What we do not place, and what is difficult.

Not placed at all

Citadel Ridge does not arrange financing for consumers or for consumer purposes of any kind; every engagement is with an operating business or its owner acting for the business. Beyond that, the firm does not take businesses whose revenue derives from illegal activity under federal or applicable state law, unlicensed activity in a licensed field, adult entertainment or adult content, gambling operations other than licensed and regulated establishments, cryptocurrency issuance, mining or trading operations, multi level marketing and recruitment based income programs, debt settlement, debt adjusting and credit repair operations, payday, title and consumer short term lending, firearms and ammunition manufacture or dealing outside licensed retail, shell entities without operations, businesses under an active fraud or money laundering investigation, and any business whose file cannot be reconciled to its bank statements.

Declined by most counterparties

These are not firm prohibitions, they are the categories where the funder panel is thin enough that expectations should be set on day 1: cannabis and hemp including ancillary businesses, in any state, because banking access rather than legality is the constraint; travel agencies and tour operators, on chargeback exposure; law firms and practices whose revenue is contingent; bail bonds; pawn; auto dealers without a floor plan relationship; vehicle and equipment rental at the small end; freight brokerage without operating authority and cargo coverage; staffing without workers compensation in place; construction paid on progress billing with pay when paid clauses; nutraceutical, supplement and subscription businesses with high refund rates; anything with a chargeback ratio above the card networks' thresholds.

Difficult, and regularly placed anyway

Trucking and logistics, restaurants and hospitality, construction and contracting, medical and dental practices, dealerships, and manufacturing are all industries where generic applications fail and prepared files succeed, which is why each has its own page on this site setting out what the read looks for. Seasonal businesses, businesses with a single dominant customer, businesses carrying advance positions, and businesses coming off a loss year are all placeable with documentation that explains the shape rather than hiding it.

How to read this page

Lists like this describe appetite, not merit. A category appearing above says something about how counterparties price and underwrite it today, and nothing about whether a business is well run. Appetite also moves: categories leave the second list when a funder opens the box and enter it when one closes. If your business is on the second list and you have the records, send the file; the answer will be specific to it.

Nothing on this page is an offer, a decline, or a credit decision. Every facility is arranged through third party lenders and funders and is subject to their underwriting and approval.