Invoice Finance Broker And Lender Overview

Any business looking into using invoice finance to improve cash flow is faced with a truly bewildering choice. There are lenders of every size and kind, located all round the UK and accustomed to dealing with every kind of company from start-ups to long established enterprises.

With such a wide choice available it can be very helpful to use the services of an invoice finance broker to simplify the selection of the best one for your particular business.

Later in this article you will find more information about the benefits using a broker like Touch Financial can bring. Before that it would be valuable to explain the kinds of lenders that an invoice finance broker is likely to introduce to you.

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Touch Financial – The UK's leading invoice finance broker

The high street banks

All of the big banks offer invoice finance as part of their service to business customers. In most cases, raising money this way is easier, and cheaper, than arranging a loan or an overdraft. Four of the key lenders among the big banks are:

• Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance - the market leader amongst banks which currently helps over 14,000 UK businesses.

• Royal Bank of Scotland Invoice Finance which is part of the RBS Group and has a national network of relationship managers offering a flexible, personal service.

• Barclays Sales Finance has over 70 years’ experience of tailoring financial solutions for businesses of every size.

• HSBC positions itself as being “The World’s Local Bank” and its international links may be particularly relevant to businesses who work with overseas suppliers and clients.

Independent lenders

There are a large number of independent invoice finance companies. Most cite their independence as a reason why they can be more flexible than the larger lenders and offer a more bespoke service. These include:

• Venture Finance which has a 20% share of the independent invoice discounting sector, making it one of the biggest players.  It’s been named the Credit Today Factor Discounter of the Year two years running.

• Hitachi Capital specialises in helping small to medium sized companies with a turnover of between £100,000 and £10,000,000 a year and prides itself on the very high levels of service it provides.

• Ultimate Finance’s key selling point is the speed with which it acts on its customers’ behalf as it predominantly offers internet-based funding. 

• Eurofactor is dedicated to building long term relationships with clients both in the UK and on the continent. The company takes great care to research its clients’ markets to give the best possible service.

Boutique lenders

The third category is so-called “boutique” lenders. These are smaller companies offering even more flexibility that the larger independents. These include:

• IGF which is part of the Greater London Enterprise Group of Companies, an economic development and investment company owned by the London Boroughs.

• Regency Factors which, like many smaller lenders,  offer the option of factoring only a proportion of total turnover.

• Ashley Commercial Finance has over 200 clients in every sector from haulage to printing and from recruitment to IT companies. They are willing to deal with businesses with a poor credit history or weak accounts.

• Gener8 Finance is based in Oxfordshire. Like most of the smaller boutique lenders, flexibility is the watchword, along with personal service and attention.

How an invoice finance broker can help

Touch Financial are perfectly placed to help you choose which kind of lender is best for your needs because we have a great deal of experience with dealing with over 20 of the leading names.

Our service is FREE and our advice is impartial. We even have access to exclusive offers and rates which are not available from any other invoice finance broker.

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Also in this section:

• Looking for a factoring company?
• Factoring company UK - Finding the best deal
• Invoice finance broker and lenders
• Invoice discounting company - The high street banks
• Overview of the independent invoice factoring companies
  
• The role of an accounts receivable factoring company