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[…]

LIBOR is the most important price in the world of finance – and hence affects us all. Before ‘Humpty fell off the wall’ our understanding of the ‘Cost of Funds’ was usually the Bank of Englands’ Base Rate. Most business loans and overdrafts were priced as ‘X% over base’. Base Rate has for some time Read more about What is LIBOR? – and why the recent fuss[…]

‘The devil is in the detail’ – a very appropriate comment when it comes to appraising an Invoice Discounting deal. It is very common for a business to enter into a contract (with a provider of invoice discounting) in a hurry, without previous knowledge of the product and possibly feeling under some pressure to use the lender which Read more about Reviewing Invoice Discounting deals[…]

This debate rages on, creating distractions and consuming negative energy. In reality: It is actually a relatively small percentage of SME’s (especially amongst the smallest businesses) that do want to borrow from their bank – that however still comes down to quite a big number. The best and most capable get their funding through to the Read more about Again the issue: is it that lenders don’t want to lend or that SME’s don’t want to borrow?[…]