Small business financing in the UK before and during the current financial crisis

Abstract

This article uses empirical evidence from the UK to consider how demand for external finance changed as the economy entered recession and whether external finance became more difficult for entrepreneurs to access as the recession progressed. It finds that larger firms and those experiencing declines in sales were more likely to maintain or increase their demand for external finance. The opposite was true for women-led businesses. Generally, finance was more readily available to larger and older firms throughout the recession. At its peak 119,000 (10% of the total stock) smaller firms were denied credit in a three-month period.