Citizens Bank will offer digital lending capabilities to small business customers through a collaboration with Fundation Group, a digital lender and credit solutions provider to regional and community banks. The service is expected to be available in mid-2017.

The added capability will enable small businesses to apply for loans and lines of credit through a simple online application. In most cases approval is provided within minutes, and loans are funded in as few as three business days. Additionally, Fundation will offer credit to some customers that do not meet Citizens’ credit guidelines, helping the bank to serve more of its small business customers’ credit needs.

“We know that time is valuable for our business banking customers. This simple digital application process will be quicker and more efficient for customers making smaller requests for credit, enabling them to get back to running their businesses sooner,” said Chris Ward, head of business banking for Citizens Bank. “We believe that our new, automated lending platform will complement the tailored, advice-based services available through relationship managers and bankers to our customers who need larger loans or have more complex needs such as cash management.”

Sam Graziano, CEO of Fundation, added, “At Fundation, our mission is to enable our strategic partners to serve their small business customers more efficiently and more broadly. This collaboration does exactly that. The combination of Citizens Bank’s powerful customer-facing brand and our digital lending platform will allow us to collectively serve more customers with best-in-class products and a best-in-class customer experience.”

Fundation recently announced strategic partnerships with Regions Bank, the BancAlliance community bank network and the Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency. It also secured a $100 million credit facility from Goldman Sachs, which bolsters its capacity to extend credit to small businesses.

The digital lending service is subject to the negotiation of a definitive agreement between Citizens Bank and Fundation.