What Is a Business Line of Credit?

While each lender has their own criteria for their lines of credit, a large number of lenders like to secure their lines of credit with assets such as accounts receivable or the equity in their hard assets. A lender will extend a line of credit to a business based on a percentage of the A/R or net value of the hard asset. Other banks and commercial lenders will provide lines of credit on an unsecured basis provided the company is creditworthy and the financials support the facility. While there are many advantages to a line of credit for a business, the most advantageous may be the fact that a LOC allows a company to borrow as much money as it needs without having to go through an approval process with a lender. The financing is pre-approved and is readily available to draw upon until they reach the maximum allowed.

What makes a line of credit most advantageous is the fact that interest is only paid on the amount that is drawn from the line of credit and not from the overall size of approved funding related to the financing facility.