How do business funding brokers work?
A broker sits between your business and the lenders: it puts your case in front of lenders whose published criteria it meets. CapExpand is a commercial finance broker. You fill in one form, we handle the submissions, and you compare any offers that come back. There is no obligation, and we will receive commission from lenders.
If you've ever used a comparison site for car insurance or energy bills, the concept is similar, except that each lender makes its own offer on your figures and the comparison is yours to make.
The process, step by step
You fill in a short form
Tell us about your business: turnover, sector, how long you've been trading, how much you need. Takes about 2 minutes.
We check your enquiry against the panel’s published criteria
We check your details against the published criteria of the lenders on our panel. Each lender has a different model and specialism. We submit to the lenders whose published criteria the case meets.
You receive offers
Lenders come back with offers showing the amount, their rate and fees, and the total cost. You might get one offer or several.
You decide
Compare the offers, ask us any questions, and choose the one that works. Or walk away. There is no obligation.
How is a broker different from a lender?
| Broker | Lender (direct) | |
|---|---|---|
| What they do | Put your case to several lenders and set the offers out side by side | Offer their own product only |
| Cost to you | Commission from the lender, and on some cases a fee we agree with you in writing first | Cost built into the product |
| Number of options | Any offers from the lenders approached | That lender's offer, if it makes one |
| Time investment | One application, 2 minutes | Separate application per lender |
| Obligation | None. Walk away any time. | None until you accept. |
How does CapExpand make money?
We will receive commission from lenders. On some cases we also charge a fee, which we set out in writing and agree with you before you proceed. Different lenders pay different amounts depending on different commission models: fixed fee, fixed rate of commission and percentage of the amount you borrow. Further details of the commission model, calculation and amount will be disclosed to you throughout your customer journey, and you can ask us to confirm the arrangement for your deal in writing.
If you get offers and decide none of them are right, you walk away. That's genuinely how it works.
What one enquiry actually reaches
A broker works from a panel rather than the whole market, so here is what ours covers. Through our lender panel we have access to a range of commercial finance lenders, for unsecured and secured business loans, asset finance, invoice finance, commercial mortgages, buy-to-let, bridging and development finance.
The point of a panel is not its size. It is what it does to a decline. Two lenders can look at the same £25,000 unsecured case and reach different answers on the amount, the term and the price, so one lender saying no removes one option, not the option.
We do not send your details to all of them, and any firm that says it does is describing a scattergun rather than a service. Criteria come first: whether a lender takes adverse credit older than two years, whether it will look at a business trading under a year, and whether it needs a director who owns a home. The answers to those three narrow the lenders whose published criteria a case meets.
Frequently asked questions
Do business funding brokers charge a fee?▼
Some charge the business a fee and some are paid by the lender alone. We will receive commission from lenders. On some cases we also charge a fee, which we set out in writing and agree with you before you proceed. Different lenders pay different amounts depending on different commission models, and further details of the model, calculation and amount will be disclosed to you throughout your customer journey.
What is the difference between a broker and a lender?▼
A lender provides the money. A broker checks your details against lenders’ published criteria and introduces you to the ones your business meets. We don’t lend money or make lending decisions, and you complete one enquiry rather than one per lender.
Why use a broker instead of going to a lender directly?▼
You can absolutely go direct. But each lender only offers their own product. A broker can put one enquiry to several lenders whose published criteria it meets, so you fill in one form instead of five and compare any offers that come back. We set out how the product types differ; we don't advise, and the decision sits with you and the lender.
Is CapExpand regulated?▼
CapExpand Ltd (FRN 1060885) is a credit broker and an Appointed Representative of White Rose Finance Group Limited (FRN 630772), which is directly authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. We are a broker, not a lender. We work with UK limited companies and LLPs only, for business and commercial purposes. Both firms appear on the Financial Services Register at register.fca.org.uk. We do not give advice. We do not provide financial advice, and we are transparent about our role and how we are paid.
How do you choose which lenders to approach?▼
We do not recommend and we do not advise. We submit your details to the lenders on our panel whose published criteria your business meets. We then set the offers out side by side and explain the differences. The decision is always yours.
What customers say
Trustpilot reviews are quoted as written on Trustpilot; case-study quotes link to the full story
“Friendly and helpful service. Nice to deal with someone in finance that listened and cared. Would use again.”
“Alex was extremely helpful from the start of the application to completion. The funding came through just as it was most needed.”
Start a business funding enquiry
There's no commitment in finding out. Fill in the form, see what comes back, and go from there.