Download signNow app
4.7 / 5 rating on

What Is A Promissory Note And Security Agreement? Small Business Form

Use a What Is A Promissory Note And Security Agreement? Small Business 0 template to make your document workflow more streamlined.

What this promissory note agreement does

This form combines a promise to repay a business debt with a security agreement granting the lender rights in identified collateral. The promissory note states the borrower, lender, principal amount, interest, payment schedule, maturity date, default terms, and signatures. The security agreement describes the collateral and related enforcement rights. Parties should verify authority, consideration, collateral descriptions, perfection steps, and state-law requirements before signing. signNow can upload the prepared PDF, detect or place fields, route it to signers, capture execution evidence, and store the completed record.

Businesses that use this form

This form is most useful when a business loan requires both a repayment promise and a documented security interest in collateral.

  • Small-business lenders can combine repayment terms and collateral descriptions in one routed agreement, preserving borrower and guarantor signatures with the transaction record.
  • Real-estate investment companies can execute acquisition or improvement financing documents remotely while coordinating lender, borrower, guarantor, and counsel approvals.
  • Enterprise finance departments can use templates, delegated sending, and system integrations to standardize repeated lending agreements across subsidiaries and authorized signers.

These tasks are executed by both individual contributors and centralized administrators depending on organizational policy and required controls.

Features for this lending agreement

A structured signNow workflow helps business lenders and borrowers prepare, route, authenticate, complete, and retrieve this specific two-part agreement.

Field placement

Upload the prepared promissory note and security agreement, then place borrower, lender, guarantor, initials, date, and approval fields without recreating the document.

Signer routing

Send the same agreement to each required signer in a defined order, reducing uncertainty about whether the borrower, guarantor, or lender acts next.

Audit trail

Capture timestamps, signer actions, and document history with the completed agreement so parties can preserve evidence of the electronic signing process.

Signer authentication

Use SMS-based authentication or additional identity controls when the agreement contains sensitive borrower, guarantor, account, or collateral information.

Record storage

Store the executed agreement and completion record together, supporting retrieval when a lender reviews payment performance, collateral, or a later amendment.

Business integrations

Connect signNow with Google Drive, Box, Salesforce, or NetSuite to keep executed lending documents near related customer and transaction records.

How to complete this agreement

Use this sequence for the prepared promissory note and security agreement, while confirming legal terms before sending.

  • Upload document:

    Upload the prepared agreement PDF.
  • Place fields:

    Let signNow detect fields or place them manually.
  • Assign signers:

    Add borrower, lender, guarantor, and witness recipients.
  • Send agreement:

    Send the agreement for review and signature.
  • Store evidence:

    Collect signatures and preserve the audit trail.

Recommended agreement workflow setup

Configure authentication, signature evidence, encryption, and retention before routing this agreement to borrowers, guarantors, lenders, or authorized business representatives.

SettingRecommendation
Authentication methodSMS two-factor authentication
Signature typeIntent-based electronic signature
Audit trailDownload with completed agreement
Document retentionLender policy and state law
EncryptionTLS 1.2/1.3 and AES-256 at rest
be ready to get more
Get legally-binding signatures now!
  • Best ROI. Our customers achieve an average 7x ROI within the first six months.
  • Scales with your use cases. From SMBs to mid-market, airSlate SignNow delivers results for businesses of all sizes.
  • Intuitive UI and API. Sign and send documents from your apps in minutes.

What the audit trail records

For this agreement, the audit trail connects signer identity, signing actions, document history, and the completed file for later review.

01

Authenticate signer:

Record the signer authentication event before document execution.
02

Timestamp actions:

Capture the exact time each signer opens and signs.
03

Log activity:

Record IP and action history for the transaction.
04

Seal document:

Apply document integrity controls after final execution.
05

Create completion record:

Preserve the completed agreement with its signing certificate.
06

Export evidence:

Retrieve or export the audit trail for the loan file.

Signer authentication and certificates

PKI signatures:

PKI certificates support cryptographic document integrity.

X.509 certificates:

X.509 certificates identify certificate-based digital signatures.

Two-factor authentication:

Two-factor authentication adds a second signer check.

SMS OTP:

SMS OTP verifies a signer’s phone possession.

ID verification:

ID verification can strengthen signer attribution.

Signing evidence:

Audit trails document signing events and timestamps.

Platform requirements for signing

Prepare and sign this promissory note and security agreement through supported Chrome, Edge, or Safari browsers, or through the signNow mobile apps on iOS and Android. Use a current operating system, a stable internet connection, and TLS-enabled access when transmitting the document.

  • Desktop browsers Chrome and Edge on Windows 10 or later
  • Apple devices Safari on macOS and iOS 15 or later
  • Android app signNow app on Android 10 or later

Organizations should use managed Windows, macOS, iOS, or Android devices when borrower and collateral information requires controlled access. Configure signNow user permissions, authentication, and storage connections before sending agreements. API, SSO, certificate, and advanced compliance options depend on the selected signNow plan and deployment design.

