The Closing Binder
Deal AnalyzerPrice, seller note, equity, and DSCR modeled under SOP rules7(a) Payment CalculatorMonthly payment, total interest, and guaranty fee on a 7(a)504 Payment CalculatorBlended payment across the bank and CDC halves of a 504DSCR CalculatorCoverage ratio from your cash flow and annual debt serviceEquity Injection CheckerCash down required to clear the SOP injection rulesTake-Home CalculatorOwner take-home after debt service, federal, and state taxes
Lenders rankedEvery acquisition lender, ranked by loans in the windowBy stateOne page per state, with its most active lendersCharge-off ratesHow each lender's acquisition loans actually performedFranchisesWhich brands are financeable, and the loan data behind them
DealsRatesBlogRules
Run your deal

Tools

  • Deal AnalyzerPrice, seller note, equity, and DSCR modeled under SOP rules
  • 7(a) Payment Calculator
  • 504 Payment Calculator
  • DSCR Calculator
  • Equity Injection Checker
  • Take-Home Calculator

Financing

  • Lenders rankedEvery acquisition lender, ranked by loans in the window
  • By state
  • Charge-off rates
  • Franchises

Site

  • Deals
  • Rates
  • Blog
  • Rules
Appearance
Run your deal
Contact

Get in touch

The Closing Binder is operated by Ground Plane Studio, LLC, a California limited liability company. One address reaches us for everything:

hello@theclosingbinder.com

What to write about

  • Corrections. Every figure on the site is computed from the SBA 7(a) FOIA file and carries its as-of date; if you find one that is wrong, we want to know and we will fix it publicly.
  • Questions about the data, the methodology, or how a calculator arrives at its answer.
  • Your own deal. The blog exists because buyers rarely see inside other acquisitions; if something in yours should be covered, tell us.
  • Broken links, typos, and anything else that looks off.

What not to expect

We read everything but cannot give individualized financial, legal, or tax advice, and we do not do paid placements of any kind. See the disclosure for how the site makes money, which today is not at all.

The Closing Binder

Buying a business, told through the financing.

Free deal tools, lender rankings computed from the federal loan file, and every rule change that decides whether your acquisition closes. Written from the buyer's chair.

Tools

  • Deal Analyzer
  • 7(a) Payment Calculator
  • 504 Payment Calculator
  • DSCR Calculator
  • Equity Injection Checker
  • Take-Home Calculator

Financing

  • Lenders ranked
  • By state
  • Charge-off rates
  • Franchises

Site

  • Deals
  • News
  • Rates
  • Blog
  • SOP Tracker
  • Glossary
  • About
  • Methodology

Legal

  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Disclosure
  • Contact

Process documentation and education only, never individualized financial advice.All loan figures from the SBA 7(a) FOIA file, June 30, 2026 cut.© 2026 Ground Plane Studio, LLC