Opening this Business Finance Bulletin, fears of another Credit Crunch are mounting with the Bank of England calling on banks to play their part in meeting funding needs as business start gearing back up.

The latest figures from the Finance and Leasing Association reveal how demand for Asset Finance facilities has dramatically fallen over the last quarter. We look at the two factors which are driving this decline.

To close, a review of which areas of the UK have taken the most CBILS and Bounce Back Loans, and the latest figures on how many loans have been accessed by businesses in need of finance.

If you would prefer to listen to the podcast version you can click below or download to listen to later via our Soundcloud, Google, Spotify, Stitcher or itunes channel.

You can also read the Transcript of this Bulletin below.

Business Finance Bulletin for Week of 10^th August 2020

The Bank of England calls on banks to help avoid another credit crunch; economic woes are affecting demand for Asset Finance ; and the areas and sectors in the UK that are using CBILS and Bounce Bank loans; all of this in the latest Business Finance Bulletin.

Calls to Avoid Another Credit Crunch

In a previous bulletin I mentioned that I had concerns that we may be seeing another credit crunch by the tail end of this year, and certainly in 2021. Well, it seems that the Bank of England also have similar concerns.

One of the many committees the Bank of England has is the Financial Policy Committee. That committee has responsibility to monitor and oversee risks that the UK economy could face. The latest committee report has suggested they are concerned that banks may not be there to meet the cash requirements of UK businesses.

The committee estimates that there’s probably going to be about £200 billion demand for finance as businesses come out of lockdown and start growing again. One concern is that the banks may not be there to meet that demand. Now, the committee recognises that the banks have done extremely well in supporting businesses before and during lockdown, with an estimated £70 billion of net borrowing distributed; net borrowing, means new money lent out, less money’s paid back.

Of course there are alternative sources of finance. And one thing that popped up last week, IWOCA, an alternative cashflow lender has tapped into a £100 million of funding. It has gone to all of the UK banks and said, “If you’re not happy to support your clients, we further them over to us.” We can see that the alternative finance sector is already stepping into the gap that perhaps may be left by the banks. Interesting developments, so watch this space in order to make sure that you are ahead of the game when it comes to raising finance,

That’s a huge slug of money, primarily sourced via CBILs and Bounce Back Loans. However, with this £200 billion gap, the Bank of England wants to make sure that the banks are there to meet that demand. They are concerned that with insolvencies going to be on the increase, the banks are going to be faced with even bigger losses and therefore will contract and step back from the market in order to conserve their capital. Obviously the Bank of England doesn’t want that, so it’s making an early call to banks to say, “Hey banks, we’re watching you. We want you to be out there supporting UK businesses in 2021”.

Fall in Demand for Asset Finance

Let’s move on now to demand for finance and interesting figures out from the Finance and Leasing Association. Its members are responsible for issuing facilities such as HP and leasing to finance the purchase of capital and machinery.

The figures are for June 2020 and in the month of June, 2020, compared to the month of June, 2019, the total volumes of business written by that sector was down by 41%. That just shows how big the change in the market has been. If we look at the first six months of 2020 versus the first six months of 2019 there, the drop in the volume of business was down by 32%. If we look at the last quarter, the second quarter of 2020 versus the second quarter of 2019, the drop has been a massive 49% in terms of volumes of business written, yes, nearly 50% drop.

What’s driving this?

There are two things. First of all, it’s lack of investment appetite amongst businesses. Many of them are very cautious at the moment, sitting back and watching the market and really don’t want to commit to any capital expenditure at the moment. However, on the other side, we’ve also got many businesses which do want to invest, and instead of obtaining finance have said that they are going to use funds, released via Bounce Bank loans, and CBILs loans. Yes, they’re going to use cash instead of using finance facilities. So, two things at play here.

CBILS and Bounce Back Loan Updates

Closing this week’s Bulletin, our usual look at what’s going on in the CBILs and Bounce Back Loan market. Now, before I take my usual look at the number of facilities drawn, I want to review a report issued by the British Business Bank, which focuses on areas and also sectors that have accessed these government loan support schemes.

First of all, CBILs loans outside of London and the Southeast, where many of businesses are based, it’s businesses based in the East of England that have taken out the most CBILs loans. In terms of Bounce Back Loans, again, excluding London and the Southeast, it’s businesses based in the Northwest, who’ve taken out the largest number of Bounce Back loans. If we look across the UK in terms of where businesses are registered and who’s accessed loans, it’s quite evenly spread and the numbers kind of match each other. It’s good to see a good even spread of businesses accessing support.

