Crestmark (Pathward)

Best for: Established B2B companies, trucking fleets and mid-sized manufacturers or distributors that want factoring or an asset-based line from an FDIC-insured bank and can sign a one- to two-year agreement.

Not for: Startups or owners who want a published price, month-to-month spot factoring, or cash within a day or two of applying; first funding takes about 5 days to 3 weeks (third-party).

Lender List verdict: Crestmark, now Pathward's commercial finance arm, brings bank-backed stability and room to grow from factoring into multimillion-dollar ABL. Pricing is quote-only: at a reported 2% fee, a 45-day, $100,000 invoice costs $2,000, about 18% annualized, but contracts and termination fees bind you.

Crestmark (Pathward) at a glance

Crestmark factoring and asset-based lending now run through Pathward, N.A., whose commercial finance division factors invoices and lends against receivables, inventory and equipment.

What is Crestmark (Pathward)?

Crestmark (Pathward) is the Troy, Michigan commercial lending business of Pathward, N.A., which bought Crestmark Bancorp for about $320.6 million in August 2018. Crestmark started in 1996 (third-party); crestmark.com now redirects to pathward.com.

Pathward, formerly MetaBank, is a publicly traded national bank in Sioux Falls. At June 30, 2026 it held $220.0 million in factoring and $697.7 million in ABL loans.

How Crestmark (Pathward) factoring and ABL work

Crestmark (Pathward) offers two receivables products: factoring, where it buys your invoices, and asset-based lending, a revolving line sized by eligible receivables, inventory and equipment.

• Factoring: Reviewers report 80% to 90% advances and same-day or next-day funding once set up.
• Asset-based lending: For seasonal swings, slow payers, growth or recapitalization; past lines ran $3 million to $22.5 million.

How the funding cycle works

Crestmark (Pathward) advances against verified invoices and releases the balance, minus its fee, when your customer pays.

1. You bill your customer and submit the invoice.
2. Crestmark verifies it and advances 80% to 90% (third-party).
3. Your customer pays Crestmark on the invoice's terms.
4. Crestmark keeps its fee and sends you the rest (the rebate).

Crestmark (Pathward) advance rate, factor fee, and recourse

Crestmark (Pathward) does not publish its rates; TruckingWay reports factoring fees of 1% to 3% of invoice value and advances of 80% to 90%.

• Contract: Typically one to two years, renewing automatically unless you give notice 60 to 90 days ahead (TruckingWay).
• Early termination: About 2% to 3% of the maximum facility, or $20,000 to $30,000 on a $1 million line.
• Other fees: Documentation and wire fees; some agreements add minimum-usage fees.
• Recourse: Reports conflict; see the FAQ below.
• ABL advances: One public borrower's cap was 70% of eligible invoices under 90 days old.

Worked example: factor a $100,000 invoice at a 90% advance and a 2% fee (the midpoint of the reported range), with your customer paying on day 45. You get $90,000 up front, pay a $2,000 fee and receive an $8,000 rebate: about 18% simple annualized on the cash used (19.5% compounded). At 1% the same invoice costs $1,000 (about 9%); at 3%, $3,000 (about 27%).

Crestmark (Pathward) requirements

Crestmark (Pathward) publishes no minimum credit score, revenue or time in business; your customers' credit drives factoring approval.

Pros and cons

Crestmark (Pathward) is a regulated bank that can take you from a $150,000 factoring line to an eight-figure ABL, but pricing is opaque and contracts bind.

Pros

• FDIC-insured national bank, publicly traded, lending to businesses since 1996
• Factoring, ABL, equipment finance and SBA under one lender
• Reported fees of 1% to 3% of invoice value
• Strong in trucking, staffing, manufacturing and distribution
• SBA Preferred Lender with 194 SBA 7(a) loans in the last 12 months

Cons

• One- to two-year contracts with 2% to 3% termination fees
• Up to three weeks to first funding

Crestmark (Pathward) vs. eCapital vs. Riviera Finance

Crestmark (Pathward) is the only bank of the three; eCapital is faster and Riviera is non-recourse.

Choose Crestmark (Pathward) for a bank partner and a path to ABL. Choose eCapital for speed. Choose Riviera Finance to shed customer credit risk.

Crestmark (Pathward) alternatives on Lender List

The closest Crestmark (Pathward) alternatives on Lender List are eCapital for fast factoring and Siena Lending Group for larger ABL.

• eCapital — invoice and freight factoring with advances up to 100%
• Riviera Finance — non-recourse factoring with six-month contracts
• Triumph Business Capital — bank-owned factoring for trucking fleets
• Siena Lending Group — ABL facilities typically $20 million and up
• Browse all invoice factoring companies, asset-based lenders and equipment lenders on Lender List

Frequently asked questions about Crestmark (Pathward)

Is Crestmark (Pathward) Legit? Yes. Crestmark has lent to businesses since 1996 and is now part of Pathward, N.A., an FDIC-insured, Nasdaq-listed national bank. Pathward paid about $700,000 in a 2024 New York Attorney General settlement over prepaid cards, not commercial lending. TruckingWay rates it 4.2 of 5 for contract carriers but 2.3 for spot-market haulers; invoice-factoring.org (2023) gives 9.2 to 9.3 of 10.

What Is Pathward, and What Happened to Crestmark Bank? Pathward is the former MetaBank, a national bank based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Its parent bought Crestmark Bancorp in 2018 and took the Pathward name in 2022. Crestmark's Troy, Michigan office still runs factoring and ABL, and crestmark.com forwards to pathward.com.

Does Crestmark Offer Vendor and Equipment Financing? Yes. Pathward's equipment finance group, part of the former Crestmark business, writes leases and loans with end-of-term buyouts and bundled 100% financing for manufacturers, dealers and distributors. Its equipment book was $563.9 million at June 30, 2026, mostly large-ticket term loans. It publishes no rates or minimum deal size.

Does Crestmark (Pathward) Make SBA 7(a) Loans? Yes. Pathward is an SBA Preferred Lender and made 194 SBA 7(a) loans worth $392.6 million in the 12 months to June 30, 2026. The median loan was $1,010,400 at a 9.5% median rate over 120 months (SBA 7(a) FOIA data, FY2020–present, as of June 30, 2026, data.sba.gov).

How Do I Log In to Crestmark? Existing clients still sign in at the Crestmark commercial financing portal, ccweb.crestmark.com, which Pathward links from its Login menu as "Commercial Financing." New applicants who want a quote should use Pathward's lending contact page or call the Troy, Michigan office at 248-641-5100.

Is Crestmark Recourse or Non-Recourse? Possibly both. TruckingWay reports that Crestmark (Pathward) offers recourse and non-recourse factoring, with non-recourse costing more and taking about a week longer to set up. Invoice-factoring.org says it offers recourse only. Ask for the buyback terms in writing before you sign.

Will My Customers Know I'm Factoring? Usually, yes. In a factoring arrangement Crestmark (Pathward) verifies each invoice with your customer, and your customer then pays Crestmark directly on its normal terms. Ask how verification calls and payment instructions will be handled for your accounts before signing.

Last verified 2026-10-27. Pricing and terms are provider-stated or third-party-reported and vary by offer; confirm with the lender before applying.