By John Jardine, LB Corporate Finance Consultant, LB Group – from Suffolk Business

Economists and pundits are spotting those little green shoots of recovery coming up everywhere.

Some are going so far as to declare the recession over, and are actually starting to forecast growth by the end of the year. They suggest that the evidence points to recovery.

But does the appearance of all these green shoots of recovery signal that finance is becoming more readily available?

As an ex-banker - and one with more than just a few years' experience - I have seen downturns and recessions come and go. Even so, I have not seen a credit and liquidity crisis as deep as the current situation.

There is no doubt that business confidence is growing and that dealing with the banks is becoming easier. Even so, I would caution against believing that finance will be readily available in the short to medium term.

In my view, based on recent deals and fundraising I have been involved with, there is appetite to lend but this differs greatly from bank to bank and between sectors. Now, more than ever, it is important to try to create a "cocktail" of finance, using all assets available - invoice finance, asset finance, EFG loans and commercial mortgages, just to name a few.

Providing the banks with as much "comfort" as possible, together with robust business forecasts and a compelling case means that your chance of success is greatly increased.

At LB Corporate Finance we work with companies to examine what options are available and then help them with preparation of finance proposals for submission to selected banks.

In that way we ensure that the approach to the bank will be welcomed and will stand the greatest chance of success. More than that though, we understand what kind of deal each bank is actually interested in. That ensures that we can get our clients in front of the appropriate person in the right bank. Second chances are rare!

In the past few months I have obtained approval for finance in sectors as varied as power control, publishing, contract cleaning and the not-for-profit sector. The approaches have been very different but each one has succeeded, thanks to a combination of an attractive proposal and the targeting of the right people.

It just goes to show that contacts and sector knowledge have never been more important.

Contact: John Jardine, LB Group, 82 East Hill, Colchester, Essex. CO1 2QW. Tel: 01206 867551. Web: www.lbgroup-colchester.com. Email: john.jardine@lbgroupltd.com.