California
Business funding in California.
Citadel Ridge arranges facilities for operating businesses in California through third party lenders and funders, across all 10 structures. This page starts with the protection California law already gives you, because most owners do not know they have it.
Last reviewed September 18, 2026.
Your rights first
What California requires before you sign.
You should receive a written disclosure with an APR on it before you sign any commercial financing of $500,000 or less. If a funder will not produce one, that is the end of the conversation.
California was first. Senate Bill 1235 and the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation regulations that took effect on December 9, 2022 require a provider of commercial financing of $500,000 or less to give the business a standard disclosure at the time it makes a specific offer, including the amount financed, the total repayment, the finance charge, an annual percentage rate, the payment amounts and frequency, the term, and the prepayment terms. Where a broker is involved, the provider delivers the disclosure through the broker and it must reach you unaltered. Separately, brokering commercial loans in California raises California Financing Law licensing questions that a legitimate counterparty will be able to answer about itself.
Citadel Ridge is a broker and advisor, not a provider. It does not extend financing, does not set the terms of any offer, and does not prepare the provider's statutory disclosure. What it does is pass that disclosure to you exactly as issued, put the annualized cost of every offer in front of you computed the same way, and disclose in writing what the firm is paid on your transaction before you sign. The full picture across every state with a law is on the state disclosures page, and the compensation mechanics are on the how we get paid page.
Worth knowing. California is 1 of the 2 states where funders commonly require 4 months of bank statements rather than 3.
The market here
What California files look like.
Appetite follows the economy.
California has more small businesses than any other state and the widest spread of counterparty appetite to go with it, which cuts both ways: more genuine options, and more operators working the same deposit accounts. Agriculture in the Central Valley, logistics around the ports, construction and trades across the southern counties, restaurants and hospitality everywhere, and a technology sector whose capital needs are usually equity rather than debt.
Whatever the sector, the read is the same: what the deposits actually show, what is already debiting the account, what the business owns free and clear, and what the file is missing. Industry specific detail for the 6 verticals this firm works most often is on the industry pages.
Before you call anyone
Do these 3 things.
They cost nothing, they take an afternoon, and they change what the market will quote you.
Measure what you already carry
If you have advance positions, run the stack calculator and get the monthly debit load as a share of deposits. If you are holding a single offer, run the factor rate converter. Most owners have never seen either number, and both of them decide what structure is even available.
Assemble the file
4 to 6 months of business bank statements, recent financial statements, a debt schedule listing every obligation including advances, and a note on anything unusual in the statements. A complete file gets competing offers. An incomplete one gets a single quote priced for the counterparty's uncertainty. The funding file checklist is free and takes no email address.
Use the free public help
Before paying anyone, use what already exists: the Small Business Administration's local assistance finder at sba.gov/local-assistance lists the SBA district office, SCORE chapters, Small Business Development Centers and Women's Business Centers serving California, all at no charge. They are not a substitute for a capital process, and they are a good place to start.
Summaries of California law are general information, not legal advice, and the statutes and regulations govern. Thresholds, exemptions and effective dates change; this page is reviewed quarterly and on any change in law. Citadel Ridge LLC is not a lender and does not make credit decisions. Every facility is arranged through third party lenders and funders and is subject to their underwriting and approval.
Start with the file
A straight read within 2 business days.
Send the basics through the intake form: what the file supports, what is missing, and the next step if there is one. If we are not the right desk for it, we say so.