Almost every business-funding decision starts in the same place: your last three to four months of bank statements. Not your tax return, not a pitch — the raw, unglamorous record of money in and money out. Here's exactly what an underwriter is reading, and how to make sure your file says "fundable."
The five things we look at first
- Average daily balance. Not your biggest deposit — the cushion you carry day to day. It tells us whether a daily or weekly payment can clear without bouncing.
- Deposit consistency. Steady is stronger than spiky. Twelve $25K weeks beat one $120K month followed by two dead ones.
- Negative days & NSFs. A few are normal. A pattern of overdrafts is the single fastest way to shrink or kill an offer.
- Existing advances. Daily debits to other funders ("stacking") show up immediately and lower what we can safely add.
- True revenue vs. transfers. Owner transfers and loan deposits get backed out — we fund real top-line revenue, not money you moved between accounts.
How to look fundable (without faking anything)
Three honest moves make a real difference before you apply:
- Time it after a strong stretch. If you can wait two weeks for a better month to close, your average improves and so does your offer.
- Keep a working cushion. Even a few thousand held in the account raises your average daily balance and signals stability.
- Stop the overdrafts. A clean month with zero NSFs reads completely differently than one with five.
None of this is about gaming the file — it's about presenting a business that's genuinely ready for capital. Send clean statements that match a clear story, and you'll get a faster, larger, better-priced offer. That's the whole point.