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Purchasing A Commercial Property Via a Pension Fund?

Friday, November 12th, 2010

If you need help in releasing money from your pension to buy commercial property you should take advice from and independent financial adviser (an IFA) specialising in this area. As an independent finance broker we have been working with specialist IFAs to bring their pension funds into play to help our clients raise money to buy commercial property. Combined with a commercial mortgage this may provide the perfect funding solution.

Here are a few notes to help you decide whether this might be a good idea for you.

Type of Property

- Freehold or leasehold is acceptable
- The trustees own the property, the plan holders are the beneficiaries
- The company leases the property from the pension plan trustees on normal commercial terms (supported by professional valuations)
If the trustees are happy to purchase the property on behalf of the scheme beneficiaries and they are able to confirm that it meets the criteria of the Inland Revenue for assets of an approved tax exempt pension plan, then they are able to use existing plan assets and mortgage to purchase the property
The trustees are also normally willing to consider refurbishment or renovation of the property to maintain it’s value, but this must also be approved in advance
It is possible to use either a Self Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) or a Small Self Administered Pension Scheme (SSAS) as the vehicle to purchase property
It is possible for SIPP and SSAS plan holders to pool their assets to purchase property together.

The trustees are able to borrow up to 50% of the value of the fund (this means that where the pension fund is valued at say £150,000, the trustees can borrow a further £75,000 and purchase a property valued at £225,000).

The first stage is a feasibility check – to confirm that the pension trustees would be willing to consider the investment and then compare the advantages and disadvantages of a pension funded property purchase with a straightforward company funded property purchase

Tags: commercial mortgage, independent finance broker
Posted in Commercial Mortgages | No Comments »

Suppliers Needing Vendor Finance?

Thursday, November 11th, 2010

There are many hire purchase and finance lease companies offering equipment finance. Most will offer their services to vendors and suppliers of equipment. However as a supplier of capital equipment how do you know that you are getting the best possible value for your customers and end users. XL Business Finance has had over 10 years experience in providing funding solutions to end users via vendor finance and supplier arrangements and as such we can certainly add some value and provide some sensible advice.

As with any type of finance different finance companies like different types of kit and operate in different market sectors. It is important that you get the correct sort of funder for your particular business. It is also important that you do not put all your eggs in one basket. A good independent finance broker will have access to various funders that will meet most eventualities. There are a number of big financial institutions that will offer vendor finance arrangement however if a deal doesn’t tick all the oxes then they wont go the extra mile to make the deal happen. Rest assured we pride ourselves on our supplier relationships and will turn every stone in our efforts to obtain finance. In addition we know the the asset lenders inside out and after a brief assessment via companies house and or a chat with the customer we will know exactly which funder to approach and what information will be required. This can save an awful lot of time wasting and effort.

Tags: independent finance broker, vendor finance
Posted in Asset Finance | No Comments »

Pension Funds and Asset Finance

Monday, November 8th, 2010

As many business owners are aware it is possible to invest in commercial property using a pension fund. The benefits of such a plan have well been documented. However it is also possible to purchase plant and machinery using asset finance via the pension fund. Whilst on the face of it , it would appear pointless purchasing a depreciating asset in such a manner there are a number of major advantages in doing so. Whilst XL Business Finance cannot provide specific advise we were recently involved in such a scenario. Read on!

A major plant hire customer needed some equipment for a new contract. Whilst there was nothing wrong with the credit worthiness of the business we all know that there are few high street funders offering decent rates. Get fully committed with these funders and the second tier can prove very expensive. Organising a loan via the pension fund provided some very very competitive funding indeed.

So what about the tax side of things. Whilst the equipment itself will depreciate over a period , the contract the kit was being used for would generate a significant amount of income. This income would therefore be paid into the pension fund in a tax effeicient manner. The return on the initial investment was many many times greater than the initial investment and prooved to be some clever tax planning. Whilst this kind of scenario will not work for every business itr is an option that business owners should be aware. XL Business Finance cannot provide specific pension and tax advise however I think this illustrates the concept quite nicely.

Tags: Asset Finance
Posted in Asset Finance | No Comments »

Can I get Trade Finance ?

Friday, November 5th, 2010

It is now possible to obtain trade finance on a stand alone basis subject to the type of goods you are buying and selling. Traditionally cash for trade finance deals have only been available from the banks via an overdraft facility or a specialist but onerous division of the bank.

