A self-paced course
BankReady Academy
A practical learning path through commercial lending basics and borrower preparation for small-business owners and commercial real-estate investors.
- 05Modules
- 24Lessons
- Self-pacedCourse format
After the course
What you’ll take away
You’ll be better prepared to:
Frame the request
Clarify the amount, timing, use of proceeds, and sources and uses.
Understand repayment
Explore operating cash flow and, for income-producing property, NOI and debt service; organize existing obligations and available liquidity.
Organize borrower and project details
Gather commonly requested financial records and assumptions, ownership and support details, and relevant property or project facts.
Prepare for the conversation
Connect the request, repayment source, and borrower or property facts; prepare questions about documents, structure, costs, timing, and follow-up.
The learning path
Start with the request. Build the full picture.
Preview all five modules and 24 lesson descriptions before you decide. A verified one-time purchase unlocks the learner interface and saved progress for your account.
Commercial lending foundations
Lesson 1
How commercial lending is framed
Get oriented to business and commercial-property financing requests, and learn why lender and transaction requirements vary.
Lesson 2
Define the request
Clarify the amount, timing, use of proceeds, and sources and uses so the request is easier to understand.
Repayment and cash flow
Lesson 3
Understand repayment
Explore operating cash flow and, for income-producing property, NOI and debt service as preparation concepts—not approval tests.
Lesson 4
Map obligations and liquidity
Organize existing debt, payments, maturities, recurring obligations, and available liquidity.
The borrower’s financial and ownership picture
Lesson 5
Clarify ownership and support
Map the borrowing and related entities, legal owners, managers, decision-makers, signing authority, and relevant business or property experience; ask what information or support this lender may request.
Commercial real-estate readiness
Lesson 6
Summarize property operations
When applicable, gather property status, occupancy, leases, rent roll, income, and expenses.
Lesson 7
Describe the funding need
Connect the business objective to the proposed amount, itemized uses, other identified sources, and figures still to confirm.
Lesson 8
Prepare the project picture
Organize the purchase, refinance, or project purpose; budget, funding sources, timeline, existing liens, and available valuation material.
Lesson 9
Organize financial records
Index statements, tax records, current results, aging reports, and forecasts; compare matching periods and flag open questions.
Lesson 10
Compare financing options
Compare options for the same business or property need by total stated cost, repayment structure, timing, and fit with expected cash flow.
Lesson 11
Preparing a financing application
Assemble a clear, consistent application package with supporting records and visible open items.
Lesson 12
Managing application follow-up
Track what was submitted, distinguish receipt from completeness and review, and coordinate requested records, questions, and next steps.
Lesson 13
Review financing closing conditions
Sort written closing conditions into evidence to deliver and actions to complete, then track each open item through written confirmation.
Lesson 14
Prepare for a financing closing
Check each item against the lender’s current written requirements, assign an owner and status, and follow up on unresolved questions.
Lesson 15
Managing post-funding obligations
Identify applicable post-funding reports from your own written terms, map dates and delivery details, and keep a traceable record of submissions and open questions.
Lesson 16
Tracking financing covenants
Organize each written covenant by its requirement, measurement period, source records, and any open question for the lender.
Prepare for a lender conversation
Lesson 17
Plan ahead for loan maturity
Build a dated maturity tracker from current executed loan documents and recent statements, then prepare questions about possible next steps.
Lesson 18
Assess refinance readiness
Gather current borrower, business, and property records; map written loan dates and possible costs; and prepare focused questions for a lender.
Lesson 19
Compare renewal and refinancing paths
Compare renewal and refinancing for the same financing need across costs, proposed terms, timing, and open questions.
Lesson 20
Plan a loan payoff
Map written payment, notice, response, maturity, and expected payoff dates; plan cash needs and prepare focused lender questions.
Lesson 21
Coordinate the final loan payment
Use current loan records and written lender answers to coordinate a dated payoff figure, payment timing, receipt, application, final balance confirmation, and any applicable closeout steps.
Lesson 22
Close out loan records
Confirm that payoff was completed, follow up on any applicable lien or collateral release, and retain a source-labeled final loan-record set.
Lesson 23
Connect the request story
Bring the purpose, repayment source, borrower and property facts, and open questions together.
Lesson 24
Ask about terms and next steps
Prepare questions about documents, proposed structure, costs, timing, and follow-up without predicting an outcome.
Preparation-only education: this course does not assess eligibility or make lending decisions, and it does not predict or guarantee approval. Requirements vary by lender and transaction.
Questions are welcome
Ask the Academy team
Ask about the course or preparing for a lending conversation. You can send a question whether or not you’ve purchased the course or started a lesson.
Email is optional. Include it if you’d like the team to be able to reply to you.