To get a small business loan, a firm requires submitting an appropriate application form. There are different types of application forms for different categories of loans. The information furnished in the application covers, inter alia, the following: the name and address of the borrower and his establishment; the details of the borrowers business; and the nature and amount of security offered.

The application form has to be supported by various ancillary statements like the financial statements and financial projections of the firm. The application is then processed. This primarily involves an examination of the factors like ability, integrity and experience of the borrower in the particular business. General prospects of the borrowers business, purpose of grant, requirement of the borrower and its reasonableness are also taken into perspective when granting loan.

Once the application is duly processed, it is put up for sanction to the appropriate authority. If the sanction is given by the appropriate authority along with the sanction of loan, the bank specifies the terms and conditions applicable to the loan. These usually cover the amount of loan or the maximum limit of the grant, the nature of the grant, the period for which the grant will be valid, the rate of interest applicable to the grant, the primary security to be charged, the insurance of the security, the details of collateral security, if any, to be provided, and the margin to be maintained.

Working capital advances are provided by commercial banks in three primary ways: cash credits/overdrafts, loans, and purchase/discount of bills. In addition to these forms of direct finance, commercial banks help their customers in obtaining credit from other sources through the letter of credit arrangement. Under a cash credit arrangement, a predetermined limit for borrowing is specified by the bank. The borrower can draw as often as required provided the outstandings do not exceed the cash credit limit.