International and domestic tade finance is available from most factoring and invoice discounting companies however the god news is that there one or two funders coming into the market that can provide funding on a standalone basis.

Imagine the scenario. You have either pre sold goods with little trading history or you have an exceptional track record of selling goods but you don’t have the cash to purchase your goods. You go to your bank and they dont want to help because you haven’t been trading long enough or you have had a poor trading history ( from the view point of a bank)

A specialist trade finance company has the ability to provide you with your much required working capital. Depending on the stock you are buying, the margin in the deal, who the end customer is and the length of time it takes to sell the goods, funding may be available on a stand alone basis.

Trade finance can also be used in conjunction with a factoring or invoice discounting facility to provide a complete funding solution.

Unlike the banks that promise the earth and take an age to say no we will be able to provide you very quickly as to wheteher funding may be possible. Give us a call today to find out on 0161 980 0577 or 020 3301 4540

Tags: Factoring, trade finance
Posted in Factoring, Trade Finance | No Comments »

Cash Flow Loans Explained

Monday, November 1st, 2010

A traditional cash flow loan from a banks point of view would be based on the turnover and profitability of a business. Before the recession cash flow loans were a prelevent form of bank lending. They were often used in management buy outs to raise cash to buy the businesses along with other purposes. It was not out of the question to raise funds many times greater than the actual value of the tangible assets of the business.

During a buoyant economy this kind of lending is absolutely fine however as soon as things slow down, as they did recently, serviceability may become an issue and as such the banks find themselves with large loans to businesses with very little or no security. It is no wonder the banks have had such a slating recently for lending on this basis. The recession hits and the banks no longer lend on this basis and are accused of not lending any money. It appears to me that they dammed if they do and dammed if the don’t.

The alternative to cash flow lending is asset based lending whereby a bank or financial institution lend against the asset of the business. These are predominantly invoice finance companies that will lend up to 90% of a businesses debtor book, provide a commercial mortgage, lend approx 50% against any unencumbered machinery and also have the ability to lend against stock and in certain circumstances provide international trade finance.

Whilst a bank has the ability to provide asset based lending they don’t tend to have the expertise as some of the specialist lenders and as such it is often worthwhile speaking to an independent business finance specialist to see what alternatives are available. XL Business has over 10 years experience in helping businesses in this often overcomplicated sector of business finance.

Tags: cash flow loans, invoice finance
Posted in Asset Finance, Invoice Finance | No Comments »

Need a commercial mortgage?

Tuesday, October 26th, 2010

XL Business Finance has been helping business for over 10 years with many different areas of business finance. Over the years we have developed a knowledge and expertise in may areas including asset finance, invoice finance and commercial mortgages. However obtaining a commercial mortgage in the current climate is still probably one of the most difficult things to do especially when approaching your own commercial high street bank. Thankfully at XL Business Finance we have a few alternative funders that maybe able to help.

The problem with the high street banks is that they are hung up with the serviceability of the transaction. And unless you have trading profitably for more than 3 years with 3 years positive accounts being produced. It doesn’t matter about the value of the property or the amount of deposit being put into the transaction unless you are quality tenant it wont fly with the bank. Many of these high street banks say they do commercial property but in reality they put up as many obstacles in the way as possible to prevent the deal going forward.

However there are one or two alternatives. There are still one or two London based merchant banks offering funding for the right deal and in deed some of the asset based lenders are starting to dip their toes back in the market ( for the right kind of property)

In addition there are still a number of bridging companies offering funding however the bridging companies tend to be expensive and as such you should be fairly confident as to your exit route as these should only be used as a temporary stop gap.

If you need any help or advise at al about commercial mortgages it is free to pick up the phone. We are a results driven business and unless we can add value to your particular scenario we will just give ou best advise

Tags: commercial mortagges
Posted in Commercial Mortgages | No Comments »

Sourcing Equipment Finance

Thursday, October 21st, 2010

Any business wishing to organise equipment finance for new or used capital purchases may find that the banks not very accommodating at the moment. Any Managing Director or Finance Director may possibly not know who to turn to . It also appears that the choice of finance company appears to be continually diminishing. The good news is that XL Business Finance has the expertise and experience to source hire purchase and finance lease facilities from a variety of lesser know finance house and independent companies.

