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Funder comparison · 2026

Credibly vs MB Financial Business Loan (legacy brand, now Fifth Third) — who wins for what.

Both fund small businesses. They solve different problems. Here's the honest side-by-side, then five use-case verdicts so you don't have to guess.

By Fundnode Editorial7 min read

The specs

CrediblyMB Financial Business Loan (legacy brand, now Fifth Third)
Product typeMulti-productMulti-product
Amount range$5K – $600KLegacy MB Financial Business Loan products were consolidated into Fifth Third in 2019. Current Fifth Third equivalents: $5K – $100K (Express Business Loan); $10K – $500K (term + LOC); $250K – $5M (SBA 7(a))
Cost (factor / APR)Factor 1.11+ (MCA); APR varies (term)Legacy MB Financial pricing replaced by Fifth Third schedule: APR 8% – 15% (term + LOC, relationship-priced); SBA Prime + 2.25 – 2.75%
Speed to fundAs fast as 4 hoursSame as current Fifth Third: 24 – 72 hours (Express ≤ $100K, 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 (current Fifth Third schedule)
Min credit score550+680+
Products
  • MCA
  • Working capital LOC
  • Short-term term loan
  • Express Business Loan (via Fifth Third)
  • Business term loans
  • Business LOC
  • SBA 7(a)
  • Equipment financing
  • Commercial real estate

Verdicts by use case

  • Former MB Financial Chicago-area customer with 24+ months TIB and 680+ FICO — Winner: MB Financial Business Loan (legacy brand, now Fifth Third). As of 2026-06-28 the current Fifth Third Business Loan products (legacy MB Financial replacement) at 9 – 13% APR relationship-priced materially undercut Credibly's MCA factor 1.11 – 1.40 (effective APR 22 – 80%). Former MB Financial customers had their deposit-relationship history migrated to Fifth Third RMs in 2019 — the multi-year relationship still counts toward Fifth Third RM pricing. For qualifying former MB Financial customers Fifth Third (the legal successor) is structurally cheaper across most quotes, with the added benefit of the Express Business Loan channel that legacy MB Financial didn't offer in equivalent form.
  • Newer business under 24 months TIB — Winner: Credibly. Fifth Third's 24+ months TIB floor (which applies to former MB Financial customers post-conversion) is firm. 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 this week — Winner: Credibly. Credibly funds in as fast as 4 hours via the API V2 + Cloudsquare flow. Fifth Third's fastest channel (Express Business Loan for sub-$100K needs for existing customers) decisions in 24 – 72 hours with funding 1 – 2 business days after approval — total timeline 3 – 5 business days. For genuine same-week capital needs Credibly is materially faster. For next-day to 5-day timelines on sub-$100K needs the Fifth Third Express channel is competitive and meaningfully cheaper.
  • Sub-680 FICO merchant — Winner: Credibly. Fifth Third's 680+ FICO floor (applied post-MB-Financial conversion) is firm. Some legacy MB Financial flexibility on borderline files was tightened during the 2019 conversion to match Fifth Third standards. 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.
  • SBA 7(a) deal in $250K – $1M range with patient timeline — Winner: MB Financial Business Loan (legacy brand, now Fifth Third). Fifth Third (the legal successor to MB Financial's SBA franchise) originates SBA 7(a) loans up to $5M at Prime + 2.25 – 2.75% as a top-20 SBA lender. By far the cheapest cost of capital available for SMB borrowers willing to absorb the 30 – 90 day timeline. Credibly caps at $600K MCA and doesn't offer SBA paths. For qualifying SBA-eligible deals Fifth Third is structurally the only option in this pair.

The honest takeaway

Credibly and MB Financial Business Loan (legacy brand, now Fifth Third) 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 had an MB Financial business loan in Chicago — what happened to that relationship and where do I apply now?
Your account was migrated to Fifth Third in 2019 and the multi-year MB Financial relationship history was preserved on the Fifth Third Business Banking platform. Practical answer for 2026: there is no MB Financial business loan product — apply through Fifth Third Bank. For former MB Financial customers specifically: (1) your converted Chicago-area MB Financial branch is now a Fifth Third branch with the same physical location and (in most cases) the same RM team that handled MB Financial accounts pre-conversion; (2) your deposit-relationship history counts toward Fifth Third RM pricing — surface the MB Financial tenure in the application; (3) all current Fifth Third products are available including Express Business Loan (24 – 72 hour decisioning on sub-$100K files for existing customers), standard Business Term Loan and LOC up to $500K, and SBA 7(a) up to $5M. The expanded product line is genuinely better than what legacy MB Financial offered in the Chicago market.
Did the 2019 MB Financial / Fifth Third conversion change underwriting standards for existing MB Financial customers?
Yes, modestly. The unified Fifth Third underwriting platform applies to all post-conversion applications: 680+ FICO, 24+ months TIB, $15K+/mo revenue floor on unsecured products. Some legacy MB Financial flexibility on borderline files (particularly for long-standing Chicago-area commercial relationships) was tightened during the conversion to match Fifth Third's standards. Practical effects: most former MB Financial customers in good standing don't notice a difference — Fifth Third's pricing on equivalent files is competitive and the Express Business Loan channel is a net-new capability. Borderline-file customers (sub-680 FICO with strong cash flow, niche-industry merchants where legacy MB Financial RMs had discretion) may notice tighter underwriting and should expect more standardized decisioning. For former MB Financial customers whose file would have been borderline at legacy MB Financial standards, Credibly's MCA may be the necessary backstop for the 12 – 24 months it takes to rebuild a clean Fifth Third-qualifying profile.
Should I refinance an active Credibly MCA into Fifth Third (the MB Financial successor) 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. For former MB Financial customers with preserved deposit-relationship history the Fifth Third RM can advocate for pricing at the lower end of the relationship-priced range. Fifth Third will pull business credit, see the active Credibly debt, and underwrite the refinance as debt consolidation — disclose proactively. For sub-$100K refinances 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 as any Fifth Third applicant (680+ FICO, 24+ months TIB, $15K+/mo revenue, Fifth Third / former MB Financial deposit relationship preferred).