First Strike Does the early bird get the loan?

Q: Mybusiness line of credit comes up for renewal in less than a year.Everything is going great with my company, so should I approach mybanker now about renewing my loan to hedge my bets in case of anunpredictable slump?

A: Youare a rare breed! Most of my borrowers had to be dragged into thebank to renew their lines, much less do so early. Your fears arecommon; the most often-asked question I've received fromentrepreneurs has been "Will my line of credit berenewed?" You've worked yourself ragged to make yourcompany profitable, and, with one fell swoop of his pen, yourbanker can throw you into a financial tailspin. No credit, nobusiness.

Now is the time to ask yourself if your relationship with yourlender is anything other than nirvana. If problems exist, fixthem.