With market intelligence indicating that money lent to businesses will halve in 2009, Roger Dewsbery, senior underwriter at Birmingham-based Crystal Mortgages, says viable, profitable opportunities exist but these companies struggle to acquire the funding to grow.
"From existing successful businesses to viable start-up companies, everyone is struggling to raise finance," said Dewsbery.
"There are only a handful of commercial mortgage products available, and most of these are hard to drawdown as the lending criteria is aimed purely at prime applicants. Add the lack of Government-based support, and suddenly there is nowhere to turn.
"Until the Government addresses this issue, which I fear will not be for the foreseeable future, possible business success stories are being underdeveloped and the country itself will not be able to start down the road to recovery."
