How Rho underwriting supports higher, stable extended credit limits

Learn more about how our extended credit underwriting model can support your business.
Author
Jared Hubbard
Updated
August 1, 2024
Read time
7

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The right corporate credit card is an effective financial tool to pay for business expenses, control spending, and improve working capital management. 

However, thousands of corporate card options exist today between legacy corporate card providers like American Express and Capital One and newer fintechs like Ramp and Brex.

In this blog, we’ll explain how our unique underwriting method works to help businesses access higher, more stable limits than what you would expect from these two classes of providers.

How our underwriting works when you sign up for Rho

Rho does not take a singular view of cash, nor do we require years of financial statements. 

When you submit a Rho corporate credit card application, we utilize a variety of inputs to establish a more holistic view of a company, its financial health, and its ability to support various extended credit limits. 

Data points include: 

  • Financial data: Balance sheet, income statement, and current access to additional capital (such as a line of credit).
  • Banking data: Company bank accounts with balance information. 
  • Bureau data: Data pulled from Experian, SBFE, and other sources. 
  • Other relevant data: Time in business, industry vertical, etc. 

On this last point, we recognize that not all companies (even those in the same industry vertical) operate similarly or have similar cash flow patterns. 

Rho does not apply a single, one-size-fits-all approach to evaluating companies, which is one of the first ways we help businesses generate a higher, more stable limit. 

Compare this approach to other credit providers: 

Provider Type Examples Underwriting approach
Legacy corporate card providers Chase, Bank of America, Capital One Ask for years of revenue data, often requiring a personal guarantee or collateral before issuing a corporate card. Challenging for businesses with rapid growth.
Newer fintechs offering corporate charge cards Brex, Ramp Strong emphasis on the current cash balance.

Does Rho regularly evaluate my extended credit limit?

Yes, we have a unique monthly monitoring process that aims to answer a few important questions: 

  • How is the company’s financial health? 
  • Does the business possess notable secondary indicators, such as inventory turnover or accounts receivable, that provide deeper insight beyond the cash reserves in its accounts?
  • Does historical data suggest a business has seasonal increases or decreases in activities?  

These points are critical when you compare Rho to legacy providers or newer fintechs that are notorious for adjusting limits out of the blue. 

For example, if you are a CPG company that regularly purchases significant inventory for the upcoming holiday season – an expected business flow – this would be considered part of our model.

In contrast, you may experience a limit cut from a newer fintech company looking at your current cash balance. 

Our unique underwriting model and process means that Rho allows for more stable limits, more opportunities for extended credit limit increases, and a more holistic understanding of your business that helps support this level of service. 

Why would my Rho extended credit limit increase or decrease?

These are some of the most common reasons your Rho extended credit limit might increase or decrease in a month.

Increases

  • Revenue growth
  • Improved liquidity position
  • Recent fundraising or capital infusion 

Decreases 

  • Deteriorating financial profile due to decreased liquidity, declining revenues, or an over-leveraged balance sheet
  • Overleverage or excessive debt stacking

Did you know? Clients connecting Rho to their bank accounts directly via external banking connection and CODAT will likely get the best extended credit terms possible, making our ongoing monitoring process easier than submitting documents every month. 

Wrap-up: Boost profitability, embrace stability with Rho today

High-growth companies are scaling month over month, quarter over quarter, year over year, and they deserve a high, stable extended credit limit on a corporate card that matches their success.

So if you don’t have three years of revenue at your back—or if you’re consistently reinvesting your cash balance in your business—we see you. You’re doing everything right, and you need a credit limit that proves it.

Interested in seeing how the Rho corporate card and platform can help you control spend, boost profitability, and establish better working capital management? Get in touch today!

Jared Hubbard
November 27, 2024
Jared is an expert in credit strategy, risk management, and execution. Before joining Rho as Director of Credit, he was Associate Manager - Commercial Underwriting at PayPal and earlier served as Operations Manager at the FDIC.

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Rho is a fintech company, not a bank or an FDIC-insured depository institution. Checking account and card services provided by Webster Bank N.A., member FDIC. Savings account services provided by American Deposit Management Co. and its partner banks. International and foreign currency payments services are provided by Wise US Inc. FDIC deposit insurance coverage is available only to protect you against the failure of an FDIC-insured bank that holds your deposits and subject to FDIC limitations and requirements. It does not protect you against the failure of Rho or other third party.
The Rho Corporate Card is issued by Webster Bank N.A., member FDIC pursuant to a license from Mastercard.
Investment management and advisory services provided by RBB Treasury LLC dba Rho Treasury, an SEC-registered investment adviser and subsidiary of Rho. RBB Treasury LLC facilitates investments in securities: investments are not deposits and are not FDIC-insured. Investments are not bank guaranteed, and may lose value. Investment products involve risk, including the possible loss of the principal invested, and past performance does not future results. Registration with the SEC does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Treasury and custodial services provided through Apex Clearing Corp. ("Apex") and Interactive Brokers LLC ("Interactive"), registered broker dealers and members FINRA/SIPC. Interactive rates may vary from Apex rate shown above. For additional information about investment management and advisory services provided by Rho Treasury, please refer to Rho Treasury’s ADV-2A Wrap Fee Brochure.
             
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*This reflects the sought net yield based on 90-day Treasury Bill rates as of [DATE] and an annual fee which ranges from 0.15% for deposits of $20M or more to 0.6% (the maximum annual fee) for deposits under $2M. Individual results may vary depending on the actual investment date and investment products selected. Past performance is not a guarantee of future performance results. The yield is variable and fluctuates without prior notice. The rate shown is net of fees. The amount of Treasury Bills available at a particular yield will depend upon the sellers’ offer size; any remaining cash balance after the purchase may not earn the same yield.
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Rho is a fintech company, not a bank. Checking and card services provided by Webster Bank, N.A., member FDIC; savings account services provided by American Deposit Management Co. and its partner banks.