In addition even if the bank are offering a facility it is advisable to consider an alternative hire purchase or finance lease deal provided by a third party funder. The banks tend to offer funding by way of a commercial loan. As they will probably not secure the loan against the equipment itself they will only lend against the strength of the balance sheet or the amount of available security. This may have implications for raising finance at future dates as valuable funding lines may have been exhausted. Therefore if the equipment to be purchased has some value, it is Durable, Identifiable and Moveable than it maybe possible to organise third party funding

XL Business Finance has many years experience in arranging lease facilities for all kind of things including, computers, printers, office furniture, racking are but to name a few

Tags: equipment finance, finance lease, hire purchase
Posted in Asset Finance | No Comments »

Asset Finance in an MBO

Monday, May 24th, 2010

Asset finance can play an important part of the overall consideration in a management buyout. Although it is often the last piece of the jigsaw it can make the difference between making a deal happen and not making a deal happen. Furtherm0re it is imperative that you get a decent asset finance broker to coordinate the best possible deal.

Once upon a time it was very easy to obtain a cash flow loan from a high street bank against the overall facility. A cash flow loan is an amount a bank will advance based on the profitability of a business. Before the credit crunch and the recession these cash flow lends were relatively easy to obtain as the banks were awash with cash and fighting tooth and nail to do deals. How things have changed. An MBO is nowadays funded by the cash within the business ( if there is any), refinancing any property using the debtor book via factoring or invooice discounting and more often than not some deferred consideration.

In terms of the asset finance you will obtain funding from a specialist asst based lender. Refinancing of plant and machinery for such purposes is a very specialist market and it is mot usually provided by the high streets banks and finance companies as they do not have the same expertise. There are currently about half a dozen asset based lenders and they all do things sligtly differently. They all have a niche area and value different types of kit in different sectors slightly differently.

Tags: asset finance broker, refinance existing plant and machinery
Posted in Asset Finance | No Comments »

Using an Invoice Finance Broker

Friday, May 21st, 2010

Any search on the world wide web will reveal numerous factoring and invoice discounting companies. Some of them will be actual lenders, others will call themselves “independent” in that they are not bank owned but they are still a lender and some ae brokers. In our opinion using an invoice finance broker will save you the most time and help you obtain the most appropriate funder for your particular requirements.

However there are two types of brokers. Some of the websites you see on the net are more like like cost comparison sites and will give the business the opportunity to compare quotes. These sites will link into half a dozen factoring and invoice discounting companies and as a result you will be bombarded with calls from half a dozen companies. We are not sure how this type of service can be providing best adviser particularly when no one actually speaks with you to discuss your business.

Surely the best type of broker is the one that either has a meaningful conversation with you in order to find out about your business or even better they take time to visit. At XL Business finance we have access to all the finance companies on the cost comparison sites and far more in addition. Following an initial interview or meeting we can pinpoint the two or three most appropriate invoice finance providers. And the good news is that this service is absolutely free. If XL Business Finance makes an introduction to finance company and they take you on board as a customer a fee will be paid by the finance company to ourselves. This fee is in no way loaded to the charges paid by your selves. ALL invoice discounting and factoring companies pay the same level of fees because the broker market is one of their biggest sources of business. Therefore you can ensure you are getting totally independent viewpoint

Tags: Factoring, invoice discounting, invoice finance
Posted in Invoice Finance | No Comments »

Equipment Finance for a new start business

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

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.

Many businesses that we see that have been trading for less than twelve months have had various experiences with the high street banks. In our experience inexperienced account mangers get the customers jumping through hoops promising that the bank will do the deal only to be overruled when the deal goes for credit approval. In our experience it doesn’t matter how good the business plans are unless three years decent trading figures can be produced then it is unlikely that the banks will help.

The good news is that there a number of leasing and hire purchase companies that will lend to newly formed businesses. Hover in the case of our £40k LCD business any finance company will view this as a soft asset with very little security. Most finance companies will advance up to £10k per decent guarantor providing that the guarantor is a home owner, has a reasonable amount of equity in that house and they must also have a clear personal search profile. There are however one or two companies that may take a view on the overall deal an providing funding for the whole project. If that doesn’t work then we are in the territory of second charges on property!

Tags: business finance, hire purchase
Posted in Asset Finance | No Comments »

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