Who built this: This free tool is published by T.A.G. Business Funding (Towers Asset Group LLC), an independent business-funding ISO based in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. T.A.G. is not a direct lender: it connects business owners with a network of funding partners. This page is educational; nothing here is a guarantee of approval, funding, rates, or timing.
Step 1: Pick your decline reason
These are the ten most common reasons banks and SBA lenders decline small-business applications.
Strong deposits but the bank still said no?
If your business runs real monthly revenue through a business bank account, a bank decline does not end the conversation. T.A.G. Business Funding matches owners with revenue-based working capital through its funding-partner network: 500 FICO considered, bankruptcies and tax liens reviewed case by case, with decision and funding timing set by the funding provider after review. The initial application is free, starts with a soft credit pull, and carries no obligation. Approval is never guaranteed.
Read the Bank-Turndown Recovery Guide →Or go straight to the free, no-obligation application at funding.towersassetgroup.com/application. Approval is never guaranteed; all files are subject to underwriting by third-party funders.
Common questions after a decline
Does a bank decline hurt my credit or block me from other funding?
The decline itself isn't reported as a negative event. If the bank ran a hard credit inquiry, that inquiry stays on your report for up to two years and may trim a few points. A decline at one institution does not prevent you from applying elsewhere: different lenders and funders weigh the same file very differently. Revenue-based funders, for example, generally weight bank-deposit history more heavily than traditional banks do, though credit may still be considered.
Should I immediately reapply at another bank?
Usually not immediately, unless you know exactly why you were declined and the next bank evaluates that factor differently. Ask the first bank for the specific decline reason in writing: under Regulation B (the Equal Credit Opportunity Act), lenders are generally required to tell you the principal reasons for an adverse action if you ask within 60 days. Decode that reason first, then choose where to apply.
What's the realistic difference between fixing my file and using alternative funding now?
It's a time-versus-cost tradeoff. Fixing a credit or documentation issue typically takes 60 days to 2+ years and reopens cheaper bank credit later. Alternative options like a merchant cash advance cost more but are underwritten mainly on deposits, with funding timing set by the funding provider after review, typically faster than the credit-repair path above. Neither is automatically right: it depends on whether the money is needed for something time-sensitive (payroll, an inventory buy, an equipment failure) or something that can wait. An honest look at the tradeoffs: MCA pros and cons.
How do I know what an MCA would actually cost before applying anywhere?
Model it first. A merchant cash advance is priced with a factor rate (e.g., $50,000 × 1.30 = $65,000 total repayment), not an interest rate, and repayment is drawn from a share of your deposits. Run your own numbers with this free MCA calculator before you talk to anyone.
Is there a way to check how fundable I am before applying again anywhere?
Yes: a two-minute self-assessment against the criteria underwriters actually use (deposit consistency, ending balances, NSFs, time in business) tells you more than another hard-pull application. Try the free Fundability Score: no login, no credit pull.