Money, taxes and insurance · 10 guides
Commercial Banking: problems and fixes, explained by Leslie
Leslie Haxel is the only commercial banking member of BNI Preston Center. These guides are written for a Dallas–Fort Worth reader who has the problem right now: what is happening, what to check, when to call, and what it costs.
- The line of credit mistakes that surface at renewal time A business line of credit is one of the most useful tools a growing company has, and one of the easiest to misuse. Most of the damage shows up a year later, when the bank reviews the line for renewal. The mistakes in one paragraphWhat a line of credit is forMistake one: a balance that never comes downMistake two: buying long-lived things with short-term money
- Switching business banks without a missed payroll: a step-by-step plan Most bank switches that go wrong do so for one reason: the old account was closed before everything had moved. Here is the order that keeps payroll, vendors and tax payments running while you change banks. Open first, overlap, close lastBefore anything moves: build the inventoryWeek one: open accounts and set up accessWeeks two to four: move money coming in
- Still driving checks to the branch? Signs your business needs treasury management Treasury management sounds like something for large corporations. In practice it is the set of tools that stops a growing company from running its money by hand. Here is how to tell when you need it. If your team spends hours moving money by hand, you are readyWhat the term actually coversSign one: deposits are a weekly errandSign two: you still pay vendors and staff by paper check
- SBA loan or conventional bank loan: which one fits your business An SBA loan is still a bank loan, with a federal guarantee behind part of it. That guarantee changes what a lender can say yes to, and it adds paperwork. Here is how to tell which route fits your situation. The quick comparisonWhat the SBA guarantee actually doesThe two SBA programs most owners hear aboutWhere a conventional loan tends to win
- Running the business through your personal account: what it costs you later Plenty of businesses start in the owner's personal checking account. The trouble shows up later, when a lender, an accountant or an attorney needs to see where the business ends and you begin. You can, but the bill comes due laterWhy owners start this wayThe tax problem: proving what is business and what is notThe lending problem: a bank cannot see your business
- Opening a business bank account in Texas: the documents and decisions What you bring to the bank depends on how the business is organized and whether it uses a name other than its legal one. Here is the Texas-specific checklist, plus the decisions that are easy to skip on day one. The checklist, by type of businessSole proprietors and general partnershipsLLCs and corporationsWhere Texas assumed names are filed now
- Business bank fees you cannot explain: how account analysis and earnings credits work Business checking fees are driven by activity, not by the balance alone. Here is how to read the statement, what the earnings credit does and which changes actually lower the monthly charge. The short answer: you pay for activity, and balances can pay some of it backThree kinds of business checking, and why the right one changes as you growHow to read an account analysis statement line by lineWhat the earnings credit is, and what it is not
- Before you move your business accounts: the questions to ask a bank first Rates and logos are easy to compare. How a bank handles a held wire, a fraud alert or a credit request is not. These are the questions that reveal it before you move a single account. What matters most when you are comparing banksStart with your own list of what is going wrongQuestions about who serves youQuestions about how money moves
- Altered checks and fake invoices: protecting a business account from fraud Most business account fraud comes through two doors: stolen or altered checks, and emails that trick someone into sending money to the wrong place. Both can be closed with a mix of bank tools and simple office habits. Two doors, and how to close themHow check fraud actually happensHow payment scams and email impersonation workBank tools worth turning on
- Your business outgrew its checking account: when a line of credit beats a loan The company is profitable, the receivables are real and the account still runs low twice a month. Here is how a business banker reads that situation, how credit is structured, and what to bring to the first meeting. Profitable on paper, tight in the accountWhy growth creates a cash gap even when the numbers are goodWhat to look at in your own books before you call anyoneLine of credit, term loan or real estate loan: which fits which problem