Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
The number of SME owners securing personal guarantee insurance (PGI) for a business loan doubled in September 2023 compared to the same month in 2022 according to research byPurbeck Personal Guarantee Insurance. The research found that SME business owners are now taking on loans that are on average £388,494 from £357,016 in Q3 2022 – an increase of close…
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Analysis of the Bank of England’s data on SME lending shows that through the first half of 2023 SMEs saw net lending decrease by £5.3 billion. The research by Ebury has highlighted the urgency with which businesses are now making debt repayments in the aftermath of the various Covid-19 loan schemes and the rising cost…
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The Government has paid out £7.39bn to settle bad Covid-era loans, with £2.23bn more in arrears and £750m in default. With data showing that the Government paid out £1.2bn to settle pandemic emergency loans that had gone bad in Q2, Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy figures suggest taxpayers could ending up paying £11.5bn…
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Two-thirds (65%) more businesses are experiencing difficulty in accessing finance from high-street banks than they were in 2022* as mainstream lenders pull away from the SME market, according to new data from Sonovate. These challenges are now so acute that two in five (39%) UK businesses say that, due to funding being so hard to access,…
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Research from Bibby Financial Services (BFS) has found that women SME owners are more likely than men to suffer cashflow challenges, undermining their growth and ambitions. Only half (49%) of women business owners report that their cashflow is stable and meets their needs, compared to a significantly higher two thirds (66%) of male respondents. In…
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Two in five (40%) small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) have had to stop or pause an area of their business because of a lack of finance over the last couple of years – a significant increase from 27% of SMEs recorded in last year according to new research commissioned by Manx Financial Group. The…
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Access to finance is becoming a critical issue for UK small businesses, with new research finding that more than half (53%) would have to put plans on hold if they were unable to secure finance. The research from Novuna Business Finance underlines how important access to finance is for the small business sector at a…
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Latest data from UK Finance has indicated that in the first quarter lenders saw a rebound in applications for both loans and overdrafts, with banks reporting quarter-on-quarter growth of 20% and 11% respectively with the increases may indicating that SME demand for finance is turning a corner. The weak levels of demand for finance from…
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Time Finance has announced the appointment of Thomas Ludden as Business Development Manager (BDM) in its Invoice Finance team. Ludden joins the alternative finance provider with over 14 years’ experience in Invoice Finance. He enjoyed roles in both client services and business development at Bibby Financial Services, before moving to Giant Pay (Outsauce) whereby he…
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New data from Time Finance has shown the growing popularity of invoice finance amongst the B2B business community, with demand predicted to rise throughout the year as SMEs set out to stabilise their finances. The new insight shows that invoice finance is ranked highest amongst alternative finance solutions, with 32% of financial intermediaries stating that…
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A report by Oxera commissioned by SME lender Allica has found that proposed changes to UK bank capital rules could result in a £44 billion drop in lending to SMEs. The research suggests that the Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA) could put up to £44 billion of SME lending at risk. In November 2022, the PRA…
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UK Finance has reported that a loss of confidence resulted in lower SME borrowing in Quarter 4 (Q4) 2022. The report showed that gross lending by the main high street banks totalled £18.4bn over 2022. Due to economic uncertainty and rising interest rates, SMEs were more cautious in the latter half of the year with…
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Bank-to-business lending is forecast to contract 3.8% (net) this year, from net growth of 3.7% in 2022, before returning to growth (of 0.9% net) in 2024 according to research by EY Item Club. UK assets under management are forecast to grow 2.6% this year and 6.5% in 2024, after a projected fall of almost 11%…
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