Integrations for lending records

Connect signed lending documents with CRM, ERP, cloud storage, and project systems to keep the executed agreement near its related transaction record.

Salesforce
Procore
Zapier
Microsoft Teams
Hub spot
Box
Microsoft

Privacy and disclosure pitfalls

  • Including unrestricted personal information can expose borrowers, guarantors, and business owners beyond what the agreement requires.
  • Missing electronic-consent evidence can make a signed agreement harder to authenticate during a payment dispute.
  • Sending the completed note to unintended recipients can disclose loan terms, collateral descriptions, or banking information.
  • Uncontrolled access permissions can allow edits, downloads, or forwarding after the parties approve the agreement.

Risks from incomplete execution

Consent evidence

Disputed consent

Collateral ambiguity

Unclear collateral

Signer authority

Missing authority

Document integrity

Altered agreement

Evidence gaps

Separate records

Best practices for this agreement

Accuracy matters because the promissory note and security agreement serve different legal functions but are often executed as one transaction.

Verify every economic term

Confirm the borrower’s legal name, lender identity, principal amount, interest rate, payment schedule, maturity date, and default provisions before uploading the agreement. Compare every field against the approved transaction terms and obtain legal review where state law or collateral complexity requires it.

Describe collateral precisely

Describe collateral with enough precision to connect the security agreement to the intended assets. Identify exclusions, after-acquired property, proceeds, and authorization requirements rather than relying on a broad description that could create uncertainty during enforcement.

Assign controlled signer fields

Assign each borrower, guarantor, lender representative, and witness only the fields that person must complete. Use signing order when approvals depend on prior execution, and prevent unauthorized edits after the document reaches a signer.

Preserve the execution record

Download the executed agreement and audit trail after completion, then store both with the loan file. Record amendments separately and preserve the original signed version so later changes do not obscure the initial bargain.

Legal standing and evidentiary value

A completed electronic agreement can be admissible when the parties show intent, consent, signer attribution, and reliable record retention under ESIGN and applicable UETA rules. The framework does not replace state-law requirements for collateral, notarization, filing, or perfection. Wills, certain court orders, and family-law decrees are excluded from ESIGN coverage.

Why teams look for DocuSign alternatives

Examples for business lending workflows

These examples show how signNow workflows can organize signed lending documents while legal review remains with the parties and their counsel.

Real estate lending

Martin Properties uses signNow to process property documents remotely, a workflow that can also organize promissory notes and security agreements for real-estate transactions.

  • Mobile signing supports field-based transactions.

A real-estate lender can upload the completed note, assign borrower and guarantor fields, and preserve the signed agreement with its completion record. The workflow helps keep payment terms, collateral descriptions, and signature evidence together, while counsel or the lender remains responsible for reviewing state-law requirements.

Commercial finance

Tech Data uses airSlate SignNow for internal and external customer service, demonstrating how a finance team can route business agreements for signature and preserve completion evidence.

  • Structured routing supports multiple approving parties.

A commercial finance team can prepare a promissory note and security agreement, route it to authorized signers, and retain the final record with an audit trail. The platform handles document execution mechanics; the parties must still confirm collateral language, authorization, and any required UCC filing separately.

Troubleshooting this agreement workflow

Use the following answers to resolve document, signer, plan, and evidence questions before relying on a completed agreement.

Upload the original document again and confirm the PDF is readable. signNow can detect fillable fields, but a scanned or irregularly structured form may require manual placement for borrower, lender, guarantor, collateral, and signature fields.

The signNow Business plan includes legally binding eSignatures, templates, and audit trails at $8 per user per month when billed annually. The agreement itself remains subject to ESIGN, UETA, and applicable state law.

Use signNow authentication controls, including two-factor authentication where configured, and preserve the audit trail. ESIGN requires intent, consent, attribution, and a record capable of accurate reproduction; signNow does not replace legal review.

Business Premium is the signNow plan that includes bulk send at $15 per user per month billed annually. For one promissory note and security agreement, ordinary routing may be sufficient unless multiple transactions require repeated sending.

Electronic signatures generally receive legal recognition under ESIGN and UETA, but exceptions include wills, certain court filings, family-law decrees, and other excluded records. Confirm state-specific execution, notarization, and filing requirements before relying on this form.

A signNow audit trail records signing activity, timestamps, and document history. Download the completed agreement and audit trail together, then follow the lender’s and applicable authority’s retention policy because no single federal period governs every business loan record.

ROI at a Glance

Key performance indicators that demonstrate SignNow's proven track record.

28M+Documents signed
13+Years in business
4.6/5Average G2 rating

BE READY TO GET MORE

Get this form now!

If you believe that this page should be taken down, please follow our DMCA take-down process.