{"id":25353,"date":"2023-12-27T20:35:17","date_gmt":"2023-12-27T20:35:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/us\/?post_type=business-glossary&#038;p=25353"},"modified":"2025-04-24T14:06:28","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T14:06:28","slug":"term-loan","status":"publish","type":"business-glossary","link":"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/us\/business-glossary\/term-loan\/","title":{"rendered":"Term loan"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>Definition<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/us\/business-loans\/term-loans\/\">term loan<\/a> is a type of loan that provides a specific amount of <a href=\"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/us\/business-glossary\/capital-explained\/\">capital<\/a> to a business for a predetermined period, or term, with a fixed or variable <a href=\"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/us\/business-glossary\/interest-rate\/\">interest rate<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3>What is a term loan?<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This form of financing is widely used by businesses for various purposes, including expansion, equipment purchase, <a href=\"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/us\/business-glossary\/working-capital-2\/\">working capital<\/a>, or other long-term investments. Term loans provide businesses with a lump sum amount, and the borrower is required to repay the loan over a set period through regular instalments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Term loans can have fixed or variable interest rates. A fixed interest rate remains constant throughout the term of the loan, providing predictability for the borrower&#8217;s monthly payments. On the other hand, a variable interest rate may change over time based on fluctuations in a reference interest rate, such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/us\/business-glossary\/prime-rate\/\">prime rate<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Term lengths can vary widely, ranging from a few years to several decades, depending on the purpose of the loan and the agreement between the borrower and the lender.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Term loans can be secured or unsecured. Secured loans require <a href=\"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/us\/business-glossary\/collateral\/\">collateral<\/a>, such as business <a href=\"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/us\/business-glossary\/asset\/\">assets<\/a>, to secure the loan, providing the lender with a source of repayment in case of default. <a href=\"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/us\/business-glossary\/unsecured-loan\/\">Unsecured loans<\/a> do not require collateral but may have higher interest rates to compensate for the increased risk for the lender.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lenders typically assess the creditworthiness of the business before approving a term loan. This evaluation considers factors such as the business&#8217;s financial health, credit history, <a href=\"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/us\/business-glossary\/cash-flow\/\">cash flow<\/a>, and the purpose of the loan.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lenders may charge origination fees or other costs associated with processing and disbursing the loan. These fees contribute to the overall cost of borrowing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Businesses may have the option to renew or <a href=\"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/us\/business-loans\/business-refinancing-and-debt-consolidation\/\">refinance term loans<\/a> at the end of their term, allowing for continued access to capital or adjustments to the terms based on the business&#8217;s financial circumstances.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5>Different types of term loans<\/h5>\n<p>Term loans can be categorised into several types based on their duration, purpose, and repayment structure:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/us\/business-loans\/short-term-loans\/\"><strong>Short-term loans<\/strong><\/a>: Typically last for less than one year, used for immediate working capital needs or small purchases.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Intermediate-term loans<\/strong>: Have a duration of one to five years, often used for <a href=\"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/us\/business-loans\/asset-finance\/equipment-financing\/\">equipment purchase<\/a>, expansion, or medium-term capital needs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Long-term loans<\/strong>: Extend beyond five years, usually up to 30 years, and are used for major investments like real estate or large-scale business expansions.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/us\/business-loans\/secured-business-loans\/\"><strong>Secured loans<\/strong><\/a>: Backed by collateral such as property, equipment, or inventory, which reduces the lender&#8217;s risk.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/us\/business-loans\/unsecured-business-loans\/\"><strong>Unsecured loans<\/strong><\/a>: Do not require collateral, generally have higher interest rates due to increased risk for the lender.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3>Example of a term loan<\/h3>\n<p>Let&#8217;s say Company ABC, a small manufacturing firm, needs to purchase new machinery to expand its production capacity. However, they don&#8217;t have enough cash on hand to make the purchase outright.<\/p>\n<p>Company ABC applies for a term loan of $100,000 from the bank to finance the purchase of the new machinery. After reviewing Company ABC&#8217;s application and financials, the bank approves the term loan. The terms of the loan include a principal amount of $100,000, an interest rate of 6% per annum, and a repayment period of 5 years.<\/p>\n<p>Company ABC is required to repay the term loan in monthly instalments over the next 5 years. Each instalment consists of both <a href=\"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/us\/business-glossary\/principal\/\">principal<\/a> and interest payments.<\/p>\n<p>After 5 years of making regular monthly payments, Company ABC successfully repays the entire $100,000 principal amount of the term loan, along with the <a href=\"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/us\/business-glossary\/accrued-interest\/\">accrued interest<\/a>. The loan is considered fully paid off, and Company ABC no longer owes any money to the bank.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"template":"","class_list":["post-25353","business-glossary","type-business-glossary","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"featured_image_urls_v2":{"full":"","thumbnail":"","medium":"","medium_large":"","large":"","1536x1536":"","2048x2048":"","image_blog":"","image_blog_full":"","image_podcast":"","image_banking":"","image_blog_internal":"","image_blog_medium":"","image_single_banking":""},"post_excerpt_stackable_v2":"<p>Definition A term loan is a type of loan that provides a specific amount of capital to a business for a predetermined period, or term, with a fixed or variable interest rate. What is a term loan? This form of financing is widely used by businesses for various purposes, including expansion, equipment purchase, working capital, or other long-term investments. Term loans provide businesses with a lump sum amount, and the borrower is required to repay the loan over a set period through regular instalments. Term loans can have fixed or variable interest rates. A fixed interest rate remains constant throughout&hellip;<\/p>\n","category_list_v2":"","author_info_v2":{"name":"root","url":"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/us\/author\/root\/"},"comments_num_v2":"0 comments","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/business-glossary\/25353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/business-glossary"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/business-glossary"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}