# Can a newly incorporated company borrow?

A newly incorporated company can borrow from Credicorp once it has real trading activity on record — bank statements showing genuine turnover, a defined short-term need, and a director who can sign on the company's behalf. There is no minimum trading period in the rules, but the practical minimum is roughly six months of active bank history. On every Credicorp product, **the company borrows, never you personally**. No personal guarantee.

Creditcorp is the growing name for the Credicorp group, and Credicorp Limited is the lender behind it. It does one thing: short-term working capital for incorporated UK businesses. This page is a guide, not an application; applying happens on the lender's own site, [credicorp.co.uk](https://credicorp.co.uk/).

Throughout, the borrower is the **company** — a UK private limited company (Ltd), LLP or PLC — not the director who signs. No personal guarantee, no charge over a home, no personal credit check on a director. These are **not** personal loans, payday loans or sole-trader finance.

## What a short-term lender needs to see

Credicorp does not set a fixed minimum company age. What it assesses is evidence — the documents and data that let it form a reliable picture of whether the company can service a short-term credit agreement.

### Bank statements: typically six months of real trading

The single most important data source is the company's business bank statements. The lender wants to see consistent, genuine turnover — money in from customers, regular outgoings, an account that behaves like a trading business. Six months is a workable minimum. Newer companies with less history may not yet have enough data for a lending decision.

### Open Banking data: a live, read-only feed of the account

In addition to or instead of paper statements, Credicorp uses Open Banking — a read-only, FCA-regulated connection to the company's business bank account. This is not a personal credit check; it reads only the business account data.

### Business credit bureau data: the company's record

Credicorp checks the company's credit record at the main business credit bureaux. A newly incorporated company will have a thin or blank record, which is not an automatic disqualification — but it means the bank statement data carries more weight.

### Companies House: registration, director details, filing history

The company must be live at Companies House, registered in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. The lender checks the registered name, number, incorporation date, current directors, and any outstanding gazette notices or filing overdue notices.

## What "newly incorporated" means in practice

There is no universal definition. In practical lending terms, a newly incorporated company falls into one of these categories.

**Incorporated, not yet trading** — the company has been registered but has not yet made its first sale. There is no bank account activity to assess. Borrowing is not possible at this stage.

**Incorporated, trading for less than three months** — there may be some bank activity but not enough for a reliable assessment. Most applications at this stage will not proceed, not because of a rule but because there is insufficient data.

**Incorporated, trading for three to six months** — borderline. Some lenders will consider this range if the activity is strong and consistent; others will not. Credicorp's assessment depends on the data quality.

**Incorporated, trading for six months or more** — typically enough data for a full assessment. The same criteria apply as for any established company: turnover, affordability, business credit record, and a defined short-term need.

## Five steps to become eligible as quickly as possible

You cannot compress time, but you can build the evidential base efficiently.

1. **Open a dedicated business bank account** at incorporation. Personal accounts are not acceptable. The sooner the business account is open, the sooner the clock starts.

2. **Route all trading activity through the business account**. Income from customers should land in the account; outgoings should leave it. An account with genuine, regular transactions is far more useful than one that is used only occasionally.

3. **Keep the Companies House record clean**. File confirmation statements and accounts on time. Late filings and outstanding notices are a negative signal.

4. **Register for and file any applicable taxes on time**. VAT registration (if applicable) and corporation tax filings on schedule.

5. **Apply when you have a defined, short-term need**. Short-term working capital is not general funding. A confirmed order, a supplier deposit to lock in, or an invoice gap with a known resolution — these are the use cases Credicorp is built for.

## A note on personal guarantees for new companies

Some lenders require a personal guarantee from a director if the company is new and the corporate track record is thin. Credicorp does not take personal guarantees on any product. The agreement is between Credicorp Limited and your company. Your own assets, your home, your personal credit file — none of these are on the line.

## New company borrowing questions

**Does Credicorp have a minimum trading period?** There is no hard rule on months, but in practice the minimum is around six months of real bank account activity. Less than that and there is usually insufficient data for a reliable assessment.

**We incorporated six months ago but only started trading three months ago — does that count?** What matters is trading activity, not incorporation date. Three months of genuine turnover may be borderline; six months of active trading is a stronger position.

**Our turnover is low but consistent — does that matter?** Affordability depends on the size of the borrowing relative to the company's cash flow, not on turnover in absolute terms. A small, consistent company may be well-placed for a small, short-term facility.

**Do you check the director's personal credit?** No. Credicorp lends to the company, not the director. No personal credit check is run on any director.

**Can a company with CCJs borrow?** Company CCJs are considered as part of the business credit assessment. They do not automatically prevent borrowing, but they are a factor. See [can a company with CCJs borrow](/learn/can-a-company-with-ccjs-borrow/).

## Where to go next
- [What you need to apply](/learn/what-you-need-to-apply/) — the checklist of documents and data needed for an application.
- [The application process, step by step](/learn/the-application-process-step-by-step/) — from first look to funds in the bank.
- [Is short-term borrowing right for you?](/learn/is-short-term-borrowing-right-for-you/) — an honest decision aid, including when not to borrow.
- [No personal guarantee — what it means](/learn/no-personal-guarantee-what-it-means/) — why the company is the only obligor.
- [The three products](/products/) — Business Bridging Loan, Credicorp Flex and Credicorp Slice.
- [credicorp.co.uk](https://credicorp.co.uk/) — apply, manage your account, and contact the team.

## Built your trading history?

When your company has active bank statement data and a defined short-term need, apply at the lender's own site, [credicorp.co.uk](https://credicorp.co.uk/).