A collection of our thoughts, opinions, (and sometimes general musings) on everything to do with all aspects of business finance, commercial finance, small businesses, and general news about ASC Finance for Business.
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Small Business Survey - what's the real story?
I read a recent article on the BBC website titled; ‘Small businesses struggling to raise finance’ in reference to a recent survey which suggested “an increase in refusals for finance”. The business minister explained last week his plans to establish a new bank with the following message: “the Government understands the frustration felt by many...
Plans for a new state funded bank - Hurrah (or maybe not!)
The business secretary has just announced plans for a new lending initiative. Sounds promising, until you look at the small print; A couple of comments to err on the side of caution: It is suggested that it will take another 18 months or so for the scheme to go live. That is clearly too long....
There was a recent survey in the news on business finance with the results claiming that small businesses are struggling to raise the money they need to expand. It reported that around 42% of businesses that applied for a loan were turned down which also accounted for a decline in business confidence. Here at ASC...
Was it worth it? The financial cost of hosting the games
A few weeks ago we wrote a blog on whether the Games were good for small businesses. Now, after a spectacular closing ceremony, we ask: was it worth it? At a cost of over £11bn the ‘legacy’ of the games is going to be under some pressure to pay back the money it borrowed from...
A throw away phrase during the Olympics about British mentality and how to communicate with the locals prompted the following thought; when you go to a pub it is very easy to speak to the person next to you and even buy them a beer and have a good chat. If you then go on...
I am not sure what it is when music icons fall into the forever 27 club – suddenly we are hit with the realisation that their music was life changing, a genius piece of art that will go down in history. It proves we all take things for granted and there is this modern day...
Why low base rates do not result in low interest rates for businesses!
Many businesses are questioning why the interest rates for business loans have not fallen in line with the reduction of base rates. One explanation is that banks restore their balance sheets and have increased the margins they charge: the days of 1% over base are simply gone – it is now in excess of 3...
We have had numerous success stories from our sportsmen and sportswomen over the last two weeks, so we want to learn more about the success stories in business. We are convinced that many small businesses enjoyed a good Olympics in the sense that their business enjoyed an upturn. perhaps because they catered for a niche...
Suddenly the LIBOR scandal has vanished from the newspapers. The perception seems to be that now the fines have been paid, the case is closed. Or maybe we have been distracted by the more recent news of alleged money laundering within HSBC. Whatever is happening there are still questions that need answering. Let’s be clear...
