Month: June 2020

Richmond Asset Finance Guide to Farm and Agriculture Finance

Richmond Asset Finance is a specialist business lender to the agricultural sector that offers traditional, responsible lending to farmers throughout England, Scotland and Wales.

Farm finance is on the rise again and is becoming an attractive sector as farmers need loans that can be secured on real assets as farmers now need to find new sources of capital to sustain, grow and improve their businesses. Again we can help with asset finance and for equipment and various land and property finance is available too. Click here to view our services and solutions here.

Here are a few reasons why you may require Richmond Asset Finance Agricultural Finance:

  • Diversification, farmers need capital to diversify and build new businesses. Diversifying your enterprise can increase revenue and reduce risk. We understand this and the benefits it brings in the current market, as our team has direct experience of building new businesses.
  • Purchasing new farmland when additional acreage or a unique property opportunity may come available and often at short notice. Additional acreage or a unique property opportunity may come available at any time and often at short notice. Richmond Asset can move quickly to help you secure this and expand your business.
  • Property finance allows farmers to develop, renovate or repair property for capital appreciation and income generation. Are you making the most from your property? A loan from us could help you develop, renovate or repair property for capital appreciation and income generation.
  • Renewable energy projects can be a great source of additional income and add real value to under-utilised land on a farm, or even turn waste products into revenue. Renewable energy projects can be a great source of additional income and add real value to under-utilised land on your farm, or even turn waste products into revenue.
  • Livestock Finance is utilised by farmers to expand their livestock holdings. Once you decide that you’d like to expand your livestock holdings, our facility can provide a flexible option that can be used repeatedly, allowing you to make judicious purchases or sales, depending on the market.

What is asset refinancing?

What Is Asset Refinancing?

Asset refinancing is an alternative finance arrangement that offers a simple and straightforward way to raise cash against an asset that your company already owns. Depending on the amount of funds required, you can refinance any single or multiple assets. You don’t even have to own the asset outright; refinancing arrangements can be offered on the equity tied up in company property. Refinancing a number of assets is also referred to as debt consolidation.

Richmond Asset Finance offer a number of different asset financing solutions for your business. Asset Finance is a very useful financing option because of the many benefits to your business. A business in any sector can have many financial assets and there are a number of ways to attain finance for these. In recent times this makes it the third most popular source of finance for UK Businesses.

What Are The Benefits Of Asset Refinancing?

Asset refinancing offers a simple, cost-effective and quick way to secure additional finance for ongoing business activities. You can continue to use the asset offered as security against the loan, whilst using the released funds to invest in new assets, such as a larger fleet of vehicles or new company premises. Most asset refinancing arrangements offer structured payment plans to help business owners budget effectively. Interest rates and charges are agreed upfront so you won’t incur any surprises during the lifetime of the loan. Once the loan amount has been agreed, along with associated rates and charges, you will be required to pay fixed instalments on a weekly, monthly or quarterly basis.

ASSET FINANCE IS ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING FORMS OF FINANCE TODAY – Call us for more information.

How has the Coronavirus affected bridging finance?

Surveyors are being extremely cautious

Even where a valuation can be done, surveyors are being very cautious. Whilst they will be producing the usual figures for an open market valuation, 30 day, 90 day and 180 day sale, they may also add a revised figure to allow for the likelihood that prices will fall after the pandemic is over.  Some surveyors have even taken to writing, ‘this valuation cannot be relied upon’, on their reports. This makes the report worthless to many bridging lenders, who aren’t prepared to lend on the basis of this type of valuation.

Social distancing causing problems with witnessing legal documents

There are currently problems with getting legal documents witnessed by a solicitor as most are now working from home and not seeing clients face to face. 

Staffing shortages are affecting lenders too

Lenders have also been impacted by the requirement for staff to work from home wherever possible and have had to set up systems to allow staff to work remotely.  

Staffing numbers have been hit by those needing to self-isolate, which has affected lenders’ abilities to deal with new cases.

Bridging Finance during the Covid19 Pandemic

How has the Coronavirus affected bridging finance?

Some bridging lenders have stopped lending

A number of bridging lenders have stopped providing bridging loans during the current Coronavirus pandemic. Many lenders have announced that they are temporarily stopping all new lending or restricting the size and types of loan that they offer.

Some current lending applications have been cancelled

Some lenders have cancelled on-going applications and have even pulled current offers where contracts have not been exchanged.  In some cases lenders are requiring customers to start the application process again from scratch.

Those still lending have reduced loan to values and loan sizes

Those lenders who are still offering bridging finance are being very cautious and have taken actions such as reducing their maximum loan sizes.  Maximum gross loan to values (LTVs) are down from 80% to around 60 to 65%.