Although we are officially out of the recession i firmly believe the economy is still on the edge. As such it will be a long time before banks and high street finance companiesgo back to their cavalier days of lending money to any tom dick and harry. It is bad enough getting finance with a clean credit history and even more difficult if you have any adverse credit. this doesnt mean you wont get finance however you can expect to pay more in terms of interest rates and you will also find the security required will be more onerous.

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There are so many business financing options available for a new start business.  Nearly all the banks can offer a plethora of funding options however which ones are best suited for a new start business.

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Without a doubt 2009 was the toughest trading year for any business that most of us can remember ( unless you are selling Pizza or home safes!). No one was expecting the recession however with hindsight it is easy to say ” I told you so”.  Twelve months ago there were a dozen or so high street finance companies and banks offering hire purchase and finance lease facilities. At the moment there are only a handful remaining. Many an  independent finance company and bedroom brokers have gone out of business. The longer established independents have the experience and expertise to add value to any business financing. At XL Business we have been helping our clients for over 10 years with their business finance requirements. We envisage the banks being extremely difficult for at least the next 12 months so it is important that you use an expert to help your business with  your funding requirements.

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XL Business Finance can provide a fresh outlook to business financing. Whilst we cannot guarantee every business will have success in obtaining the required amount of funding we believe that if finance is available we will find  a finance company to meet your particular needs. In addition we believe that for every high street bank product there is an independent finance company providing an  alternative. We are not saying that all independents are better than banks. In certain circumstances we do recommend bank products however it is a case ogf knowing what is available so  we have to look at each individual case on its own particular merits.

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There are certainly many forms of business financing. Traditionally one would go to their own banks for a particular form of business finance. Banks can and will offer a whole one stop shop of finance solutions. But how do you know you are getting value for money and the best possible service within the market place. Undoubtedly certain banks have areas of expertise and we will always give credit where credit is due.  However  our complaint is that banks try be everything to everyone and quite frankly that doesn’t work.

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The difference between this recession and the last one is that businesses have a much wider option of finance products than they previously had. In particular there are dozens of factoring and invoice discounting businesses providing bespoke funding options.

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Although Barclays has announced pre tax profits in their first six months trading profits in retail banking nearly halved. The profits in question mainly came from the banks investment arm which has seen profits double in the first six months of this year compared with the first six months of last year. Barclays investment arm has been attracting corporate investments as they have been shying away from part nationalised banks.

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