Questions and Answers

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1. Initiation Contact us by phone, e-mail or fax and brief us on your requirement.

2. Assessment The BFA Finance Group assesses your case to determine its financing viability. Our Engagement Agreement (EA) details your finance requirements, amount, terms, conditions sought, timing and associated fees. This document authorizes the BFA Finance Group to begin the underwriting process and finance your company.

3. Discussion Paper A discussion paper (or letter of intent or letter of interest) is issued to your company. It details the financing amount, terms, conditions, requirements and covenants. Your business fulfills its lending conditions, the lender completes its due diligence, and a commitment is issued.

Yes, we are currently working on a number of projects in the Middle East and elsewhere. BFA willreview off-shore projects of at least$10-20M.

It depends on the type of loan requested. Normally, the 4C's apply: cash, collateral, credit-worthiness and character. The importance of one factor over another is based on the type of loan and the lender's guidelines.

The 4C's are always used when evaluating any type of financing. In every credit decision the order of importance of the 4C's may change based on the type of credit request.

To complicate matters further, traditional lending sources may not value an asset that your company has. For example, you may have substantive accounts receivables, but not the current cash flow to meet immediate obligations. You may have foreign assets that local banks may not consider or have extensive equipment that you can sell and lease-back. BFA understands business and has the lenders that specialize in these areas.

Each financing situation is unique. The complexity of the case, the amount and type of financing are just a few of the variables that impact timeliness. The most common issue we run across is the incompleteness of the documentation. While a precise time-frame cannot be provided, the process has taken as little as a week to a few months or longer.

A general rule of thumb is that the quicker a client provides us with complete documentation, the quicker financing can be arranged.

Traditional banks are "no-risk" or "low-risk" lenders. If your financing requirement does not fit within the bank's strict lending criteria, they will turn your case down.

But does this mean that your case is not financeable? No, it simply means that the bank has determined your case does not meet their lending criteria. This is where BFA can come in.

Even in those cases where a bank has refused financing, we can repackage and negotiate with our own cadre of bankers to re-visit your case under our guidance. We have other competitive sources of financing to meet your needs.

BFA complements the banks services. Consider us as an alternative because we can tap into resources that better understand your business, its challenges, risk and reward.

This means we can arrange for higher loan to value (LTV) ratios, greater recognition of what constitutes an asset and generally more flexible terms. In addition, BFA can finance cases through mezzanine and equity which banks are not typically involved in. For more information, check out BFA's Notes on Banks, BFA and risk tolerance.

The BFA Finance Group works with hundreds of businesses of all makes, models and sizes. We bring real world experience to advise on how to improve a companys cash flow, to clean up the balance sheet, to reduce costs and to increase profitability.

If you are looking to expand your business, make an acquisition, or require construction financing or working capital, the BFA Finance Group has specialized resources available to provide the right consultant to address your specific needs.

BFA works for you. This means you are not just a number ... you are our client and we work hard to arrange financing for you. BFA gives you a financing edge.

BFA is pro-business. Our Business First Approach is the core of BFA's value added service. We know how important it is to get an answer to your financing requirements quickly and efficiently.

We are very proactive with our financing. We want to get to know you and your business so we can better service your financing requirements. For more information on BFA's competitive edge, check out 9 Reasons to Consider BFA.

1. A one-stop business finance solution.

2. As business professionals ourselves, we understand your financing challenges. Our Associates and underwriters have owned and managed business as well.

3. Competitive rates, terms and conditions in the market. We save our clients time, money and headaches.

4. Consultation, advice and assistance throughout the whole financing process.

5. Many otherwise financeable business opportunities get turned down because they do not fit within the narrow range of a lender's product line. If your business is financeable, BFA will get it done.