UK businesses have been hit by a number of financial shocks this year which can have an impact on sales, profitability and cashflow. To open this Bulletin, we look at the level off support being offered by banks to ease the burden.

To improve its position in the market we review changes Nat West has made to their business account to make it more competitive in an ever increasingly crowded market.

To close this Bulletin, an announcement by small and micro business lender AskIf on its approval from the British Business Bank to offer loans under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme.

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The Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme has been a successful programme to help businesses access finance when they have no security. To open our latest Bulletin, news that ethical lender Robert Owen Community Banking Fund has joined the list of lenders offering access to business finance via EFG.

Following the government’s bailout of RBS in the aftermath of the credit crunch, the first recipients of an RBS-financed £775m fund has been announced. The fund is designed to promote and improve competition in the small business finance market. We look at the first three banks to benefit and their plans.

With Brexit looming, we close with the announcement from UK Finance of a new initiative, ‘Let’s Talk Business’. The campaign is focused on encouraging businesses to engage early with their banks if they are likely to need finance.

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 the traditional year-end slowdown fast approaching, if you haven’t done so already, now is the time to start assessing the impact on your cashflow. How can you avoid hitting a cash crunch?

The British Business Bank has announced support to another niche lender providing Asset Finance facilities to growing businesses. We look at how Compass Business Finance will benefit from being granted access to the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme.

To close, our monthly review of how the Asset Finance sector is performing in terms of finance provided to small businesses. The latest figures from the Finance and Leasing Association reveal a continuing reluctance among businesses to embark upon any significant investment spend.

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.

To start our latest Business Finance Bulletin, news from Revolut Bank, an internet and mobile-only bank which we have not featured before. Revolut has announced forthcoming enhancements to its service offering which will provide wider benefits to its 16,000 business customers.

The British Business Bank, the government’s home for its finance programmes, has supported two more challenger lenders in their aim to broaden access to finance. Aldermore and 1pm will be using the finance schemes to widen the reach of their asset finance products.

Business confidence appears to be strengthening. That’s the message coming out from two surveys undertaken by the FSB and Lloyds Bank. However, there are still a number of factors holding businesses back when it comes to pursuing growth.

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 one of the busiest online shopping periods looming it can be easy to get caught out by online fraudsters. What can you do to ensure you and your business doesn’t lose out financially and give confidence to people visiting your website?

In previous Bulletins we have looked at the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme. New research from London Economics has revealed how businesses accessing this loan scheme have grown more than those which haven’t. Could you use this Scheme if you want to grow your business but struggling to access finance?

Whilst many business owners want to avoid getting in to more debt, there are some entrepreneurs who have ambitions to borrow significant sums. Who are these ambitious tycoons and how big are their borrowing plans?

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.

Not unexpectedly, after 10 years the Bank of England has increased the cost of borrowing. In our latest Bulletin we look at how this increase will affect both business borrowers and savers.

Marketinvoice, the online invoice discounter, has launched an unsecured business loan product bringing another option to those businesses in need of a short term loan. We review how it works and which businesses are eligible to apply.

The Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme, a little known finance product offered by the High Street banks, has hit a new milestone. The scheme, overseen by the British Business Bank, can help those businesses with a viable proposition but lacking in security. Could it help you?

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 we start off with findings from a recent survey carried out by Wesleyan Bank which reveals that a large proportion of small businesses now have an aversion to debt. The report also lists the common sources of finance businesses are turning to.

The Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme has been around for a number of years and following a review we look at suggestions made by the British Business Bank on how the scheme can be improved.

Late payment is a big barrier to growth, particularly for small businesses and this fact is highlighted in a new report from the Asset Based Finance Association. The report reveals a significant gap in experiences between small and large businesses.

We also take a look at a new app launched by Nat West designed to help its small businesses gain a better understanding of borrowing options.

In the Business Finance Tip of the Week, a question you should ask yourself before you go looking for finance.

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 the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement with the announcement of the extension of the Funding for Lending Scheme, and additional support for the Enterprise Capital Fund and Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme.

Late payment continues to feature on the agenda with news that the government is launching a consultation paper aimed at improving transparency amongst large businesses on their payment practices.

The recent SME Finance Monitor Report reveals interest insights in to the experience small business owners are having with their banks in terms of getting a finance approval. Rob looks at the numbers which shows why you shuld not assume your bank is going to say no if you approach them for business finance.

Agreeing the sharing of property security between different banks has always been a slow process but Rob discusses new arrangements put in place by the four High Street banks to speed up the process.

The Business Finance Tip this week comes from an interview Rob did with negotiation expert Derek Arden. In the interview Derek gives three tips on how to negotiate a better deal with your bank.

You can also listen to this week’s Bulletin as a podcast and you can download it to your PC or phone via our SoundCloud page. Click on the download button below or simply click to listen now.

Posted on 25.11.2013, by Rob Warlow

Latest figures released by the government show that bank lending made through the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme (EFG) has again increased with lending reaching its highest level since 2010.

The figures reveal that banks offered loans worth £111 million to SMEs in the third quarter of 2013 compared to £96m in the second quarter. In terms of loans actually drawn down during this quarter businesses accessed £87m, a slight increase on the £84m lent out in the second quarter.

EFG is a scheme which allows banks to lend to SMEs who would otherwise not receive credit, by providing the banks with a government guarantee for 75 per cent of the loan value. Since May 2010, over 13,400 SMEs have been offered EFG loans with a total value of nearly £1.4 billion.

EFG is offered through 42 finance providers but in the third quarter figures Barclays Bank in particular was praised by consistently offering increased EFG lending since 2012. In the last quarter, Barclays offered nearly twice as much in loans to businesses compared to the same period last year, despite the number of loans offered only increasing slightly.

The increased usage has come off the back of Business Minister Michael Fallon writing to the Chief Executives of the five main high street banks in September 2012 to challenge them to increase their EFG lending after lending continued to fall significantly from the peak in 2009. The combination of ‘naming and shaming’ and a pick up in the economy has no doubt contributed to the increase in scheme usage.

You can find out more about EFG and how it works from here: ‘Understanding the Enterprise Finance Guarantee’.