Every offer we make is affordability-led: the central question is whether this company can comfortably repay this amount on this schedule. Because the borrower is the company and we take no personal guarantee, the assessment is about the business, not the director's personal finances.
What the assessment considers
| Signal | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Business cash flow | Where available, the money coming in and going out of your business account shows whether repayments fit comfortably alongside your other commitments. |
| Trading history | How long the company has traded and how steadily, which is why we look for at least six months of trading. |
| Business credit data | Information from business credit reference agencies about how the company manages credit. |
| The amount and term you asked for | The size of the repayments relative to the business's capacity — sometimes a smaller amount is the comfortable answer. |
It does not score the director's personal income, personal credit rating, household budget or benefits. An identity and anti-money-laundering check confirms who you are — that is not a personal credit search. See whether applying affects your personal credit file.
Why we lend only what fits
Lending more than a business can comfortably afford helps nobody — it just turns a cash-flow gap into a bigger one. That is why we may offer less than you asked for, and why a strong repayment record can mean more becomes available over time. Connecting your business bank account through read-only Open Banking gives the most accurate picture, but it is optional.
For how the model and the human steps fit together, see is my loan decision made by a computer? Because this is lending to a company for business purposes, it sits outside FCA consumer-credit regulation under Article 60B FSMA RAO 2001 and is not covered by the Financial Ombudsman Service or the FSCS.
See also: Can I ask a person to review an automated decision?, Can I find out why I was declined?, Can I reapply after a decline?.