Bank statements are the application. Sending the right ones, in the right format, with a sentence of context where it helps, is the difference between a decision in minutes and a back-and-forth that lasts days.
Which statements
- The business checking account where revenue lands
- The three most recent complete months
- If revenue is split across two accounts, both
- Not: personal accounts, savings accounts or credit-card statements
Which format
Download the official PDF from your bank's website. Underwriters verify the bank's formatting; screenshots, spreadsheet exports and photos of paper statements slow the file or get rejected. Many lenders also offer a secure bank-link option that pulls statements directly; it is the fastest route if you are comfortable with it.
What to annotate
If there is a large one-time deposit, say what it was. If there was an NSF, say why. If deposits fell in one month, say what happened. One line each. Specialists read hundreds of statements; context moves a file from 'ask the owner' to 'approve'.
Five things to fix in the month before applying
- Route all business revenue into one account
- Avoid overdrafts and returned payments
- Keep a modest balance at month end rather than sweeping to zero
- Do not take new short-term financing right before applying
- Make sure the account name matches the legal business name
What the specialist does with them
They compute average deposits, count deposit frequency, check negative days, add up existing financing payments and look at the trend. From there, Affirmative Funding sizes an offer, usually within minutes.
Next step
See what your business qualifies for
Businesses with $20,000+ in monthly revenue and six months of history qualify. Three minutes, three bank statements, decision in minutes.