The next day.
Early in the morning, freezing rain began to fall. As soon as Fang Bai stepped out, he felt the biting cold.
Around nine o'clock, Fang Bai put on his raincoat and helmet, then rode his motorcycle out.
The ground was still icy, and Fang Bai drove very slowly, almost slipping. He felt he shouldn't have ridden his motorcycle today; he should have taken a taxi.
But there was no turning back; he had already ridden one or two kilometers from home.
Fang Bai went to see Branch Manager He Jian of Changxin Road's N Bank, whom he had inquired about previously. He directly asked, "Branch Manager He, I submitted a loan application earlier, but I haven't received approval notification yet.
I'd like to know what caused the loan not to be approved?"
He Jian saw Fang Bai arrive and unhurriedly explained, "Boss Fang, your loan application is still under review and has not been rejected.
Due to some internal adjustments and process delays at the bank, the processing time has been extended. There's only one final procedure left before the funds can be disbursed."
"The final procedure?" Fang Bai frowned, a little confused.
"Yes, it can be quick if you want it to be, it mainly depends on your intention."
As He Jian said this, Fang Bai instantly understood: wasn't he asking for a kickback?
He proposed his conditions: if it could be approved for 500,000 yuan, a 2% rebate; if it could be approved for 1,000,000 yuan or more, a 3% rebate.
He Jian chuckled, "Sometimes when I play rock-paper-scissors, if someone throws scissors, what do you think I should throw?"
"Branch Manager He, this... I need to consider it." Fang Bai immediately understood.
Damn it, a 'fist' meant either five points or ten points!
Such an ugly way of doing business. Fang Bai suppressed his anger, intending to check with other banks.
"Hmm, suit yourself."
He Jian, in his forties, smiled faintly, as if he had Fang Bai completely figured out.
Fang Bai left He Jian's office. If he had stayed any longer, he would have wanted to hit that bald head with a brick: damn it, you're a real flesh-eater!
Loan interest rates were extremely high in those years. For a two-year loan, the annual interest rate reached a terrifying 16%!
If he were to give that bald Branch Manager another 5% rebate, the first year's interest would be 21%. How was that any different from usurious loans in later generations?
The excessively high loan interest was also a major reason why ordinary people dared not take out loans.
Of course, deposit interest rates were also very high; a two-year fixed deposit could reach 10.98%, and a five-year deposit even reached 13.68%!
People who don't understand this era truly can't imagine it.
The high deposit and loan interest rates, needless to say, only began to decrease after 1998.
They continued to fall for more than twenty years, and by 2022, the interest rate for a two-year fixed deposit was only 2.25%.
It was precisely because of this that mortgage interest rates in the 90s were extremely high. If you didn't know the future economic development of the country, you wouldn't dare to take out a loan even if it was offered.
Fang Bai put his helmet back on. He didn't want to go directly to various banks; it would be better to be introduced through acquaintances.
It would be too foolish not to use connections when he had them.
Fang Bai went directly to Chen Shi, the leader of the Industrial and Commercial Department. Upon seeing him in his office, he immediately stated his purpose.
Chen Shi still greatly admired this young man, Fang Bai. He was ambitious but also steady when needed, and he paid taxes legally. He felt that their company should develop very quickly.
Their rapid development would also benefit him, so he decided to help him. He first asked,
"Boss Fang, I know Branch Manager Ye Fan of the G Bank branch on Nanxi Road. Do you want to apply for a loan there?
It should be very easy to get a loan at the beginning of the year; there's no reason not to lend to you."
"Okay, whether it works out or not, I thank the leader first."
"Haha, let me call and ask first, don't rush." Chen Shi, seeing Fang Bai's willingness, found his phone record book, picked up the landline, and called the other party.
The phone rang for a while, they exchanged pleasantries, and then Chen Shi explained his intention.
Two minutes later, the call ended.
"No problem, you can go over and talk to him in person first. He's at the bank. Just tell the lobby manager when you arrive. Whether it works out specifically depends on you; I can only help you this much." Chen Shi didn't make any absolute promises.
Fang Bai stood up, shook hands with Chen Shi, and said gratefully, "Thank you so much. After the mall business is settled, I'll come back to chat."
"Haha, it's just a small favor." Chen Shi laughed, understanding Fang Bai's meaning.
Through a banquet, he knew that Fang Bai had extremely high emotional intelligence and wouldn't easily owe favors.
Now, Fang Bai owed him a favor, and Ye Fan also owed him a favor. Suddenly, there were two favors. He was naturally happy to have capable people owe him favors.
Fang Bai left Chen Shi's office. A few minutes later, he arrived at the G Bank branch on Nanxi Road.
Ye Fan was worried about this year's loan targets. Their branch had attracted too many deposits last year, but few people were willing to take out loans.
Chen Shi's call said that a very good young boss wanted a loan, a substantial amount. He had his own large shopping mall, and his qualifications were good, so he was helping to introduce him.
This was truly a timely rain!
He waited in his office and told the lobby manager to pay attention. If someone came looking for him, to bring them directly and be enthusiastic.
Fang Bai spoke to the lobby manager, asking to see their Branch Manager.
"Hello, our Branch Manager is in. He instructed me to bring you. Please follow me." The lobby manager showed a professional smile, a smile as warm and bright as winter sunshine.