In terms of what’s going on in the scheme, figures to the 2nd of August have been released and in total, the amount accessed via the scheme now stands at £50.7 billion. How does this break down? In terms of Bounce Back loans, the number of loans distributed stand at 1,135,575 with £34.3 billion issued, at an approval rate of 82%.

In terms of CBILs loans, the number of loans distributed stands at 58,595 with £13.1 billion issued with an approval rate of 49%, a slight dip on the kind of average of 50%. So again, many businesses still unable to access CBILs. As I’ve mentioned over time, with the CBILs loans coming out with very low acceptance rates, don’t forget, there are many alternative providers out there who can step into that funding gap and help you out. We can see lots of businesses still accessing these schemes, but don’t forget the CBILs ends at the end of September. So, if you’re thinking of applying, you need to get in quick,

Wrap Up

That’s it for another Bulletin and I hope you enjoyed watching. If you did, please, don’t forget to subscribe to this channel and also give it a like and, a share. That’s it, and I look forward to being with you again, next time. And in the meantime, have a great successful, profitable and safe week.

Are we seeing a build-up to another credit crunch? That’s a concern the Bank of England has flagged up following an increase in the volume of what it perceives as high-risk loans. If that’s the case, what can you do to prepare?

We look at the latest quarterly business review from Creditsafe, the credit reference agency, which has a mix of surprisingly positive news on sales growth and a less positive outlook on a potential growth in late payment.

To close this Bulletin, good news from the Financial Conduct Authority with its announcement that from next year small business owners will be able to refer complaints about their bank to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Finally, small businesses have an option to pursue complaints which doesn’t involve going to Court.

If you would prefer to listen to the podcast version you can click below or download to listen to later via our Soundcloud, Stitcher or itunes channel.

The latest quarterly Credit Conditions Survey from the Bank of England for Quarter 3 2018 reveals that both bank and businesses appear to be adopting a cautious stance when to comes to lending and borrowing.

This quarterly survey of bank and building society lenders is to assist the Bank of England in understanding trends and developments in the banking sector. Lenders are asked about their experiences over the past three months and the coming three months in terms of lending to businesses of all sizes.
The Bank has reported that the overall amount of lender credit made available to businesses of all sizes was unchanged in Quarter 3. Within the total available finance, the availability of credit provided to small businesses was reported to have increased and was unchanged for medium and large businesses. So all appears well from the lender’s perspectives in the last Quarter.

However, the Bank’s monthly reporting of amount of credit taken by small businesses shows that the total amount of lending in the 12 months to August has essentially flat-lined this year. It seems that small businesses have limited appetite to borrow and not heeding the bank’s message that they have funds to lend.

Looking ahead to the next Quarter, this lack of appetite to borrow is reflected in lender’s view that the overall amount of credit they will make available in Quarter 4 is expected to decrease slightly.

Both borrowers and lenders seem to be battening down the hatches.

As well as concerns about the economy and the political situation, small businesses may also be wary of taking on additional debt due to concerns on ability to pay. The Credit Conditions Survey highlights that lenders have reported an increase in default rates, which are missed payments, on loans to businesses of all sizes in Quarter 3. Lenders though are expecting default rates to remain unchanged for businesses of all sizes in Quarter 4.

It would appear that an element of uncertainty creeping in for both lenders and businesses in terms of what lies ahead in the last Quarter of 2018.

In recent Bulletins, we have shared news of various collaborations between finance providers. The latest is an announcement from Barclays Bank of a tie-up with online Invoice Discounting firm MarketInvoice. This is another example of Old World meets New World.

The most recent statistics to Quarter 2 2018 on company insolvencies has been released by the Insolvency Service. Not surprisingly, but not of any less concern, is the news that insolvencies are on the rise. What impact will the latest increase in Interest Rates have on those businesses already struggling?

To close this Bulletin, our monthly look at borrowing levels among small business. Once again, from the latest Bank of England and UK Finance figures, business owners still appear to be reluctant to borrow and instead are busy hoarding cash.

If you would prefer to listen to the podcast version you can click below or download to listen to later via our Soundcloud, Stitcher or itunes channel.

We open our Bulletin with our concluding review of the latest SME Finance Monitor report. How many businesses are really getting a ‘yes’ from their bank? That’s one question the report answers and the reply may cause many businesses to re-think their approach.

