Under coronavirus measures - the government is seemingly about to arrange for £25,000 loans, to be provided to small businesses.

Loans from banks will be guaranteed by the government - and will be interest free, with few meaningful conditions.

Banks were reluctant to provide such facilities themselves - in this uncertain climate.


The finance will be available to small businesses with less than 10 employees - and will include shops and public houses.

On the face of it - perhaps the most generous credit every provided to anyone anywhere. And a clear manifestation of how serious things are.

Although the terms and conditions are, as yet, unpublished - the unsecured loans appear to be there for the asking.

I agree it is a clear manifestation of how serious things are but this would refer to the reaction to the virus rather than the virus itself Barney. You may have come round Barney and this is what you meant?!

Well said wyot you have answered exactly the way I would have done; the ramifications of a PanicDemic are far worse than the minor pandemic we're experiencing. If they'd done this when they gave us the wrong flu vaccine (Doh!), we'd have gone through it all in 2018.

'Minor pandemic' - oxymoron, par excellence!

In less than four months, every country on earth has been affected by the virus.

Nearly 200,000 people have died, and almost 3,000,000 have been infected.

Obviously nothing minor or trivial about this - with another mutation(s), the biggest danger.


Providing thousands of pounds to micro-businesses is ground breaking; as there will be little time for analysis of the claimants.

Usually - when a bank considers lending - due diligence is undertaken, to assess risk and repayment ability.

However - the £25k appears to constitute a quasi grant, for the smallest of business entities - many of which are just not viable.


Many pressurised businessmen will be enticed into this proposed scheme - just to pay their bills.

But far more die every year from other illnesses Barney. Cancer, strokes, Flu, Sepsis, Heart attacks, Car accidents

This is only a plague because Media wanted it to be.

And gullible suckers like you fell for it and parrot these tiny statistics as though they are seriously big.

So many taking advantage of the virus: all the telcos and on-line services like Ebay etc have laid people off but it's ludicrous as (I'm sure it's same in UK & EU) entities like on-line sellers are booming and telcos must be pulling in millions in new fees.

Similarly Hedda I am already sick of the TV ads now being all about bloody Corona and trying to make a buck by promoting themselves against a load of sentimental tosh.

An ad I saw last night 5 times would have you believe Natwest are a branch of social services....

Barney wrote:
Providing thousands of pounds to micro-businesses is ground breaking; as there will be little time for analysis of the claimants.

Usually - when a bank considers lending - due diligence is undertaken, to assess risk and repayment ability.

However - the £25k appears to constitute a quasi grant, for the smallest of business entities - many of which are just not viable.


This Small Firm loan scheme will be available from Monday to businesses - on an unsecured and interest free basis.

And without the need for a viability study. Only a 'simple form' has to be completed - with some fraud checks.

£50,000 is now readily available, at banks, to - pubs, shops, restaurants, building firms etc. - to get them over the crisis.


Undoubtedly the most generous credit ever made available to anyone - anywhere.

Showing, as I said before, just how seriously the government is viewing things.

Money is simply no object...

Coronavirus Business Interuption Loan Scheme (CBILS) - this facility is called

Very generous - £50k unsecured, interest free with no viability criteria

However - the fine print and conditions - would require Einstein QC to decipher

100,000 applications on the first day

Many can't avoid looking a gift horse in the mouth


Free money - without risk

No questions asked....