Nonprofit Blog

In a perfect world, companies earn revenue and generate profit consistently throughout the year. But some borrowers, such as landscapers, hotels and toy manufacturers, experience significant seasonal fluctuations in their financial performance, with most sales occurring in one quarter. Seasonal businesses still need working capital to operate throughout the year, for such items as inventory, rent and salaries — and they often need to turn to banks to fund the shortfall during the off season. Bankers can use these three approaches to assess and manage the credit risk associated with lending to seasonal businesses.