Guides for people who collect loan documents
Checklists, freshness rules, and operations math — written from real underwriting practice, useful with or without LendPacket.
SBA 7(a) Document Checklist for 2026 (Complete, With Freshness Rules)
Every document a standard SBA 7(a) file needs — personal, business, and transaction items — plus how long each stays valid.
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SBA 504 Document Checklist: What CDCs and Lenders Actually Ask For
The 504 program's two-lender structure doubles the paperwork. Here's the combined checklist, organized so borrowers only send things once.
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How Long Are Tax Returns Good For in an SBA File?
The filing-cycle rule for tax-return freshness, what changes in October, and how extensions fit in.
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Bank Statement Freshness: The 60-Day Rule That Delays Closings
Why lenders cap bank-statement age at ~60 days, how the math works from the statement date, and how to stop collecting statements twice.
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SBA Express vs Standard 7(a): The Documentation Difference
Express trades a smaller guaranty for speed — including a lighter document set. What you can actually skip, and what you can't.
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The Real Cost of Chasing Borrower Documents (Loan Ops Math)
4–6 hours of chasing per file, measured: where the time actually goes, and what it's worth at loan-officer rates.
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FHA Loan Document Checklist for 2026
The full FHA borrower document list — income, assets, identity, and the FHA-specific extras like gift paper trails and rent history.
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VA Loan Documents: the COE, DD-214, and Everything Else
What a VA file needs beyond the standard income/asset set — and how the veteran's status changes the list.
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Non-QM Bank-Statement Loans: The 12-Month Statement Checklist
Documenting self-employed income with statements instead of returns: personal vs business programs, expense factors, and the CPA letter.
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Why Borrowers Hate Document Portals (And What Actually Works)
Portal logins are where borrower documents go to die. The five design choices that make borrowers actually finish uploading.
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