Stationery printer
Alasdair Browne, director, Abbot Print
"I have had an annual meeting with the bank and they have made it clear that should I want a medium investment funded, I would get it without any problem almost straight away, and if I wanted a long-term investment – to buy a freehold, for example – again they would do it and gave me an idea of how much. I think there are certain sectors the banks shy away from, such as property, but Abbot buying property for its own use would be OK. This is better than before, as when I applied for a grant from the EEDA when I first purchased the company in 2006, they turned down my application as they considered print an unsafe investment!"

Manufacturer
Quen Baum, managing director, Morgana
"In the lower end of the market, finance hasn't been a huge issue, those companies that are not credit-worthy don't get credit. But by and large, when you are asking for £30,000 or £40,000, it isn't a huge issue to get credit. A much bigger problem in the customer-base we talk to is that companies seem to be scared to invest any money, not that the lenders don't want to lend them money. A lot of companies are saying they want to wait and see what happens. If they are bringing in new capabilities they want to know that its something their customers will want to use."

Commercial printer
Mike Seamans, shareholder, Newnorth Print
"Clearly, finance has always been company- and proposal-dependant. I can see why some companies are having difficulty in raising finance as business plans need scrutiny and projected cashflows need sensitivity checks, with track records analysed to ensure a credible way forward. I have not heard of any well-structured/well-run companies finding difficulty in funding. Start ups depend on management knowledge of the industry, good contacts and contracts. All our banking partners are continuing to be very supportive."

Finance advisory firm
Gerry Hoare, managing director, Deal Bureau
"I had a small opportunity recently, in a different sector, I sent it to three banks and they all said no. It was fully collateralised and had been trading for 18 months making a good profit. The banks will try to find a way to provide larger facilities so they achieve the lending targets of the government, rather than have to provide a number of smaller facilities. I do have some sympathy for the banks, in that there is no point in lending to poor businesses or over lending and then finding the business cannot service the debt and falls into default. There doesn't appear to be an air of optimism out there. Even the asset- based lenders are being cautious."