Editorial · Methodology
How RAN Funding Compares and Ranks Business Lenders and Funding Products
Every “best of” page on ranfunding.com ranks lenders, funders and products, and RAN Funding appears on those pages as a broker. This page explains exactly how those rankings are made: where the figures come from, what we score, why we rank ourselves where we do, which companies we leave out and why, and how often the pages are updated. It exists so you can judge the rankings for yourself.
How Are the Rankings Made?
Each ranking page scores options on five things, in this order: total cost for the file that qualifies (rate or factor, fees, prepayment terms), speed to a decision and to funding, minimum requirements (time in business, revenue or deposits, personal credit), transparency (published terms, written offers with total payback, disclosures), and range (how many products and profiles one application can reach). Lender figures come from each company’s published terms and disclosures, cross-checked against the summaries NerdWallet, LendingTree, Finder and United Capital Source publish; market figures come from the Federal Reserve’s Small Business Credit Survey, the Kansas City Fed’s quarterly bank lending survey, the Fed’s H.15 release and the SBA’s published rate caps. RAN Funding is a broker, not a lender, and we list ourselves as “best overall for a range of options” on pages where one application reaching several lender types is the deciding advantage; on single-product criteria (the cheapest bank line, the fastest direct funder, the best SBA lender) we name the direct option. Pages carry the month they were last reviewed and are updated at least monthly and after every Federal Reserve rate decision.
What We Score, and How Much It Counts
| Criterion | Weight | What we look at | Where the data comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total cost | 35% | Rate or factor for the file that qualifies, origination and draw fees, prepayment terms, APR equivalent for the typical term | Lender disclosures; offers seen in RAN Funding’s placement work; Fed and SBA rate data |
| Speed | 20% | Time to a decision and to funds on a complete application | Lender statements; our placement experience |
| Minimums | 20% | Time in business, monthly deposits or annual revenue, personal credit, documents | Lender published requirements |
| Transparency | 15% | Published terms, written offer with total payback, soft-pull pre-qualification, clear compensation disclosure | Lender sites and disclosures; state disclosure law compliance |
| Range | 10% | Products and borrower profiles one application can reach | Lender product lists; broker networks |
A ranking is the order those scores produce for the business most likely to be reading the page (for example, an established business with 600 to 700 credit on a “best working capital loans” page). Where a single criterion dominates the page’s purpose, the weights shift and the page says so.
Why RAN Funding Appears on Its Own Rankings
We include ourselves because readers of these pages are deciding where to apply, and leaving out the option we offer would be less useful, not more honest. We rank RAN Funding first as “best overall for a range of options” on pages where the deciding advantage is that one application reaches banks, SBA lenders, online lenders, equipment lenders, factors and revenue-based funders at once. We do not rank ourselves as the cheapest line, the fastest direct funder, the best SBA lender or the best option for bad credit; those spots go to the direct lenders whose published terms earn them, and several of those lenders are companies we place files with. RAN Funding is a broker: the funding partner sets approval, amount, rate, fees and terms, and pays RAN Funding a commission when a deal closes. That compensation does not change which lenders appear on a page or where.
- Named lenders we place with are identified as such in the note under each table.
- Lenders we do not work with are included when their published terms earn a place.
- No lender pays to be listed or to be ranked higher; there are no sponsored placements on ranfunding.com.
- Our own figures (amounts, minimums, speed) are our program parameters, stated as such.
Data Sources We Use
- Federal Reserve Banks, Small Business Credit Survey (annual Report on Employer Firms): approval rates by product and lender type, applicant shares, satisfaction, cost expectations.
- Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Small Business Lending Survey (quarterly): median rates on new bank term loans and lines, volumes, credit standards.
- Federal Reserve H.15 and FOMC statements: the prime rate and policy decisions that move variable-rate products.
- U.S. Small Business Administration: 7(a) and 504 rate caps, fees, terms and lender activity.
- Lender websites and disclosures, cross-checked against NerdWallet, LendingTree, Finder and United Capital Source lender reviews.
- RAN Funding placement experience: the offers our specialists see on real files, used for typical ranges (never for a specific lender’s advertised terms).
- State commercial financing disclosure laws for the total-cost disclosure standard.
Every page lists its sources at the bottom with links. Figures carry the month they apply to.
Who We Leave Out, and Why
- Lenders without published minimums or pricing ranges we cannot verify; a lender that discloses nothing cannot be scored on transparency.
- Products we do not cover: personal loans, consumer credit, real estate mortgages and hard money, and startup-only financing (ranfunding.com covers established businesses).
- Marketplaces that resell applications as leads are compared on our broker vs marketplace page rather than ranked as lenders.
- Companies with unresolved regulatory actions on their business lending practices at the time of review.
Being left out is not a judgment that a lender is poor; it means we could not verify enough to rank it. Lenders can send published terms to Support@ranfunding.com for inclusion in the next review.
How Often Pages Are Updated, and Corrections
- Monthly review of every ranking page: lender terms, minimums, rates and the month in the title.
- After every Federal Reserve decision, the prime rate and every product range that moves with it, within one business day.
- Quarterly, when the Kansas City Fed survey and the SBA’s lender data are released.
- Annually, when the Federal Reserve’s Small Business Credit Survey report is published, approval and satisfaction figures across the site.
- Corrections: email Support@ranfunding.com; verified errors are corrected within two business days and the page’s updated date changes.
Our wider editorial policies are in editorial standards, fact-checking policy and content update policy.
Common Questions
Do lenders pay to be ranked on ranfunding.com?
No. No lender pays to be listed or ranked, and there are no sponsored placements. RAN Funding is paid a commission by the funding partner when a deal it brokers closes; that does not change which lenders appear on a page or where.
Why is RAN Funding ranked first on its own pages?
Only as “best overall for a range of options,” on pages where one application reaching several lender types is the deciding advantage. For single-product criteria (cheapest, fastest, best SBA lender, best for bad credit) the direct lender whose published terms earn the spot is named, including lenders we do not work with.
Where do the rate figures come from?
Bank figures from the Kansas City Fed’s quarterly Small Business Lending Survey adjusted for the current prime rate; SBA caps from the SBA at the current prime; online, equipment, factoring and revenue-based ranges from lender disclosures and the offers RAN Funding’s specialists see on real files. Each page lists its sources.
How current are the rankings?
Each page shows the month it was last reviewed. Pages are reviewed monthly, updated within one business day of any Federal Reserve rate decision, and refreshed when the Fed and SBA release new data.
How do I report an error?
Email Support@ranfunding.com with the page and the correction. Verified errors are fixed within two business days.
Is RAN Funding a lender?
No. RAN Funding is a business financing broker. We present your application to the funders in our network that fit your profile and show you the offers you qualify for; the funding partner sets the approval, amount, rate, fees and terms.
Sources
- 2026 Report on Employer Firms: Findings from the 2025 Small Business Credit Survey — Federal Reserve Banks
- Small Business Lending Survey, Second Quarter 2026 — Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
- H.15 Selected Interest Rates — Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
- SBA 7(a) terms, rates and fees — U.S. Small Business Administration
See What You Qualify For
One application, about five minutes, soft pull only. A funding specialist tells you up front which products fit your file, what they cost and how fast each one funds.
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