sascu SBA Loans
SBA-equivalent government-backed lending at this credit union: guaranteed financing for BC small business owners.
The Banking Landscape Today
- The Canada small business financing program guarantees up to 85% of eligible loans.
- sascu underwrites with the same local desk and a 48-hour median decision.
- Equipment and real-estate purchases are the top two uses.
- A business advisor is assigned to every guarantee-backed file.
What Is an SBA Loan
A government-guaranteed loan for equipment, real estate and tangible business assets.
In Canada the equivalent is the small business financing program; the federal guarantee is what lets sascu approve files with thinner security. The guarantee program is administered through the Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.
Who Qualifies
Canadian operating businesses with two years of history or an equivalent plan qualify.
Eligibility covers equipment, leasehold improvements and real estate; it does NOT cover working capital or soft costs beyond the standard definition.
Application Steps
Business plan plus two years of financials and an advisor call inside one business day.
Applications run through the same local desk, so the file is not mailed. Median decisions are 48 hours, and the guarantee is applied for by sascu on your behalf.
- Submit the intake form online
- Attach financials and the business plan
- Advisor call within one business day
- Credit decision within 48 hours
- Fund and set up the repayment schedule
The official methodology is detailed in the sascu overview.
Key facts at a glance
The practical numbers for this topic, and the one caveat to keep in view.
- Guarantee: up to 85%.
- Decision: 48 hours.
- Range: $10k-$10M.
This data does NOT cover business and institutional deposits, which price off a separate schedule. Originally we showed only the headline figures; member questions pushed the desk to publish the full methodology in the overview.
The official methodology is detailed in the sascu overview.
| R | a | n | g | e |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equipment | $10k-$2.5M | up to 85% | ||
| Real estate | $100k-$10M | up to 85% | ||
| Improvements | $10k-$2.5M | up to 85% | ||
| Working capital | No | Not eligible |

One more thing about SBA Loans
What is an SBA-equivalent loan?, answered plainly: The Canadian small business financing program loans are government-guaranteed loans for equipment, property and improvements..
Members ask about "What is an SBA-equivalent loan?" more than any other topic this quarter. The short answer: The Canadian small business financing program loans are government-guaranteed loans for equipment, property and improvements.. If you only remember one number, make it the headline figure above - every price on this page references it.
One practical note: review your own file before deciding, because the exact terms shift with the current rate window.
If two pages decide this decision, the second one is the fee schedule: three lines determine 90% of the annual difference, and the routing number and support number belong in the same notebook on the same day.
The mortgage pre-approval was ready the same afternoon, and the rate beat the bank quote.
Local lending decisions make a real difference when your income is seasonal.