that each bank today has a different “approach” to lending and which businesses they want as clients. Greater Nashville has 65 banks, plus alternative funding sources such as the Small Business Administration. With 31 years of experience including working for small community banks (Eldorado Bank), mid-size community banks (Community Bank), super regional banks (Comerica; Fifth Third) and national banks (Bank of America), Stew understands the differences in funding sources and their respective lending philosophies.

You don’t know who to trust or who is giving you the “real” story.

• Have you ever been with a banker who wasn’t up-front with you about the truth? You eventually realized that you had wasted a great deal of your time following that person down a path that would never materialize in a loan.
• Stew Ross has integrity. With his experience and knowledge of the Nashville banking landscape, he will know which lending sources to approach with your loan needs. He will eliminate sources not likely to be fruitful. He will know whom to trust and who shares in integrity that has stood the test of time.

You are uncomfortable in negotiating with the bank.

• Have you ever felt like you left money on the table when negotiating with a bank or an alternative funding source?
• Stew Ross has been on the “other” side of the negotiations. He knows what a banker can or is willing to give up and what the banker cannot negotiate.

You really don’t know the type of loan structure that is best for your company.

• Do you know what types of loan structures are available? Do you know what the impact of a certain structure can do to your balance sheet? Do you know how to negotiate certain loan structures with the banker?
• Stew Ross knows which structures are appropriate for your balance sheet and those that are not. With Stew’s credit background and knowledge of which structures will pass with the commercial banker, he is able to quickly determine the proper structure to put in front of the banker.

You have a problem in the company that is preventing you from getting a loan.

• You might know what the problem is, but you cannot put it into language that either the banker can understand or get past in making a decision (which usually ends in a “no”).
• You don’t know what the problem is and need assistance in determining why the bank has a problem giving you the loan you need.
• Stew Ross will help isolate, analyze and manage your company’s problem. With 30-plus years of studying, underwriting and presenting deals for approval, he knows how to analyze balance sheets and income statements with respect to isolating problems. Once the problem is isolated, then it becomes easier to address mitigating circumstances. Stew will know at that point how to present to bankers in language that they will understand and relate to so that your deal will get your done.