Covid-19 Brings More SME Funding Uncertainty – Plus Loan Latest

The resurgence of the Covid-19 virus is causing mayhem on all fronts. The hotch-potch of government-backed schemes to aid small business – lots of different ideas distributed in a rather haphazard way – is right back with us. Or maybe there’s more order and sense to all this than first appears. You decide.

JustUs, a UK-based peer to peer (P2P) lender, has reportedly started taking applications for the Small Business Interruption Loan Service (SBILS) in order to offer funding for companies that might not have been able to acquire financial assistance via the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS).

Businesses that are looking to borrow funds may apply for the scheme through the Moneybrain app, which is JustUs’ sister brand. After registering, companies can list their business and start acquiring capital via crowdfunding, which the company will begin repaying in about a year from today.

This scheme is similar to what the CBILS had offered. It gave borrowers some breathing room, because no payments are due for the first year or 12 months. The UK government pays an upfront fee and also makes interest payments for the first year.

Lee Birkett, founder at JustUs (who had recommended offering financing through SBILS in July 2020), had initially planned to introduce the scheme by the end of last month. He claims that his company has received many applications with companies requesting a substantial amount of financial assistance.

Loan Latest

  • Our latest loan offering, the property-backed offering from WeBuyAnyHome.com, has attracted 31 per cent of the £150,000 it is seeking. The loan is rated A+ by our credit committee, and yields 8 per cent over a three-year term. For more detail, login.

Historical Performance And IFISA Process Guide

  • Money&Co. lenders have achieved an average return of more than 8 per cent gross (before we deduct our one per cent fee). 

That figure is the result of over £20 million of loans facilitated on the site, as we bring individuals looking for a good return on capital together with carefully vetted small companies seeking funds for growth. Bear in mind that lenders’ capital is at risk. Read warnings on site before committing capital.

  • Money&Co. has been lending for over 5 years and has only had two bad debts so far, representing a bad debt rate of 0.03 per cent per annum.

All loans on site are eligible to be held in a Money&Co. Innovative Finance Individual Savings Account (IFISA), up to the annual ISA limit of £20,000. Such loans offer lenders tax-free income. Our offering is an Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA) that can hold the peer-to-peer (P2P) business loans that Money&Co. facilitates. For the purposes of this article, the terms ISA and IFISA are interchangeable.

So here’s our guide to the process:

  • Step 1: Register as a lender. Go to the login page, and go through the process that the law requires us to effect. This means we have to do basic checks on you to comply with money-laundering and other security requirements.
  • Step 2: Put money into your account. This is best done by electronic transfer. We can also process paper cheques drawn in favour of Denmark Square Limited, the parent company of Money&Co.
  • Step 3: Buy loans in the loan market. Once you’ve put cash in your account it will sit there – and it won’t earn interest until you’ve bought a piece of a loan. It’s this final step that requires lenders and IFISA investors to be pro-active. Just choose some loans – all loans on the Money&Co. site can be held in an IFISA – and your money will start earning tax-free interest.

The ISA allowance for 2019/20 is unchanged from last tax year at £20,000, allowing a married couple to put £40,000 into a tax-free environment. Over three years, an investment of this scale in two Money&Co. Innovative Finance ISAs would generate £8,400 of income completely free of tax. We’re assuming a 7 per cent return, net of charges and free of tax here.

Once you have made your initial commitment, you might then consider diversifying – buying a spread of loans. To do this, you can go into the “loans for sale” market. All loans bought in this market also qualify for IFISA tax benefits.

Risk: Security, Access, Yield

Do consider not just the return, but the security and the ease of access to your investment. We write regularly about these three key factors. Here’s one of several earlier articles on security, access and yield.



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Disclaimer: Money&Co.™ is the trading name of Denmark Square Limited, Company Number 08561817, registered in England & Wales, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The company is identified on the Financial Services Register under Reference Number 727325. The registered office is 58 Glentham Road, Barnes, London, SW13 9JJ where the register of Directors may be inspected. Denmark Square Limited (ISA manager reference number Z1932) manages the Money&Co. Innovative Finance ISA.