CDC Small Business Finance Historic Decatur Rd, San Diego

Working with CDC is easy. They kept me informed about what to expect each step of the way as well as guided me to be sure I had any assistance I needed during the process. Not only was I able to get the loan my business needed to reach for higher goals but working with CDC gave me access to so much knowledge to help me grow as an entrepreneur. With CDC I feel as if I have a team of continued support behind me and look forward to work with them again on my future business ventures. David Dobreski is the multimedia marketing specialist and his quality of work is phenomenal! I’m so grateful for the valuable marketing material he has produced.

I received a loan from CDC Small Business Finance to open my coffeeshop. As a new business owner it was difficult to find funding through traditional banks. My experience was great with CDC from the beginning, from their customer service to the loan process. I highly recommend them. Jason, Camp Coffee Company, Oceanside CA

Don’t let them fool you, these guys are loan sharks, they’re not here to help you. They don’t care what’s in your best interest, I’d seek out other avenues before coming to them. A few highlights from my experience with CDC Loans: - If you’re new to loans, they won’t guild you through the process. I offered to meet in person to understand more of the expectations (precovid) but they refused. Phone calls were brief, going through the motions. - I originally needed 3x the loan amount that I applied for, they told me it would be no problem getting funding later and to take the smaller amount now. When the time came they said it was impossible for more funding, even though I’ve always been in good standing. - They force you to meet with a “business advisor,” who knew nothing about my industry, tried to advise me on how to run my business and overall not helpful at all. I’ve been getting advice from the wonderful mentors at SCORE for years, highly recommend them, but the CDCs “advisor” gave me detrimental advice that he expected me to take. - When they need something from you they will send an email demanding it in a very short timeline. But when I needed release of funds I basically had to track people down, ending up reaching out to someone’s higher up. - When covid hit, the only possible relief program that could apply for my business was simply pausing loan payments. I applied for that one which the loan officer denied me (again my loan has always been in good standing). This has been a huge burden on an already struggling startup. My whole experience with the CDCs loans has been demeaning and honestly detrimental to my business. They’re only there to provide funding in one of the worst experiences I’ve had to deal with in my life. Avoid if possible, if not at least you have a better idea of what you’re getting into.

I applied for a small business loan with this agency in may 2021. I provided my agent—Miriam-with all the details of my financial situation and was quickly given a pre-approval. What followed was 6 months of filling out over 100 hours of paperwork and an agent who took weeks to respond to any and all communication. When we did speak or communicate she often made uncomfortable remarks about “how much money my husband made” in response to my concerns that I wouldn’t ultimately be approved for a small business loan because we were living on his severance from a job where he did in fact make a good salary. I continued filling out the forms she threw at me—making several appointments with financial professionals to make certain everything was to her specifications. In the end after many many months of waiting and many many precious hours spent doing paperwork she sent me an email telling me she couldn’t pre-approve me. The photo is an excerpt of the email she sent explaining why. Honestly it felt like some kind of odd personal revenge because early in the process I called her colleague when she went missing for weeks in my application process. Her continued emphasis on “the amount of money my husband made” also felt uncomfortable and targeted. I would think carefully and make sure you have good connection with your agent before you spend the tens of hours needed to apply with these people. In retrospect I would have been better off with a collection of business credit lines since the amount I was requesting was relatively small—in fact she commented that she had never processed a loan for as low an amount as that I was requesting. I definitely had a poor experience here.

CDC Small Business Finance has worked by our side supporting our business for over 15 years. They always stay on top of our needs, ready to respond promptly in a very professional way. They understand small businesses and offer financial products designed to assist business owners under different circumstances. Their application process is easy through online tools, and they are accessible and quick in responding to questions or concerns over the phone or via email. They reached out to us and helped us when we most needed them during COVID-19. We highly recommend them!

CDC Small Business Finance was AMAZING in their customer service as I applied for a PPP loan. I was at the point of giving up after unsuccessfully trying through two other lenders and being unable to talk to a live person or have emails returned. CDC representatives were more responsive that I could even have dreamed- I received emails back within the hour whenever I had a question. My loan was funded within a couple weeks of applying. I’m definitely calling on them for any needs in the future. I literally cried with relief because of the help I received.

As my husband and I are both self employed it was a God send when my husband came across CDC Small Business Finance to apply for the PPP loan. After trying to get the PPP loan through our own bank ( Chase) we got zero feedback and were denied. CDC was responsive just two days after our initial email stating that they would be happy to process our loan application. From there we were given specific instructions and they let us know step-by-step what we needed to do and what information to provide. The whole process was easy and completed within Two weeks and funded a few days after that. Through the whole process we never felt like they forgot about us, pushed to the back because we were not a large loan / company, they were always in communication with what the next steps would be. Thank you CDC for caring about the “little people”, the self employed, the small and tiny businesses. My husband and I Grateful for your assistance and highly recommend CDC.

The CDC is an incredible organization that's helped me launch my business. Everyone who I have worked with there is smart, friendly and professional. Their services and support are second to none. I could have never had this success without them. God bless them and the work they do!

I was lucky enough to have learned about these guys prior to the pandemic when I took out an SBA business loan for my group practice in 2019. They were so personable and helpful that I didn't hesitate to contact them when we needed to apply for PPP support after COVID-19. Our representative, Brienne, was incredibly responsive and pushed our application through in no time. We were one of the first businesses I know of to receive funding. When my husband needed emergency funding during the second round, we reached out to her and she treated us like friends- she immediately had his application assigned to her and worked tirelessly throughout the day to obtain all the necessary info... she had it approved and processed within ONE DAY. That's right people- one day and he was approved. When I hear the horror stories of my colleagues and friends who are business owners who applied through big banks or credit unions- some who are still waiting for funds- I direct them all to CDC small business finance. I believe it's important to give credit where credit's due so that when a business goes above and beyond for their customers they are appropriately rewarded for their efforts. Everyone with whom I have been in contact with at CDC has treated me like they are personally invested in my practice's success. They're genuinely wonderful people and I am so grateful for the assistance they've provided my husband, me, and our businesses.

CDC really came through for my small business when I needed it most. Their team was super responsive and their technology for the online apps I needed to fill out was better than the big bank I normally work with. I wouldn't hesitate to tell anyone to try CDC FIRST. They are awesome!