{"ok":true,"canonical_url":"https://dealroom.so/glossary/underwriting","api_url":"https://dealroom.so/api/public/glossary/underwriting","data_freshness":{"sba_records_through":"2026-05-31","fdic_records_through":"2026-03-31","dealroom_last_updated":"2026-06-15","timezone":"America/Chicago"},"source_summary":["Public SBA 7(a) loan records","FDIC institution data","DealRoom lender and franchise enrichment"],"term":{"slug":"underwriting","term":"Underwriting","group":"Doing the deal","definition":"The lender's process of evaluating your creditworthiness and the business's financial health to decide if they should approve your loan and under what terms.","what_it_means":"During underwriting, the lender analyzes your personal credit, the target business's financials (like SDE and cash flow), collateral, and industry risks. They're assessing your ability to repay the loan. Be prepared to provide extensive documentation and answer many questions to satisfy their requirements.","url":"https://dealroom.so/glossary/underwriting","official_sources":[{"slug":"sop-50-10","title":"SOP 50 10 — Lender and Development Company Loan Programs","official_url":"https://www.sba.gov/document/sop-50-10-lender-development-company-loan-programs","official_label":"View on SBA.gov","authority_tier":2,"publisher":"U.S. Small Business Administration","source_guide_url":"https://dealroom.so/sba-7a/sources/sop-50-10"}],"related":[{"slug":"credit-analysis","term":"Credit analysis","url":"https://dealroom.so/glossary/credit-analysis"},{"slug":"global-cash-flow","term":"Global cash flow","url":"https://dealroom.so/glossary/global-cash-flow"},{"slug":"sde","term":"SDE","url":"https://dealroom.so/glossary/sde"}],"related_questions":[{"question":"What constitutes prudent lending standards for SBA 7(a) underwriting?","url":"https://dealroom.so/for-lenders/questions/what-constitutes-prudent-lending-standards-for-sba-7-a-underwriting"},{"question":"How does the underwriting timeline for business life insurance impact loan closing schedules?","url":"https://dealroom.so/sba-7a/questions/how-does-the-underwriting-timeline-for-business-life-insurance-impact-loan-closing-schedul"},{"question":"What is the underwriting timeline for business life insurance relative to loan closing?","url":"https://dealroom.so/sba-7a/questions/what-is-the-underwriting-timeline-for-business-life-insurance-relative-to-loan-closing"},{"question":"What happens if the acquired business declines significantly during the loan underwriting period?","url":"https://dealroom.so/sba-7a/questions/what-happens-if-the-acquired-business-declines-significantly-during-the-loan-underwriting-"},{"question":"What constitutes prudent lending standards for SBA 7(a) underwriting regarding credit analysis?","url":"https://dealroom.so/for-lenders/questions/what-constitutes-prudent-lending-standards-for-sba-7-a-underwriting-regarding-credit-analy"},{"question":"How does the SBA assess \"prudent lending standards\" in 7(a) loan underwriting?","url":"https://dealroom.so/for-lenders/questions/how-does-the-sba-assess-prudent-lending-standards-in-7-a-loan-underwriting"}]},"caveats":["Definitions represent DealRoom's plain-English interpretation for buyers; verify regulatory terms against the official SBA and eCFR sources listed.","Not legal, tax, or financial advice, and not an SBA eligibility determination."],"citation":{"label":"DealRoom.so Glossary — Underwriting","url":"https://dealroom.so/glossary/underwriting","source_type":"DealRoom Data"}}