Wells Fargo announced the launch of FastFlex Small Business Loan, an online, fast-decision loan that is funded as soon as the next business day and offers a competitive interest rate to small businesses with short-term credit needs. An innovation built in-house by Wells Fargo, the new loan product will be available in late May to existing customers, and joins the Wells Fargo family of small business products and comprehensive support offered through Wells Fargo Works for Small Business®.
FastFlex Small Business Loan builds on Wells Fargo’s focus on small businesses, a market in which the company has set a five-year $100 billion lending goal. Since setting the goal in 2014, Wells Fargo has provided $40.7 billion in new loans to small businesses1 (Jan. 2014 – March 2016).
“Because small businesses want faster, more convenient loan options, online and at competitive rates, we created Wells Fargo FastFlex Small Business Loan,” said Lisa Stevens, Wells Fargo’s head of Small Business. “With a $100 billion lending goal, we want to make every responsible small business loan we can. FastFlex Small Business Loan will help by offering short-term credit through an easy, fast-decision application process that includes competitive interest rates, clear terms and as-soon-as next day funding. This will put short-term credit within reach for many small businesses seeking to achieve financial success.”
The FastFlex Small Business Loan was developed by Wells Fargo Business Direct, a team that provides small business loans under $100,000 each. The typical FastFlex Small Business Loan customer is expected to have strong cash inflows, and short-term credit needs for funding ranging from facility expansion to cash management. The FastFlex Small Business Loan will be available with one-year terms, at amounts ranging from $10,000 to $35,000, with required payments made on a weekly basis automatically deducted from the customer’s business-deposit account. It will be available to Wells Fargo business-deposit customers who have been a customer of the bank for at least one year. Beginning in late May, existing Wells Fargo customers can apply for the FastFlex Small Business Loan online or by phone.
Since August 2015, a version of the FastFlex Small Business Loan has been offered as part of a limited pilot to a set of pre-qualified existing Wells Fargo customers. Among the current FastFlex Small Business Loan customers is John Armstrong, Clothier, a custom-clothing business based in Vestavia Hills, Ala.
The FastFlex Small Business Loan builds on the comprehensive offerings of Wells Fargo Works for Small Business® – a broad initiative designed to deliver guidance and resources to help business owners achieve financial success. Through WellsFargoWorks.com, Wells Fargo offers an online community and education resources designed to help small business owners start, run, finance and grow their businesses. It includes The Business Plan Center, a free online tool introduced in 2015 that has helped 10,000 small business owners create and update their business plans in its first year and received nearly one million visits.