Questions, answered the way we would answer them on the phone.

A business that is trading and banks through a business account. Sole proprietors, partnerships, LLCs and corporations all apply the same way. The person applying needs to be an owner and at least 18.

Typically at least six months. That is the point at which three months of statements start to say something reliable about the business. An approximate opening month is fine on the form.

No. The form asks for a credit score range and we do not run a hard check to give you an answer. If an offer goes ahead, the funding partner may check credit before the agreement is signed, and you will be told before that happens.

No. There is no charge to apply and no charge for finding out where you stand. The cost of any funding is shown in dollars on the agreement, alongside the total to repay, before you sign.

Yes. The form asks whether anything is still being paid off so the new repayment can be sized around it. It does not count against you on its own.

No. The funding is for commercial purposes only. It is not a consumer loan and cannot be used for personal, family or household expenses.

About five minutes for the form. Statements are the part that takes time, so have three months of business bank statements as PDFs to hand before you start and the whole thing usually closes in one sitting.

Yes. Everything is saved as you go. Close the page whenever you like and reopen the same link to carry on from where you were. If you were sent a link, that link is the way back in.

Three months of business bank statements as PDFs, downloaded from your bank's website. Up to ten files, each up to 25 MB. Photos and scans are not accepted, because they cannot be read reliably.

If you only have two months to hand, send those and add the third later. The application will wait.

No. We never ask for online banking credentials. Statements are files you download yourself and send to us.

To confirm who the owner is. Banking rules require it before any funding can be arranged. Both are encrypted from the moment they are typed and are used only to confirm your identity.

That the details you have given are true, and that Mountain Finance may handle the application electronically and go and find funding for it. Signing the application is not a funding agreement. The funding agreement is a separate document, with the figures on it, that you would sign later if there is an offer you want.

You get a reference number straight away, and someone picks up the file. They read the statements, and if it fits, put it in front of the funding partner it fits best. From there it moves through a handful of stages: received, being looked at, an offer to look at, an agreement with you, funded. If we cannot take it forward, the status says so.

Open your application from the same link and use the button on the final page. It shows which stage the file is at and when it was last looked at. The person handling your file will also be in touch directly.

Applications that arrive with all three statements are read first, usually the same business day. The most common delay, by a distance, is a missing statement.

No. An offer is an offer. Nothing is committed until you sign the funding agreement, and you are free to decline or to ask for something different.

We say so, and we say why. There is no harm in asking what might change that. Often it is a matter of a few more months of trading, or an existing balance coming down.

One person, by phone, text or email, about this application. You can ask them to stop at any time and they will. You will not be handed between desks.

Encrypted in transit and at rest, including the statements you upload and the signature you give. It is used to assess this application and to arrange funding for it, and for nothing else.

The person handling your file, and the funding partner or partners considering it. We do not sell applicant data, and we do not pass it to anyone who is not involved in assessing or funding your application. The privacy notice sets this out in full.