A bridge loan is a loan that a person (or sometimes a business) takes out for only a short time--no longer than one year. The purpose of the bridge loan, or bridging finance, is to give the borrower needed cash until he secures a more long term loan or receives funding. The immediate cash flow that is provided by the bridging finance allows the borrower to meet current financial obligations while a deal or contract is still in process or being negotiated.

Taking a bridge loan means you will be paying a high rate of interest, and you must back it with collateral. These types of loans, like their name suggests, bridge the gap from when the individual receives more long-term loan and his direct financial obligations. Bridging finance may be utilized in a variety of financial scenarios.

Business owners may acquire bridge loans to finance the needed working capital of their business while awaiting equity financing deals which could only be completed after several months.

Bridge loans are often used when selling real estate. This can be useful when the real estate market is slow or a particular house is not selling fast enough. Homeowners who want to sell their homes and buy a new one utilize bridge loans to finance their various obligations such as utility bills and food bills, while their old home is still on the market. Also, they may use the bridging finance as "chain breaking", meaning they use the loaned amount to purchase a new house while they are still on the process of dealing their current house to prospective buyers.

Another useful aspect of bridge loans is they can be used to boost credit scores. Bridge loans may be used by borrowers to pay outstanding debts, thus making a positive credit score and enabling the borrower to apply for other loans that are more permanent and larger in amount. These loans also help bridge the gap between leaving one job and starting another. Similarly, bridge loans may be useful to finance relocation costs when someone moves because of their job.

Bridging finance can be done in less than a day, as the high interest rates, short duration, and collateral backing allow for less stringent credit and background checks.