The specs
CrediblyBluevine
Product typeMulti-productLOC
Amount range$5K – $600K$10K – $250K
Cost (factor / APR)Factor 1.11+ (MCA); APR varies (term)APR 6.2% – 27% (LOC)
Speed to fundAs fast as 4 hours1 – 3 business days
Min time in business6 months12 months
Min monthly revenue$15,000$10,000
Min credit score550+625+
Products
- MCA
- Working capital LOC
- Short-term term loan
- Line of credit
- Invoice factoring
Verdicts by use case
- Open small-claims judgment under $10K — Winner: Credibly. Credibly's underwriting can accommodate open small-claims judgments under $10K on a case-by-case basis when the merchant has a documented payment plan or active negotiation with the creditor and overall file otherwise meets B-paper criteria. Bluevine LOC declines files with open judgments structurally because the LOC's multi-year commitment requires clean legal standing. For small open judgments Credibly is structurally the only option in this 2-way.
- Civil judgment with active settlement negotiation — Winner: Credibly. Credibly accepts files with civil judgments in active settlement negotiation when documented (attorney letter, court filings showing pending settlement) and merchant cash flow can support both the settlement and MCA payments. Bluevine declines files with active civil judgments regardless of settlement status because LOC underwriting requires resolved legal matters. Credibly is structurally primary in this 2-way for judgment files in active settlement.
- Vacated or satisfied judgment (resolved within last 12 months) — Winner: Credibly. Credibly accepts files with vacated or satisfied judgments resolved within the last 12 months at near-standard pricing when the resolution is documented in court records and credit reports reflect the satisfaction. Bluevine's underwriting often still flags recently-satisfied judgments during multi-year LOC commitment review and requires longer post-satisfaction seasoning (typically 18 – 24 months). For recently-satisfied judgment files Credibly is structurally primary on speed-to-approval.
- Larger active judgment ($25K+) without payment plan — Winner: Tie. Neither funder reliably approves larger active judgments ($25K+) without payment plan as of 2026-06-28. Credibly's underwriting caps around $25K plus active negotiation or payment arrangement; Bluevine declines judgment files broadly. For larger active judgments without payment plan both funders structurally decline and realistic alternatives are B/C-paper specialists (Accord, Forward Financing, Pearl, Yellowstone). Tie because both lose to specialist alternatives.
- Long-term pricing after judgment resolution — Winner: Bluevine. Once the merchant resolves the judgment (paid in full + satisfied + 18 – 24 months post-resolution seasoning), Bluevine LOC pricing at 6.2 – 18% APR materially beats Credibly MCA pricing. For long-term post-resolution cost trajectory Bluevine is structurally primary. The structural pricing migration path for judgment-resolved merchants: Credibly MCA during active judgment period, Bluevine LOC at substantially cheaper pricing once judgment is satisfied and seasoned.
The honest takeaway
Credibly and Bluevine solve overlapping but distinct problems. The right choice depends on three things you already know about your business: how fast you need the money, how long you've been operating, and whether the capital need is one-time or recurring.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Credibly accept on judgment files in 2026?
- Credibly's judgment underwriting follows a structured matrix as of 2026-06-28. The realistic acceptance rules: (1) Satisfied or vacated judgments (resolved on court records and credit) — accepted at near-standard pricing if resolution is 6+ months old and current credit is otherwise clean. Surcharge pricing in the first 6 months post-resolution; standard pricing after 6 months. (2) Open small-claims judgments under $10K with documented payment arrangement — accepted at surcharge pricing typical factor 1.28 – 1.38, contingent on payment arrangement being current. (3) Open civil judgments under $25K with active settlement negotiation — accepted on case-by-case basis with attorney documentation; typical factor 1.32 – 1.42. (4) Open judgments over $25K — typically declined; underwriting routes to deeper B/C-paper specialists. (5) Recent judgments (filed within last 90 days) regardless of size — typically declined because recency suggests ongoing legal exposure. (6) Multiple open judgments — typically declined regardless of individual judgment sizes because pattern suggests systemic legal or financial issues. The structural reasoning: Credibly's MCA structure with 4 – 9 month payback period limits exposure to potential judgment-related cash flow disruption; daily ACH structure provides early visibility into payment performance changes that might indicate judgment enforcement actions. The merchant-prep implication for judgment-flagged files: documented payment arrangement or active settlement negotiation + clean current credit profile + overall B-paper or better trading history is the structural minimum to qualify. Merchants without those elements should focus on judgment resolution before seeking capital; merchants with those elements have a realistic Credibly path at surcharge pricing typical 25 – 50% above standard pricing for the same paper grade.
