$5K – $500M+ · 24–72h
Pre-qualify in 60 seconds
Business Loan Broker vs Direct Lender.
Direct lenders sell one product underwritten by one balance sheet. Brokers shop your file to multiple lenders. Both have legitimate use cases — the wrong answer depends entirely on deal size and product fit.
| Dimension | Direct Lender | Summit |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Lender's posted rate | Competitive bid across 3–10 lenders |
| Product range | 1–2 products | All 9 SMB debt strategies |
| Underwriting | One box — fit or rejected | Matched to the lender most likely to approve and price aggressively |
| Speed | Fast on simple files | Same speed; broker manages parallel submissions |
| Fees to borrower | None directly (priced into rate) | None on broker side; lender pays a placement fee at funding |
| Best for | Small, simple, well-banked file | Anything non-vanilla — sub-prime credit, larger raises, structured, multiple offers |
Verdict
Direct lender if you fit their box and want one quote. Broker desk if your file is borderline, the deal is over $100k, or you want price discovery. A good broker costs you nothing — the lender pays the placement fee out of their margin.