SME Finance Charter

Five pledges from Bank of Ireland UK
to support SME customers through Brexit

 

    We’re open for business and ready to lend

    We have a number of financial supports in place to help customers with their specific requirements, whether it is protecting their business from risk or investing for growth and expansion. This includes a £1.75bn (€2bn) Brexit Fund designed to support businesses on the island of Ireland flex and adapt to Brexit change.

    We’ll help you prepare for Brexit and beyond

    For those businesses yet to develop a plan, our team is here to support with their preparation for the short and longer term. Our Brexit Portal includes Currency Risk Guide, articles, news updates and access to resources and information from business and industry organisations to help businesses prepare appropriately. Through the Bank’s Enterprise Programme partnerships (Catalyst Inc, NI Chamber and the Centre for Competitiveness) we provide a range of business supports to help customers prepare for Brexit including access to Tax, Legal, Funding and Business Planning experts and supports via seminars, clinics, and market messaging.

    We’ll support your application and signpost other options if needed

    When it comes to making the most of your business, Bank of Ireland UK is here to work with customers and support them in finding the best way forward for their business. We will explain how we assess loans to businesses, what information is key to a loan application and what options are available if we decline a loan application. We will also provide access to locally based Business teams, offering guidance on our range of business products that can support growth ambitions, from Commercial and Asset Finance to Foreign Exchange and Overdrafts.

    We’ll treat you fairly at all times

    We’re committed to serving our customers brilliantly by ensuring our products and services are designed and delivered to meet customer needs. We have clear supports and services for our customers, supporting businesses and commitment to service which you can find here. We’ve also signed up to the Standards of Lending Practice for business customers, demonstrating a commitment to ensuring that our customers are treated fairly.

    We’ll work with the Government-owned British Business Bank to support SMEs

    We are committed to working with the British Business Bank to support businesses through participation in their Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) Scheme. The EFG Scheme is a government scheme to support us in lending to small and medium sized businesses to increase the availability of working capital funding.

    You can find out more about our range of business products and the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme here.