- Why does Bluevine decline judgment files that Credibly approves?
- The structural reason mirrors the tax lien declination pattern as of 2026-06-28 — Bluevine's LOC product commitment vs Credibly's MCA per-deal structure. Bluevine LOC approves once and remains available for draws over 12 – 24 months before line review. Active judgments during the line lifetime create regulatory and reputational risk for Bluevine because the line could theoretically support payments to the merchant that the judgment creditor could subsequently garnish through bank levy or asset seizure. The structural conservative position: decline judgment files even with payment arrangement to avoid the regulatory and operational exposure. Credibly's MCA structure has defined 4 – 9 month exposure window with daily ACH visibility, making judgment underwriting tractable on a case-by-case basis with appropriate surcharge pricing. The structural rule applies broadly across LOC vs MCA products: LOC funders (Bluevine, Fundbox, OnDeck LOC) typically decline judgment files; MCA funders (Credibly, Greenbox, Accord, Forward Financing) have varying degrees of judgment tolerance. The merchant-prep implication for judgment-flagged merchants: (1) Credibly MCA is the structural primary option for immediate capital access during active judgment period; (2) Plan judgment resolution timeline — full settlement plus satisfaction documentation plus 18 – 24 months post-satisfaction seasoning to qualify for Bluevine LOC; (3) Use Credibly MCA payback cycles to build payment history and stabilize cash flow during judgment resolution; (4) Refinance to Bluevine LOC at substantially cheaper pricing once judgment is fully resolved and seasoned. For merchants who want to avoid MCA pricing during judgment resolution period the realistic alternatives are limited because most A-paper LOC and term loan funders apply similar judgment declination rules to Bluevine. Some bank business credit cards have more flexible underwriting for small satisfied judgments but face their own structural constraints.
- Which is right for a service business with $8K open small-claims judgment in active settlement and $35K/mo revenue?
- Credibly is structurally the only option in this 2-way for this file as of 2026-06-28. The open small-claims judgment plus active settlement negotiation structurally rules out Bluevine LOC. Credibly's underwriting accepts the file: $8K judgment is well within the under-$10K small-claims threshold, active settlement negotiation with attorney documentation satisfies the judgment-tolerance documentation requirement, $35K/mo revenue clears the $15K floor with margin, and otherwise clean B-paper file profile qualifies. Expected Credibly pricing: factor 1.28 – 1.36 for $30K – $60K MCA over 6 – 9 month payback term. Effective APR roughly 50 – 70%. The realistic service business playbook: (1) Route to Credibly as structural primary in this 2-way; provide attorney letter documenting settlement negotiation status and expected resolution timeline. (2) Evaluate Accord Business Funding in parallel as B/C-paper alternative — Accord's broader judgment tolerance often produces competitive pricing for borderline files Credibly accepts at high-surcharge pricing. (3) Evaluate Forward Financing as another B-paper alternative with reconciliation policy — useful if service business has revenue volatility (project-based service revenue often does). (4) Plan the judgment-resolution playbook: $8K small-claims settlement at typical settlement discount (50 – 70% of judgment amount, so $4K – $6K payoff) is structurally manageable from the MCA capital plus normal cash flow. Document the settlement payoff and obtain satisfaction filing in court records — material credit profile improvement once satisfied. (5) Plan the 18 – 24 month migration to Bluevine LOC once judgment is satisfied and seasoned; the file's $35K/mo revenue and otherwise clean profile suggest realistic Bluevine LOC approval at 12 – 22% APR after seasoning, providing material long-term cost savings vs continued MCA pricing. The structural rule for judgment-flagged service business files: Credibly MCA is the realistic primary option for immediate capital access; judgment satisfaction + post-resolution seasoning is the path to cheaper future capital.