Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme


Support for businesses through the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme

A new temporary Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme has been introduced to support SMEs with access to loans, overdrafts, invoice finance and asset finance of up to £5 million and for up to 6 years.

The government will also make a Business Interruption Payment to cover the first 12 months of interest payments and any lender-levied fees, so smaller businesses will benefit from no upfront costs and lower initial repayments.

The government will provide lenders with a guarantee of 80% on each loan (subject to pre-lender cap on claims) to give lenders further confidence in continuing to provide finance to SMEs. The scheme will be delivered through commercial lenders, backed by the government-owned British Business Bank.

There are 40 accredited lenders able to offer the scheme, including all the major banks.

How to access the scheme

The scheme is now open for applications. All major banks are offering this scheme.

To apply, you should talk to your bank or one of the 40 accredited finance providers(not the British Business Bank) as soon as possible, to discuss your business plan. You can find out the latest on the best ways to contact them via their websites. Please note that branches may currently be shut down to enable social distancing.

The full rules of the scheme and the list of accredited lenders are available on the British Business Bank website.

If you have an existing loan with monthly repayments you may want to ask for a repayment holiday to help with cash flow.

 

Things to look out for

  • Some banks are requiring personal guarantees in relation to these loans, meaning the government backing of 80% of any default only covers any amount the bank are unable to recover from your personal assets. Look carefully at the terms your bank is offering as not all lenders are currently operating equally.

 

  • Whilst an interest free loan is an attractive prospect, remember, it is a LOAN and it will be repayable, albeit with potentially little to no interest. Make sure this is accounted for in cash flow and only  go this route once all other avenue shave been explored.

Get in touch

If you'd like any further information or have a question about the services we offer, please call us on 01621 874590 or email us admin@laspartnership.com.