January is a month of new beginnings. Following a refreshing Christmas break, business owners are back at work with renewed vigour, focused on winning new contracts, planning for the year ahead and, very possibly, growing their burgeoning empire. There is a lot of hope and hard work in Liverpool. Ours is a city where we celebrate and champion entrepreneurial spirit, so it should come as no surprise that it is locally owned, independent commercial finance house Focus Commercial stepping up to support Merseyside businesses in 2014.

Focus Commercial’s package of accessible, affordable finance options allows businesses to side step more traditional routes to raising funds which, in the current market, can be difficult to come by. The city centre based finance house offers unsecured loans from £5,000 to £150,000, as well as larger, secured loans of up to £1 million, so businesses at every stage of development, whatever their financial requirement, can plan their expansion with assistance from a local organisation they can trust.

The company also offers a wide variety of finance options to fund a range of property and construction projects. Focus Commercial can arrange bridging finance, returning a decision on terms within the hour. Development finance is available for residential deals, commercial deals, property refurbishments and the purchase of land. Competitive commercial and investment mortgages can also be arranged for owner occupiers, trading businesses, residential deals and commercial purchases, with an immediate decision every time.

John McNamara of Focus Commercial said: “At Focus Commercial our can-do attitude gets results. We fight for every deal we work on and will always get to the heart of a complex case. The result is a higher rate of conversions and, we hope, better level of service than people will have have experienced in the past from financial institutions.

We combine an approachable, local service with an in-depth market knowledge and a genuine desire to help our customers grow their organisations.”

A Selection of Available Finance Options

Unsecured loans of anything from £5,000 – £150,000, with a 1 to 5 year term, offer a flexible solution that can be used for a range of purposes, including working capital, asset purchase, expansion capital and a range of one-off business expenses, with a personal guarantee required as security.

Asset finance packages, to cover purchases including wheeled assets, oiled assets, machinery and equipment and yellow plant range from £20,000 – £1 million, with a 1 to 5 year term. The asset being purchased is held as security (via a conditional sale agreement) and a personal guarantee may also be required.

Secured loans, for those clients looking to borrow larger amounts, are available from £100,000 – £1 million with a 1 to 5 year term. Capital is secured against existing assets in the business and can be used for a wide range of purposes, including working capital, asset purchase, expansion capital and one-off business expenses. These loans from Focus Commercial are secured with a fixed and floating charge across all assets or property in the business; a second charge is sufficient and a personal guarantee may also be required in some cases.

Focus Commercial also offers competitive property finance solutions of £100,000 – £1 million with a 3 to 5 year term. Designed to sit behind a commercial mortgage, this product frees up the equity in an existing property portfolio, allowing the client to borrow up to 85% LTV. Suitable for clients with 5 years’ trading history and a portfolio of two or more properties, these loans can be used for working capital, asset purchase, expansion capital, property refurbishment, deposits and more. Property loans are typically secured with a second charge over the business’ properties. A personal guarantee may also be required. Whilst a first charge can be considered, the product is available over a maximum term of 5 years and is designed to be used alongside a traditional commercial mortgage.

Businesses seeking finance are invited to contact Focus Commercial’s dedicated business development team on 0151 600 5468 or to email enquiries@focuscommercial.co.uk.