After years of owning motorcycles, Chris Lee’s dream was to buy an Audi TT so when it came to financing the purchase, his first consideration was value for money. As a Director of Whitehall Electrical Limited, a family run business that supplies electrical contracting services, time is precious.

With Credo Asset Finance taking care of all of the paperwork, Chris didn’t have to leave his office once. He adds; “I’d already bought a car and vans through Paul so I knew they were competitive but I got in touch to see what they could offer. I compared Credo Asset Finance to the manufacturers to keep them on their toes but Credo was £20 a month cheaper.” This cost saving means Chris will have £720 more in his pocket over three years. Paul Dowman from Credo Asset Finance says their competitive rates are down to good relationships with suppliers, adding “more often than not, we’re able to beat the rates available on the high street because of our strong contacts.”

But it’s not only competitive rates they pride their service on; “We also take care of all of the paperwork behind the scenes and visit clients to get forms signed.  Our ethos is to save money and time and we strive towards gaining a life-long customer.”

Chris is delighted with his purchase, adding “I got my dream car, saved money and didn’t have to leave my office to arrange it!”

SME’s are the lifeblood of the economy. So, affordable and fast finance is crucial for companies wanting to grow their business. But when a company goes through a change of directorship, it’s not always easy to get a business loan as The Personnel People recently discovered.

The Personnel People was established some 25 years ago but changed ownership in 2010 when Su Harvey and Donna Howlett took control. As one of East Anglia’s leading independent recruitment agencies, the business required finance to purchase £10,000 worth of computers and server equipment to improve its operations.

However, because Su was a new director, she was seen as high risk and found it difficult to get credit, adding; “Finance companies were making it difficult for us by giving us lots of stipulations.” But, using credit underwriting expertise, Credo Asset Finance was able to secure a lease for the equipment that arrived only a few days later.

Su adds: “When we felt we weren’t able to get a loan, we were going to buy the IT equipment outright but this would have severely affected our cash flow as we may need this money in the future for working capital.”

We were advised of the benefits of leasing, including that funding would not be withdrawn unlike an overdraft or a loan. In the end, we saved £500 and had an ownership clause added so the equipment belongs to us after three years.”

Simon Gray, Managing Director of Credo Asset Finance adds; “leasing is better than a loan or using cash because the business still has working capital left and there’s no requirement to show affordability.”

He finishes: “So many businesses are refused finance or offered extortionate rates and it’s completely unnecessary.”

Su concludes; “Without access to fast and affordable finance, businesses are being held back so it’s really important to get it right and not drain cash flow. Credo Asset Finance is a genuine company and I felt they really wanted to help our business.”

When Hazel Compton needed to replace her ten year old car, she thought she’d have no problems with securing finance, but was surprised when she was refused by the car dealership.

Hazel tells the story; “I was really surprised as I’ve always been good with payments. So I approached my bank that I’ve been with for 23 years. But they refused too.

When I asked my friend for help, they recommended me to Credo Asset Finance who advised me to get a credit report to see if any problems came up. I discovered that Egg had mistakenly put me down as not paying off a £16,000 loan, leaving a CCJ registered against my credit file.”

Paul Dowman from Credo Asset Finance says; “I advised Hazel to speak to Egg and ask them to remove the CCJ. Within two hours, she had received a faxed confirmation and an apology.”

Hazel then got finance quotes for her new car – a Hyundai i20; “The dealership offered me finance of £218 a month where as Credo Asset Finance offered me £202 a month, saving me nearly £600.”

Paul visited Hazel the next day to get the paperwork signed, arranging for the funds to be quickly transferred. But that’s not all, as Hazel saved another £100 after Paul haggled with the car dealership to reduce the car price further.

Hazel concludes; “I think their service is great. If it hadn’t been for their advice I would be going round in circles. Thankfully a week after my credit file problem was resolved, I was driving off the forecourt with my new car.”

“Credo Asset Finance is brilliant. They offer a really personable service and kept me up to date with what was happening.”

I would definitely approach Credo Asset Finance before banks as they take the time to find out exactly what you need, before going out of their way to help.”