Most delays are avoidable. The seven most common reasons applications go to committee or come back with conditions — and how proper preparation eliminates most of them before submission.
A business finance application can be declined outright, approved on first read, or — most commonly — referred to committee with a list of additional information requests. That middle outcome is where most of the delay lives. Understanding why referrals happen is the first step to avoiding them.
Missing financial years, unverified identity documents, incomplete security details, or unsigned declarations. Every missing document is a round-trip that adds 2–5 business days to the assessment timeline.
A revenue spike, a large related-party transaction, or an unusual expense — left without explanation — will be queried. If the analyst has to ask, the timeline resets. Address every anomaly proactively in the submission narrative.
A lender whose credit policy doesn't fit the deal type, industry, or security profile will refer the application to a senior credit committee rather than approving at the front line. The right lender for your specific deal is the single most important selection decision.
An undisclosed ATO debt discovered by the analyst during assessment triggers immediate additional enquiry. If it's disclosed upfront with context and a repayment plan, it becomes a known factor the lender can price — not a surprise that triggers committee escalation.
For property-secured loans, the valuation is on the critical path. Ordering valuation early — or at the same time as submission — removes it from the delay chain. Waiting for credit approval before ordering valuation adds weeks.
Companies that own shares in other companies, trusts with multiple beneficiaries, or joint venture structures require more time for credit analysis. The way the structure is explained in the submission determines whether the analyst approves at desk level or escalates for review.
Changing the loan amount, the security structure, or the purpose mid-assessment forces a restart. Agreeing on the final structure before submission — not after — is critical to maintaining timeline.
Our pre-submission process is specifically designed to eliminate these triggers. We assemble the complete document pack before we approach any lender, address every anomaly in the credit narrative, order valuations in parallel where possible, and lock down the structure before the application goes anywhere. Our submissions are built to be approved on first read — which is the only way to reliably control timeline.
Start Your Application Process →Tell us when you need to settle, and we'll work backwards to build a submission process that hits that date. We'll also tell you if it's not achievable — before you're committed to a timeline you can't meet.
