Homeowners interested in refinancing and homebuyers have a myriad of mortgage brokers to turn to, in addition to dealing directly with their bank or other financial institution.

But does the small business owner have a similar option of turning to a commercial loan broker who knows the products and services of a variety of banks?

Well, yes, but not many. Dave Smyle of Benchmark Financial in La Mesa handles commercial, industrial and apartment loans, but Craig Francis, proprietor of Francis Financial in San Diego, says Smyle is only an “occasional” competitor. Mortgage brokers rarely will handle or refer a business loan. An accountant, factor or financial adviser may refer a client to a commercial bank.

That would leave Francis Financial as the most pure small-business loan broker in San Diego, and maybe the only one. Francis is both liked and disliked by bankers in San Diego, liked by bankers who get his business, disliked by those who don’t. “He takes a fee to do what we have to do anyway,” complains one banker.

“I can’t think of anyone who’s doing this heavily under normal circumstances,” says Francis, a former banker. “I’ll handle $50,000 to $5 million, so it’s a broad spectrum of businesses.”

Francis says anyone who refers a client to a bank for a fee must be licensed by the state Department of Real Estate as a broker, even if it’s a purely commercial, non-real estate loan. Francis is so licensed.

The broker, a middleman, deals with about 50 banks, citing Bank of America, Union Bank, Wells Fargo and CalFed-turned-Citibank as having especially “qualified lines with exceptional rates and terms…

“I particularly like local banks, including Vineyard out of Rancho Cucamonga, La Jolla Bank, (the San Diego office of) Comercia, Discovery Valley Bank… and then I work with a variety of lenders who might not be SBA lenders.”

Francis packages a loan, filling out most of the standard paperwork, and then targets the bank with the best rates and terms.

“San Diego’s banking community is easily the most business friendly, the most competitive and the most aggressive in the nation. I don’t say that lightly; this has been recognized by lenders who compete in other markets. That doesn’t mean every bank will approve every deal. I get referrals from banks that can’t do a deal. A number of lenders consider me sort of a go-to type of guy, and they say, ‘We’ve got a client here that doesn’t quite fit what we do. Can you help him out?’”

Francis says he hasn’t done a deal lately with one of the biggest of the locally based banks, San Diego National. “That doesn’t mean SDNB or any other isn’t excellent. SDNB is one hell of a good bank. They’re difficult to beat. They want to compete against me and occasionally they do. They offer first-rate service.”

Maybe there’s a reason Francis and SDNB haven’t done business together lately. “One more thing that draws me to a bank is if that bank makes an active effort to solicit my business.”