Fang Bai nodded and walked behind her.
A moment later, Fang Bai arrived at Ye Fan's office.
Ye Fan sat in his office waiting. Seeing the lobby manager bring someone over, he stood up and greeted them with a smile: "Are you General Manager Fang?"
"Hello, Branch Manager Ye. Director Chen introduced me." Fang Bai stepped forward to shake hands, giving a hint to avoid being mistaken.
Seeing the other party so enthusiastic, he felt he was much better than that He Jian.
The other party was in his forties, dressed in a formal suit. His face was slightly weathered, showing traces of time, but still full of charm and confidence.
Looking at his upright sitting posture, Fang Bai felt he had been in the military.
He couldn't help but use his Golden Finger to probe the other party's information. Sure enough, he hadn't guessed wrong; he used to be a military officer, though not a very high-ranking one, but he had retired.
In Ye Fan's office, a pot of blooming fresh flowers was placed, emitting a faint fragrance.
Warm lighting illuminated the entire room, giving a sense of comfort and warmth in the cold winter. This atmosphere was very suitable for business discussions, indicating that some thought had been put into the arrangement.
Ye Fan said with a surprised smile, "General Manager Fang is truly young and promising, it surprises me."
Chen Shi had already told him some things about Fang Bai over the phone, praising Fang Bai as a business genius, despite his youth, with his family's business guided by him.
After Fang Bai sat down, the two exchanged pleasantries, and then Ye Fan began to inquire about Fang Bai's situation, which was a normal bank procedure.
To get a loan, one must let the bank know their income and asset situation.
In later generations, bank personnel could investigate on computers, knowing exactly how much money you borrowed from a certain online platform or bank, and your bank statements were all clear.
If you deliberately concealed information or even deceived them, giving them an unreliable impression, it would be detrimental to getting a loan.
Fang Bai briefly explained the income and expenditure of Xinghai Electrical Appliances Company. As for Jiayu Company, he did not mention it. These asset details would still need to be personally investigated by the bank on-site for credit assessment and repayment capacity evaluation; it wasn't just based on verbal claims.
Currently, Fang Bai didn't want his father-in-law to know his specific situation, so there was no need to inform the bank about it.
After Ye Fan had a rough understanding, he asked, "General Manager Fang, how much do you plan to borrow?"
"Well, the more the better.
My investment in the mall, including construction and decoration, cost nearly a million yuan. Currently, I have 500,000 yuan for stocking goods, and I still need 2.5 million yuan to meet my needs." Fang Bai exaggerated the cost of the mall a bit, as these figures were hard to verify and could only be estimated.
He took out the land purchase contract, land deed, his and his father's identification documents, tax certificates, and other materials from his bag.
Since these assets were all under Fang Shi's name, his father would have to sign the documents later.
Ye Fan took the documents, read them carefully, and after a moment, asked, "15 plots of land, over a thousand square meters?"
"Yes, currently only the first floor has been built and decorated."
"Hmm, that's a significant investment. How is your current repayment capacity? After all, General Manager Fang's desired loan amount exceeds his fixed assets." Ye Fan would roughly inquire about repayment capacity but wouldn't ask about commercial secrets.
"Within six months, the after-tax profit will be no less than 500,000 yuan. After the mall opens, I believe it will be repaid very quickly.
Of course, my company will expand rapidly and will require a larger amount of capital. At that time, it won't be just a few million yuan, but over ten million yuan. I believe our cooperation will be a win-win." Fang Bai said, on one hand, informing the other party of his repayment capability, and on the other hand, indicating the future capital needs, making it worthwhile for long-term cooperation.
Through the other party's information, Fang Bai knew that the other party was not a greedy person, so there was no need to discuss rebates.
Military officers who retired from the army indeed still held onto their beliefs.
Next, the two sides held a meeting, discussing loan guarantee methods, interest rates, repayment methods, and so on.
"General Manager Fang, I don't see any major issues here, but we still need to go through the procedures."
"Understood, thank you, Branch Manager Ye. I'm going on a business trip tomorrow to purchase electrical appliances, and the capital will be used very quickly. I hope to receive the loan within a week, otherwise, if the factory closes for holidays, I won't be able to get goods for operation even with money."
"You need the funds urgently. I'll expedite the process here."
Ye Fan felt that there shouldn't be a big problem, but the procedures still had to be followed. Also, since Chen Shi introduced him, even if his qualifications were poor, they still had to lend him some money no matter what.
"Yes, otherwise, we'll miss the pre-Spring Festival promotional activities."
Fang Bai explained. From Ye Fan's inner thoughts, he knew that the loan issue was no longer a big problem; it just needed to go through the procedures, and the specific loan amount was yet to be determined.
"Okay, I've understood most of it here. When there's progress, I'll call you."
"No problem, thank you very much, Branch Manager Ye."
Having discussed to this extent, the matter was concluded. Fang Bai offered to treat him to dinner, but Ye Fan declined, saying they could discuss it after the matter was settled.
Fang Bai also understood that until the matter was resolved, the other party couldn't attend a dinner, so he left the bank.
On Ye Fan's side, he needed to notify relevant personnel to conduct a background check first, get the information tomorrow, and then lead a team for an on-site inspection.