Ashley Finance appoints new Sales Director

18th December 2017 Commercial Credit Management |

Specialist small business lender, Ashley Finance, has appointed Scott Brown as its new Regional Sales Director for the West Midlands. Brown joins from RBS Invoice finance, where he had a successful three years within the commercial finance team. Prior to that, he spent four years covering the Birmingham area for Natwest’s commercial finance division and,…

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Asset finance increases by 7% in October

14th December 2017 Commercial Credit Management |

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that asset finance new business (primarily leasing and hire purchase) grew by 7% in October, compared with the same month last year. The plant and machinery finance and business equipment finance sectors reported new business up in October by 6% and 13% respectively, compared…

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FEATURE: How to navigate the commercial lending landscape

30th November 2017 Commercial Credit Management |

Expanding commercial lending has been a strategic focus for many banks over the last few years, and this movement aligns with the growing number of Government-backed schemes to support SME lending. However, challenges inherent within commercial credit processes often hinder growth efforts. When it comes to commercial lending, most credit processes – from application through…

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Research reveals poor take-up of asset finance products

17th November 2017 Commercial Credit Management |

New research from bank Cambridge & Counties Bank reveals that just one in 10 (11%) business owners describe the strength of their firm’s working capital facilities as ‘very strong’ even though the business is doing well. Nearly half (45%) described it as ‘average’ while 12% said it was ‘weak’. Despite these findings, just 29% of respondents…

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BNP Paribas Asset Management announces alliance with Caple

17th November 2017 Commercial Credit Management |

Through a strategic alliance and the acquisition of a 10% stake in Caple, BNP Paribas Asset Management is providing an innovative platform to offer alternative credit to European small and medium-sized enterprises (‘SMEs’). Caple facilitates access to alternative credit for SMEs, working with international institutional investors to address gaps in the funding landscape by offering…

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Asset finance new business decreases by 6% in September

9th November 2017 Commercial Credit Management |

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that asset finance new business (primarily leasing and hire purchase) fell by 6% in September, compared with the same month last year. In Q3 2017, new business fell by 2% compared with the same quarter in 2016. While new finance for business equipment grew…

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Half of SMEs never check their credit score

17th October 2017 Commercial Credit Management |

Nearly half (44%) of SMEs have never checked their company’s credit score, according to research from RateSetter Business Finance. Credit scores are used by lenders to determine whether businesses have a good track record of repaying debt, and are therefore one of the key factors affecting an SME’s ability to get a loan. Credit reference…

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Asset finance continues to grow

6th October 2017 Commercial Credit Management |

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that asset finance new business (primarily leasing and hire purchase) grew by 3% in August, compared with the same month last year. The plant and machinery finance sector reported new business up in August by 4% compared with the same month in 2016, while…

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Small businesses still lack alternative sources of finance

29th September 2017 Commercial Credit Management |

The British Business Bank, the UK’s national economic development bank, has published The Benefits of Diverse Finance Markets for Smaller Businesses, a report that provides a fresh analysis of the need for greater choice for the UK’s smaller businesses looking for finance to grow. The report explains why and how the Bank works to help increase…

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Shire Leasing hits £100 million lending book landmark

4th September 2017 Commercial Credit Management |

Shire Leasing has announced that it has surpassed £100 million in own book lending. The news comes only 5 months after it secured a further £37.4m facility under the government-backed British Business Bank’s ENABLE Funding programme, in place to help it increase funding to smaller businesses. Mark Picken, Shire’s Managing Director, said “The £100 million figure is…

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ABN AMRO Commercial Finance appoints new Head of Sales

22nd August 2017 Commercial Credit Management |

ABN AMRO Commercial Finance (ACF) has appointed Andrew Johnston as UK Head of Sales SME. Johnston will lead a team of business development managers located across England and Wales focused on supporting SMEs with funding requirements up to £10m. With over 26 years’ experience in financial services, Andrew joins ACF from the Royal Bank of…

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Siemens Financial Services appoints new CEO

21st August 2017 Commercial Credit Management |

Siemens Financial Services (SFS) has appointed Julian Hobbs as Chief Executive Officer of the Commercial Finance division. Hobbs joined the SFS Commercial Finance business in December 2010, following previous sales and risk roles in the asset and receivables financing industries, more latterly as Managing Director of Deutsche Leasing’s operations in the United Kingdom and Ireland.…

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Asset finance increases by 16% in June

17th August 2017 Commercial Credit Management |

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that asset finance new business (primarily leasing and hire purchase) grew by 16% in June, compared with the same month last year, and by 12% in the second quarter of 2017 overall. The plant and machinery finance and IT equipment finance sectors reported new…

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