Default ratios among bank loan portfolios have been steadily decreasing since 2016 – dropping from 1.12% to 0.73% in 2018, according to a new report from Global Credit Data (GCD), a not-for-profit data-collection initiative jointly owned by more than 50 leading global banks. Data from the report, which is designed to help banks benchmark their […]
Overall business confidence rose for the fourth consecutive month in December, according to the latest findings from the Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking Business Barometer. The survey, taken before the general election results was known, shows the one point increase took business confidence to 10%, driven by an improvement in businesses optimism about their own trading […]
Despite an intense political climate and uncertain economic ground over the third quarter of this year, business confidence is stable. This is reflected in the latest SME Health Check Index, which shows a bounce back from the lowest ever recorded score in Q2. The report from Virgin Money UK, owner of Clydesdale and Yorkshire […]
Noting that the UK’s seven major financial institutions all passed the Bank of England’s latest annual stress test, S&P Global Ratings said the results were not a surprise given that the groups are comfortably positioned relative to current regulatory capital and leverage requirements, including buffers. The results confirm the balance sheet resilience of the major […]
Praetura, the group of companies that provides alternative finance to SMEs, is expanding with the launch of a £40m fund designed to provide rapid finance to professional services firms. Praetura Enterprise Finance aims to support professional services firms – such as accountants, solicitors and other practices – and SMEs from other sectors with funding that […]
Metro Bank is accepting registrations for its new on-demand cash collection and delivery service to support the 4.2 million UK SMEs that rely on cash. The launch is the latest in a long list of innovations brought to the market by the Bank – from instant debit card printing in store and seven day a […]
Europe’s private equity industry has shifted into buying mode, deploying large pools of capital while delaying exits, according to provisional full-year data from the CMBOR at Imperial College Business School, sponsored by Equistone Partners Europe and Investec Corporate and Investment Banking. The cumulative value of European buyouts passed €100bn for a joint-record third consecutive year […]
Anglesey-based AAC Waterproofing Ltd has agreed a new finance deal with Catalyst Business Finance, the short-term business finance specialist. Established in 1976 as Anglesey Asphalt Company, AAC has been trading in its current format since 1989. Specialising in commercial and industrial roofing, AAC founder Ian Parry foresaw the changes which needed to occur to take […]
LendInvest has reported strong inflows to its flagship real estate debt fund during November. Over the month, LendInvest secured £23m of new investment for its Real Estate Opportunity Fund, from an international group of investors including a Japanese bank and a Dutch insurer, in addition to a mixture of endowments, asset managers and family offices […]
Aldermore’s new Buy-to-Let City Tracker, analysing 25 cities across the UK to understand the best places for landlords to invest in, has found Oxford, closely followed by Manchester, to be the best. The Tracker was determined by analysing and assessing five key indicators that impact desirability; average total rent, the best short-term returns through yield, […]
