SME’s continue to have well publicised frustrations in accessing finance, even for growth funding when they have confirmed contracts which you would think would justify cashflow support. On the other hand, bankers continue to present tales of a lack of demand or suitable propositions to justify the fact that their lending growth is below target. Read more about Innovations in SME lending – Santander have impressed[…]

With an estimated £160 billion lending gap in the UK (with much coming from property loans that need to be renewed upon expiry) there were high hopes over the last couple of years that Insurance companies, awash with funds, would become ‘the cavalry’ and fill the gap left by reticent bankers. Where have they got Read more about Insurance companies as lenders[…]

Often when someone is contacted by their alma mater their immediate reaction is that they are asking for money. The reason is understandable; they often are just seeking donations (for some Universities it is an important income stream). This is not however the way to develop the relationship with Alumni – my daughter refuses to take Read more about An Alumni’s contribution to a University[…]

It is encouraging that the FSA have pronounced on the issue of SWAP contracts. There have clearly been some extreme examples coming out where smaller ‘non-sophisticated’ customers have been sold something that they didn’t understand. In most situations however the issue has arisen not because of the appropriateness of the product but by the way Read more about SWAP contracts – be aware of the limitations of FSA response – and beware[…]