Eligibility, explained
Most SME owners learn bank criteria one rejection at a time. Here are the five filters every credit officer runs your file through — so you can self-assess before you submit.
The 5 filters
None of these are secret. But banks rarely explain them — because they assume you already know.
01
Operating history
How long the business has actually been running, not just registered. Two to three years of trading with clean rolling accounts is the threshold most banks look for.
What weakens you: Company dormant for extended periods, recent change of business activity, or rapid turnover of directors.
02
Cashflow quality
Not just how much you turn over — how consistent and bankable it is. Bank statements are read line by line: deposits, concentration, returned cheques, related-party flows.
What weakens you: Spiky deposits concentrated in a few months, frequent round-number related-party transfers, returned cheques, minimum-balance weeks.
03
CCRIS profile
Your credit report is the first thing credit pulls. It shows every facility you hold, how you’ve serviced it, and how many banks have recently enquired on you.
What weakens you: Late payments in the last 12 months, aggressive enquiry history, high utilisation, restructured facilities not yet seasoned.
04
Shareholder strength
Banks lend to businesses but hold shareholders accountable. Directors’ personal credit, asset base, and industry track record all feed into the decision.
What weakens you: Director with adverse personal CCRIS, recent bankruptcy history, weak or absent personal guarantees.
05
Sector & collateral
Banks have internal sector preferences that change quarterly. The same file can be approved at one bank and declined at another, purely on sector fit.
What weakens you: Sector currently on bank’s watch list, unsecured request against thin financials, collateral the bank can’t realistically realise.
An honest note
Real eligibility depends on sector, recent transactions, shareholder profile, CCRIS behaviour, bank-specific risk appetite that quarter, and a dozen other things a form can’t ask. Any estimator that gives you a yes/no from five inputs is marketing, not analysis.
What we offer instead: a 15-minute WhatsApp conversation. You describe your business, we tell you what a credit officer would probably think. No form, no sales pitch, no fee.