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recovery loan scheme, growth guarantee scheme, accountants
The Government supported Recovery Loan Scheme (RLS) ends on 30th June 2024.
It will be replaced by the Growth Guarantee Scheme (GGS) for two more years, however there is expected to be a delay in lenders being accredited in the new scheme. This means that small businesses may not have as much choice over the next few months, unless they apply for any new facilities before 30th June.
There have been 3 versions of RLS which replaced the CBILS facilities offered over the pandemic. The Government has gradually been reducing the amount of guarantee offered so that now it provides:
If a lender is able to offer one of their normal commercial facilities, they must do so and these are likely to be at lower rates. However, the benefit of the RLS (and the GGS in due course) is that lenders are able to offer facilities to those riskier propositions which would not usually meet their lending criteria.
At Capitalise, we are definitely seeing that some businesses are still benefiting from this scheme.
Today, most major high street, challenger banks and fintechs offer the RLS. Funding Circle has provided almost 35% of all facilities up to 31/3/24 (latest data).
When the RLS ends on 30th June 2024, lenders who wish to continue on GGS will need to become accredited again by the British Business Bank and this is likely to take some time.
For example, Funding Circle said on 13/5/24 “As RLS comes to an end, we’ll continue to provide our Funding Circle loans, and our ambition is to make loans available under the Growth Guarantee Scheme as soon as we’re able to.” To give some idea, the RLS launched on 1/4/21 and Funding Circle didn’t receive their accreditation until 27/5/21, a gap of almost two months. Until then, businesses were restricted to only applying for RLS to the largest banks which received accreditation sooner. These were likely to have stricter lending criteria and therefore companies had less choice.
For those businesses who may need funding over the summer months, the funding team at Capitalise suggest you apply immediately, so that your client doesn’t miss the 30/06/24 deadline.
This may include those businesses who:
If you're an accountant, you can get in touch with your Partnership Manager or contact us to access Capitalise’s cutting edge platform and services. Whether your client needs a 360 degree view of their cash flow, business credit profile, debtor book risk, or funding eligibility, you can be sure that they will be connected to a panel of over 100 lenders ensuring they have access to the best financing options available.
If you're a business owner, you can apply for funding from 100+ UK lenders with Capitalise. Plus, when you sign up you can check your business credit score and the scores of the companies you work with to stay on top of your financial health.
Kirsty McGregor is founder and Chairman of The Corporate Finance Network, a group of independent regional accountancy firms. As an experienced SME Corporate Financier, she now shares her knowledge and practical resources with accountants who aim to assist owner-managed businesses to grow profitable businesses and ultimately to exit. She is also a speaker, professional trainer and is regularly called upon to provide commentary on SME issues to the press and media.
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