I suppose it is good news that we are continuing to receive business finance enquiries for new start businesses. The most recent one of which is for a £40,000 LCD exhibition screen. The discussion with the directors prompted me to remind oneself of the process required for funding a new business with very little trading history.
We have come across a very interesting scenario in the last week or so whereby another broker had bee quoting a very very cheap rate on a hire purchase deal. Not wishing to criticise my fellow broking colleagues I suggested to the customer that maybe not all is at it should be.
In the last month or so a new asset funder has entered the broker market providing a much needed alternative to ING Lease. Aldermore Bank have entered the asset finance market as a direct competitor or alternative to ING.
At a time when many of the high street banks and finance companies are still difficult to deal with it is imperative than any application for hire purchase or leasing facilities to the few remaining finance companies are presented in the best possible format. At XL Business finance we have over ten years of experience and expertese in organising competitive finance facilities for a variety of businesses. The following will give you an idea of the type of information that we will collate and present to the finance company.
To ensure that you get the best possible deal when financing your capital equipment you should use a well established and reputable asset finance broker that has been around the block a few times and knows and understands the leasing and hire purchase market. Beware of the retired or recently made redundant bank manager as they have absolutely no idea what is available or achievable in the asset finance market. As one of the countries leading asset finance introduces we know exactly which finance companies finance what sort of assets for what sort of businesses.
Any business wishing to purchase plant and machinery will know that the banks at the moment are not the most accommodating when it comes to asset finance. During the credit crunch any independence the bank owned leasing companies had will have been pulled back in under the umbrella of the main bank. What this means is that now there very little difference in applying for a commercial bank loan or a hire purchase or leasing facility. Indeed you will find that your application for either will probably go to the same underwriter for approval. Never has it been truer that the banks will take into consideration you overall exposure when approving any type of borrow including any outstanding finance lease facilities.
XL Business Finance has certainly got a great deal of expertise and experience in financing printing equipment. Depending on the type of equipment that needs financing a slightly different approach may be required. For example a company specialising in financing printing equipment will not usually finance digital printing equipment.
Many businesses contact us assuming obtaining leasing facilities for new equipment will be a) easier to obtain and b) cheaper than a traditional hire purchase facility. The answer is monthly repayments and ease of obtaining credit is exactly the same. The only difference being slightly different tax treatment. Which finance facility is best for your business depends on your own requirements and preferences.
iceXL Business Finance has over 10 years of helping businesses obtaining finance for equipment by way of finance lease or hire purchase facilities. Never has it been more difficult to obtain funding. Most of the high street finance companies have totally withdrawn from the asset finance and leasing sector. The likes of Bank of Scotland and Barclays used to have very active asset finance divisions which they have completely closed down. It didn’t matter if you didn’t bank with either of these two companies they would do lease and hire purchase deals for just about anyone. Nowadays they wont even do deals for their own customers. If hey do they tend to do it on loan facilities and obtaining funding is very difficult as you will be dealing with the usually slow banking process.
Arranging lease finance or asset finance is still increasingly difficult to obtain. The market for prime lending has changed considerably over the last eighteen months as the high street lenders are still taking a precautionary approach to lending. Before the credit crunch and the recession most of the high street banks had an asset finance division in addition to the core commercial banking. As the banks started to suffer losses and the availability of cash to the bank themselves began to dry up these asset finance divisions started to wind down these operations.
XL Business Finance Ltd is a privately owned and independent business financing company with established links to many of the UK's leading finance houses. XL Business Finance provides a viable alternative to high street banks that lack the flexibility and imagination to provide a solution to most business users requirements. XL Business Finance can provide a full range of business financing solutions and we ensure a high level of customer service and pride ourselves on quick decisions. Our independent status will ensure any offer of funding and asset finance leasing is best suited to our customer’s needs.
XL Business Finance, Eaton Place Business Centre, 114 Washway Road, Sale, Cheshire M33 7RF UK.
