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First Home Bank business loans review
Get up to $5 million with this SBA Preferred Lender.
finder.com’s rating: 4.5 / 5.0
★★★★★
First Home Bank is a regional bank based in Florida. It offers a wide range of business financing, including government-guaranteed Small Business Administration (SBA) loans. But it doesn’t have much of a website, and you can’t apply online — your best bet is to call or visit a branch if you’re interested in working with this lender.
Details
| Min. Amount | $50,000 |
|---|---|
| Max. Amount | $5,000,000 |
| Loan Term | 7 to 25 months |
| Requirements | First Home Bank doesn’t advertise specific eligibility requirements for its business loans. But you’ll need to be in a state where First Home Bank issues loans. |
First, do I qualify?
First Home Bank doesn’t advertise specific eligibility requirements for its business loans. But you’ll need to be in a state where First Home Bank issues loans:
- Florida
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- New Jersey
- New York
- Ohio
- Texas
- Washington
You’ll also have to meet the standard requirements set by the Small Business Administration (SBA) if you want to apply for a government-backed loan. First Home Bank may have additional eligibility requirements.
What makes First Home Bank business loans unique?
First Home Bank can be a great source for government business loan programs. It’s a member of the SBA Preferred Lender Program (PLP), which means it has the authority to underwrite, process and issue SBA loans itself, rather than going through the government. This often translates into a faster, more streamlined borrowing process than you might get with other SBA lenders.
The SBA only grants lenders preferred lender status after they have a track record showing they understand the policies and procedures of this government-backed program. And First Home Bank has experience with a wide range of SBA loans, including 7(a), 504 and International Trade Loans. It also offers financing through the US Department of Agriculture Business and Industry (USDA B&I) Loan Program.
Pros
- SBA Preferred Lender means a more streamlined application
- Offers SBA 7(a), 504, International Trade and USDA B&I Loans
- Small banks have a higher approval rate
Cons
- Little information available online
- Potentially long turnaround time
- Customer service wouldn’t disclose information about rates or terms over the phone
Compare other business loan options
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How do I apply?
You can apply over the phone or in person. If you’re going in person, you might want to call ahead and find out what documents you need — though not all locations have phone numbers.
Follow these steps to find out who to contact to start your application:
- Go to the First Home Bank website.
- Click Locations in the top menu.
- Scroll down to find a loan production office in your area.
Call the number or stop by your local office to get started on the application. SBA loan applications are typically much more involved than other types of business loan applications. Even with a preferred lender, it can take at least a few weeks.
What documents do I need to apply?
First Home Bank doesn’t disclose what documents it requires — and often, it depends on the business. But you might have to provide the following documents at a minimum:
- Business tax returns
- Personal tax returns
- Profit and loss statement
- Business debt schedule
- Financial projections
How do repayments work?
Your repayment terms will be outlined in your loan documents. Typically, SBA loans come with monthly repayments. Ask your First Home Bank loan specialist if you can sign up for autopay so you don’t have to take the time to manually make repayments each month.
If you have any questions or concerns about your loan repayments, reach out to customer service as soon as possible.
See how First Home Bank compares to other lenders with our guide to business loans.
Business loan ratings
★★★★★ Excellent
★★★★★ Good
★★★★★ Average
★★★★★ Subpar
★★★★★ Poor
We rate business loan providers on a scale of 1 to 5 stars based on factors like transparency, costs and customer experience. We don’t take into account elements like eligibility criteria, state availability or payment frequency — we save that for our reviews.
Read the full methodology of how we rate business loan providers to get a better picture of what goes into each star rating.
Review by
Anna Serio
anna.serio@finder.comAnna Serio is a trusted lending expert and certified Commercial Loan Officer who's published more than 1,000 articles on Finder to help Americans strengthen their financial literacy. A former editor of a newspaper in Beirut, Anna writes about personal, student, business and car loans. Today, digital publications like Business Insider, CNBC and the Simple Dollar feature her professional commentary, and she earned an Expert Contributor in Finance badge from review site Best Company in 2020.
Expert review
First Home Bank is ideal for businesses based in Florida or one of the other 10 states it services looking for government-backed financing. As an SBA Preferred Lender, it’s able to offer a more streamlined application process. And small banks like First Home are known to have a higher approval rating than other SBA lenders.
But you’ll have a hard time finding much information online or even through its customer service line. Though with something as complicated and time-consuming as an SBA loan, it can be more useful to apply in person anyways.
Don’t live near a First Home Bank branch? Compare your other business loan options.