The specs
CrediblyFifth Third Business Loan
Product typeMulti-productMulti-product
Amount range$5K – $600K$5K – $100K (Express Business Loan); $10K – $500K (term + LOC); $250K – $5M (SBA 7(a))
Cost (factor / APR)Factor 1.11+ (MCA); APR varies (term)APR 8% – 15% (Express + term + LOC, relationship-priced); SBA Prime + 2.25 – 2.75%
Speed to fundAs fast as 4 hours24 – 72 hours (Express Business Loan ≤ $100K for existing customers); 5 – 10 business days (term + LOC); 30 – 90 days (SBA)
Min time in business6 months24 months
Min monthly revenue$15,000$15,000+/mo typical for unsecured products
Min credit score550+680+
Products
- MCA
- Working capital LOC
- Short-term term loan
- Express Business Loan
- Business term loans
- Business LOC
- SBA 7(a)
- Equipment financing
- Commercial real estate
Verdicts by use case
- Established Fifth Third customer needing ≤ $100K with 24+ months TIB — Winner: Fifth Third Business Loan. As of 2026-06-28 Fifth Third Express Business Loan at 9 – 13% APR (relationship-priced) on sub-$100K files closes in 24 – 72 hours — uniquely fast for a regional bank and materially cheaper than Credibly's MCA factor 1.11 – 1.40 (effective APR 22 – 80%). For existing Fifth Third Business Banking customers within the Express Business Loan box ($100K cap, 680+ FICO, 24+ months TIB) Fifth Third is structurally both cheaper and competitive on speed. The Express channel is one of the few regional-bank products that genuinely competes with non-bank lenders like Credibly on time-to-funding.
- Newer business under 24 months TIB — Winner: Credibly. Fifth Third's 24+ months TIB floor is firm on Express, term, and LOC products. Credibly's 6-month TIB floor is reachable for genuinely new operators. For merchants between 6 and 24 months trading history Credibly is the only structural option in this pair.
- Need cash within hours — Winner: Credibly. Credibly funds in as fast as 4 hours via the API V2 + Cloudsquare flow. Fifth Third Express Business Loan delivers 24 – 72 hour decisioning on qualifying files — uniquely fast for a regional bank but still slower than Credibly's same-day funding. For genuine same-day capital needs Credibly is structurally faster. For next-day or 48-hour timelines on sub-$100K needs the Express product is competitive on speed and meaningfully cheaper on cost.
- Sub-680 FICO merchant — Winner: Credibly. Fifth Third's 680+ FICO floor is firm on Express and unsecured products. Credibly accepts 550+ FICO with B/C-paper pricing adjustments. For merchants with personal FICO between 550 and 679 Credibly is the only structural option in this pair.
- $200K – $500K term loan need with 1 – 2 week timeline — Winner: Fifth Third Business Loan. For files above Express Business Loan's $100K cap Fifth Third's standard Business Term Loan at 9 – 14% APR (relationship-priced) over 36 – 60 months is materially cheaper than a $200K – $500K Credibly MCA at factor 1.20 – 1.35 (effective APR 30 – 60%). Standard underwriting runs 5 – 10 business days. For qualifying borrowers in Fifth Third's Midwest / Southeast footprint who can absorb the 1 – 2 week timeline the Business Term Loan is structurally the better choice.
The honest takeaway
Credibly and Fifth Third Business Loan 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
- I'm a Fifth Third customer in Cincinnati and need $75K in 48 hours — Express Business Loan or Credibly?
- Try Fifth Third Express first if your file is clean. Fifth Third Express Business Loan can decision in 24 – 72 hours and fund 1 – 2 business days after approval for existing customers with clean files (680+ FICO, 24+ months TIB, $15K+/mo revenue, established Fifth Third deposit relationship). At 9 – 13% APR over 24 – 60 months it's structurally cheaper than Credibly's MCA factor 1.20 (effective APR ~40%) on a 12-month payback. The Express channel exists specifically to compete with non-bank lenders like Credibly on time-to-funding for the sub-$100K segment. Practical workflow: apply Fifth Third Express online or at branch first thing Monday morning, expect decision Tuesday or Wednesday, funding Thursday or Friday. If the file gets stuck or declined Credibly can backstop with same-day funding by Friday. The structural advantage of Express: at 9 – 13% APR amortized over 36 months vs Credibly at factor 1.20 over 12 months, lifetime cost is roughly 50 – 60% lower on the same $75K.
- Did the 2019 Fifth Third acquisition of MB Financial change anything for SMB business loan applications?
- Mostly footprint expansion. The MB Financial conversion in 2019 expanded Fifth Third's Chicago-area branch network and added approximately $20B in deposits and a meaningful Chicago commercial-banking franchise. From an SMB business loan application standpoint the practical effects: (1) Chicago metro merchants now apply through Fifth Third Bank with access to the full Fifth Third product line (Express Business Loan, standard term + LOC, SBA 7(a)) — previously MB Financial's SMB products were a different brand with different terms; (2) legacy MB Financial RM relationships were migrated to Fifth Third RMs and the deposit-relationship history carries forward for pricing purposes; (3) post-conversion underwriting is the unified Fifth Third standard (680+ FICO, 24+ months TIB) — some legacy MB Financial flexibility on borderline files was tightened to match Fifth Third standards. For Chicago merchants the practical answer in 2026 is: there is no MB Financial business loan product — it's all Fifth Third now.
- Should I refinance an active Credibly MCA into a Fifth Third term loan once I qualify?
- Yes, if the math works. A Credibly MCA at factor 1.25 with 8 months remaining carries an APR-equivalent of 35 – 50%. Refinancing into a Fifth Third relationship-priced Business Term Loan at 10 – 13% APR over 36 – 60 months saves materially on cost-of-capital and converts the daily/weekly MCA debit to monthly amortization. Fifth Third will pull business credit, see the active Credibly debt, and underwrite the refinance as debt consolidation — disclose proactively. For sub-$100K refinance amounts the Express Business Loan channel can compress the refinance timeline to 24 – 72 hours, which materially reduces the carrying cost of the residual MCA balance during the refinance period. The qualifying bar is the same (680+ FICO, 24+ months TIB, $15K+/mo revenue, Fifth Third relationship preferred). Particularly attractive in the Midwest / Southeast footprint where Fifth Third's branch RM relationships compound the standard pricing.