MercFinancial — Commercial Funding & Business Loans, Houston, TX

Latest guides

• Unsecured Business Loans: What No Collateral Really Means and Who Qualifies — Unsecured business loans skip specific collateral but almost always require a personal guarantee, and many lenders file a blanket UCC lien anyway. Here is what underwriting looks at instead, which products fit, and how to strengthen a file.
• SBA Loan Requirements: The Complete Eligibility and Document Checklist — SBA loan requirements have two layers: the SBA's eligibility floor and the lender's own credit standards. Here are the rules, the personal guarantee and equity expectations, the full document list, and where files stall.
• Refinancing High-Interest Business Debt Into a Term Loan: When It Works — Refinancing high-interest business debt into a term loan works when the business still cash-flows after the new payment and the statements are clean. What lenders require, why stacked advances block it, and the right sequence.
• Working Interest Financing: Funding Your Share of Drilling and Completion Costs — Working interest financing funds your share of drilling, completion and operating costs under a joint operating agreement. Here is how AFEs and cash calls work, why lenders treat a working interest differently from reserves, and which structures fit.
• Royalty-Backed Loans: Borrowing Against Oil and Gas Royalty Income — A royalty-backed loan lets a mineral or royalty owner borrow against monthly production income without selling the interest. Here is how lenders underwrite decline, price and operator risk, how a loan compares with a royalty sale, and the documents required.
• The Oil and Gas Loan Application Checklist: Reserve Reports to Title Opinions — An oil and gas loan application is built around a reserve report, lease operating statements, production history, title and division orders, hedging, environmental and plugging liabilities, and financials. Here is what each is for and where files stall.
• Financing Oil and Gas Lease Acquisitions and Lease Bonus Payments — Undeveloped leasehold is hard to borrow against because a lease expires if nothing is drilled in its primary term. Here is how lenders view acreage, what bonus and rental obligations mean, bridge capital until drilling, and when a partner beats a loan.
• Joint Venture Partner or Debt: Which Capital Fits Your Oil and Gas Project? — Debt keeps your ownership but demands repayment from a declining asset; a partner takes part of the upside but shares the risk and funds what lenders will not. Here is how to weigh selling interest, farm-outs, carries and DrillCos against borrowing.
• Financing a 5+ Unit Multifamily Property: Agency, Bank and Bridge Options — Multifamily financing for 5+ units is commercial underwriting: the loan is sized on net operating income and debt coverage, not comparable sales. Here is how agency, bank and bridge loans differ and what a lender package needs.
• Financing a Mineral Rights Acquisition: Lender Options and What They Underwrite — Most banks decline mineral rights as collateral, but specialty energy lenders finance producing minerals on the royalty stream they generate. Here is how producing and non-producing minerals are valued, what lenders underwrite, and the title work involved.
• Land and Lot Loans in Texas: Raw Land, Entitled Lots and Development Financing — Land loans in Texas are harder to get than loans on income property because land produces no cash flow and is slow to sell. Here is how lenders treat raw land, entitled and finished lots, what equity and terms to expect, and how development financing works.
• Hard Money Loan Costs Explained: Points, Interest, Draws and Extensions — Hard money loan costs come in layers: origination points, interest-only payments, rehab holdbacks and draw fees, extension and exit fees. Here is how each is structured, how to compare two term sheets, and what a cheap-looking loan can hide.
• Franchise Financing: How to Fund a Franchise Purchase or Your Next Unit — Franchise financing usually pairs an SBA or bank loan for the initial investment with equipment financing for the build-out and working capital for the ramp-up. Here is how lenders judge franchisees, brands and multi-unit plans.
• Getting Your First Fix-and-Flip Loan With No Track Record — Lenders will fund a first fix and flip loan without a track record, but they replace experience with other evidence: a credible contractor, a line-item scope and budget, a defensible ARV, verified liquidity for the down payment and carry, and a written exit.
• DSCR Loan vs Conventional Investment Mortgage: Which Fits Your Rental? — DSCR loan vs conventional loan: one qualifies on the rental's own income, the other on your personal income and debt-to-income ratio. Here is how they differ on documents, vesting, prepayment terms and portfolio scaling.
• Commercial Truck and Fleet Financing: From Owner-Operator to Growing Carrier — Commercial truck financing ranges from a single used tractor for a new owner-operator to a pre-approved fleet line for a growing carrier. Here is how the structures work, what lenders check, and how to avoid the advance trap.
• Commercial Real Estate Loan Requirements: What Lenders Actually Underwrite — Lenders underwrite a commercial real estate loan on four things: property income (DSCR), appraised value (LTV), sponsor net worth, liquidity and experience, and third-party reports. Here is how each test works and where files stall.
• Business Loans With Under Two Years in Business: What Is Realistic — Business loans under 2 years in business exist, but the menu is narrower. Here is where each product's time-in-business line falls, what young companies can qualify for, what lenders accept in place of history, and what to build toward.
• How to Finance Buying an Existing Business: SBA, Seller Notes and Bank Debt — Business acquisition financing is usually a layered stack: an SBA 7(a) or bank loan, a seller note, and the buyer's own equity. Here is how lenders size each layer, what they underwrite, and which deal structures fail.
• Financing a 1031 Exchange Purchase Inside the 45- and 180-Day Windows — A 1031 exchange gives you 45 days to identify replacement property and 180 days to close, and the loan has to fit inside that clock. Here is how to line up financing early, replace the debt you are relieving, and which loans close on time.

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