Most overviews of the 7(a) program for business buyers explain the headline rules and stop. Here's what searchers usually trip on — equity injection sourcing, partner-buyout exception, working-capital sizing, and the seller-note standby clock.
Open resources · search funds & ETA
Acquisition financing, structured for searchers.
Free calculators, LOI templates, current SBA rates, and plain-English playbooks for self-funded and ETA acquirers. No logins, no paywalls.
Latest SBA & ETA news
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SBA tightens 7(a) underwriting guidance for change-of-ownership transactions
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ETA acquirers face higher debt-service coverage hurdles as Prime holds at 7.50%
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Working-capital pegs become a flashpoint in lower-middle-market closings
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OCRP pilot to expand 7(a) preferred lender authority to two regional banks
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QoE reports for sub-$5M deals: when is one worth it?
Latest insights
All insights →diligence
DSCR as SBA lenders actually calculate it (not the version in the guide)
Searchers run a DSCR formula, get 1.4x, and assume the deal is bankable. The lender then tightens the inputs and lands at 1.05x. Here's what changes between the buyer's spreadsheet and the credit memo.
Free tools & templates
All tools →Calculator
SBA 7(a) loan payment
Loan amount, rate, term → monthly payment, total interest, year-by-year amortization.
Calculator
DSCR / global cash flow
Mirror of how SBA lenders compute DSCR — with stress test and household burn included.
Calculator
Working-capital peg estimator
Defensible peg from trailing-twelve-month financials, with a methodology footnote you can hand to a seller.
Templates
LOI starter docs & QoE checklist
Editable .docx LOIs (asset, stock, partner buyout, with seller note, with earn-out) and a quality-of-earnings scope checklist.