Constituency Casework
Published Tuesday, 29 September, 2020
This article highlights some of the problems with the Bounce Back Loans scheme (BBLS) that have arisen and how caseworkers can help businesses to address them.
This information should not be relied upon as legal or professional advice. Read the disclaimer.
The British Business Bank publishes detailed information about Bounce Back loans. We also discuss the scheme in the business loans chapter of our briefing paper Coronavirus: Support for businesses. Further background is available in our briefing paper Coronavirus: Business loans schemes.
The British Business Bank (BBB) oversees the scheme and accredits lenders. (A list is available.) The government and the BBB have delegated all aspects of decision-making to individual lenders. This means that lenders make decisions about applications, as well as who they will accept applications from.
Although BBLS is advertised as being for smaller businesses, there is no upper limit on the size of businesses that can apply.
No, they can apply to any accredited lender, but it may well be more efficient to apply to their existing bank first because the approval process involves some basic “know your customer” security checks. Businesses should only have one live application at a time. Being rejected by one lender should not prevent applications being considered by others (although it’s important to know why the application was rejected).
Reasons may vary, so businesses should contact the lender to find out why. Many lenders have been overwhelmed by the level of demand and so it has taken much longer than usual to consider applications – even if in theory that process is quick. It may be worth reviewing recent articles online about which lenders are taking more or less time to decide.
This is most likely to result from attempts to manage levels of demand. Again, each lender is free to set its own criteria in this area. Some may only accept applications from existing customers with business accounts and have indeed rejected traders who use current accounts. In the latter case it would certainly be worth contacting the lender to discuss the matter.
Banks are free to make these decisions, but customers are equally free to ask why. See the next question too.
The first step is to talk to the lender directly to find out more or to seek more information. All customers can use the lender’s own complaints procedure. Many businesses and charities may also use the standard complaints procedure for financial services after they have exhausted the lender’s complaints procedure. Please note:
Businesses might consider applying for a loan under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans Scheme (CBILS), which offers more money but a more complex application process. They may do this even if they’ve had a Bounce Back Loan. Please note:
On 24 September, the Chancellor announced that the closing date for applications would be extended to 30 November 2020. The same deadline applies to the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans Scheme (CBILS).
Coronavirus: Support for businesses (Commons Library)
Coronavirus: Business loans schemes (Commons Library)
Support for Small Firms (Commons Library)
Bounce Back Loans Scheme (BBLS) (British Business Bank)
Finance options (British Business Bank)
The Commons Library does not intend the information in this article to address the specific circumstances of any particular individual. We have published it to support the work of MPs. You should not rely upon it as legal or professional advice, or as a substitute for it. We do not accept any liability whatsoever for any errors, omissions or misstatements contained herein. You should consult a suitably qualified professional if you require specific advice or information. Read our briefing for information about sources of legal advice and help.
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