Have you heard the term FinTech? If not, you may be surprised to find out that you are one of the majority of businesses which are managing their finances via a FinTech-related application. We look at a recent survey from online Invoice Discounting provider MarketInvoice which reveals how business owners are benefiting from new technology.

There are emerging concerns that an ongoing increase in the size of consumer debt could have a knock-on effect on banks. But if debt is getting out of control, how could it affect businesses?

If you would prefer to listen to the podcast version you can click below or download to listen to later via our Soundcloud, Stitcher or itunes channel.

Late payment is a continual challenge for small businesses and a recent survey carried out by Zurich lays the blame at the door of the larger businesses. We share the findings of this latest research and what you can do to combat suffering from late payers.

With many people being uncertain about the current performance of the UK economy, one measure of confidence is the amount businesses are borrowing from the banks. I lift the lid on the latest Bank of England bank borrowing figures to see what businesses are up to.

To close this Bulletin, we share some recent experiences which highlight why you need to keep a close eye on your credit file. Lenders place a lot of emphasis on a clean report so it pays to keep your file in order.

If you would prefer to listen to the podcast version you can click below or download to listen to later via our Soundcloud, Stitcher or itunes channel.

With news that the Bank of England has reduced its Base Rate and an announce of a new scheme to get banks lending and businesses borrowing, in this edition of the Business Finance Bulletin we look at whether these will have the desired impact.

We take a look at the findings from a survey carried out by the British Chamber of Commerce and Bibby Financial Services which reveals low awareness levels of the sources of alternative finance amongst UK SMEs.

Have you been faced with writing off a debt owed to you following being hit by a late payment of an invoice? The latest Bibby’s SME Confidence Index suggests that too many businesses are writing off debts and the average sum involved is not small.

If you would prefer to listen to the podcast version you can click below or download to listen to later via our Soundcloud, Stitcher or itunes channel.

In the latest episode of the Business Finance Bulletin a look at the latest statistics from the Bank of England on how much money UK businesses are borrowing from banks. Once again it’s small businesses which are coming out on top.

There’s news of a partnership between Barclays Bank and the UK Business Angels Association with the announcement of mentorship and growth advice service for High Growth businesses based in Birmingham.

Efforts to tackle late payment have been high on the UK government’s agenda but in an ironic twist of fate the government is now late in launching a ‘name and shame’ programme promised as part of the Small Business Enterprise Act.

With HMRC looking for every penny it can lay its hands on we share a warning from accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young that small businesses are vulnerable to coming under HMRC scrutiny.

In the Business Finance Tip of the Week, a question you should ask your bank manager if they have said ‘no’ to your finance request.

If you would prefer to listen to the podcast version you can click below or download to listen to later via our Soundcloud, Stitcher or itunes channel.

In this episode of the Business Finance Bulletin a look at the latest statistics from the Bank of England which reveals the current level of borrowing by UK SMEs.

Also a review of the key findings from the recent SME Finance Monitor Report which includes how many businesses are using external sources of finance, the type of SMEs accessing such finance and the number of businesses who are not borrowing at all.

Marketinvoice, the online invoice discounter, has taken a look at late payment experiences across 80 countries and the results indicate that we have a lot of work to do in the UK to speed up payment.

Are you planning to grow or change your business within the next three months? That’s the question posed to 1,021 businesses by Hitachi Capital as part of its regular British Business Barometer Report and the answer reveals that SMEs are now more cautious than before.

And in the Business Finance Tip of the Week a signpost to a recently posted video which shows you how to calculate and use the Creditor Payment Ratio.

If you would prefer to listen to the podcast version you can click below or download to listen to later via our Soundcloud, Stitcher or itunes channel.

In the latest Business Finance Bulletin Rob Warlow looks at the latest bank lending figures from the Bank of England… a mixture of good news and not such good news!

One finance sector which is booming is the Asset Finance industry and Rob looks at the latest growth figures from the Asset Finance Based Association which are in sharp contrast to that of the High Street banks.

Rob also talks about a new crowdfunding site, CrowdProperty which is looking to match private investors with property developers and Buy-to-Let owners on the hunt for finance. One for you to look at if you are in the property game.

And in the Business Finance Tip of the Week a clip from a live seminar in which Rob shares one question that banks will ask of themselves when reviewing your business finance request.