(Adds quotes from Prime Minister spokesman)
LONDON, Nov 21 (Reuters) - British finance minister Alistair
Darling is considering tougher laws to force banks to lend to
small businesses which are struggling with the global credit
crunch, newspapers reported on Friday.
The reports said Darling was looking at measures which could
include capping interest rates on loans to small firms, while a
leading Labour politician accused the banks of "navel gazing"
and even suggested full-scale nationalisation as a last resort.
A spokesman for Prime Minister Gordon Brown said government
wanted to see banks delivering on their commitments to lend.
"In circumstances such as these, you have to look at all
options," the spokesman told reporters. "But, of course, we want
to work constructively with the banks."
Darling will deliver his pre-budget report on Monday, which
will include measures to stimulate the British economy.
The Daily Telegraph and Daily Mail newspapers both reported
that Darling is expected to introduce a new scheme to underwrite
small business loans, but if banks fail to loosen their lending
policy he would legislate to make them do so.
A Treasury spokesman declined comment.
John McFall, head of parliament's influential Treasury
Committee, said major banks must start lending to small business
or face increased public pressure for nationalisation.
There is growing anger at the apparent reluctance of banks
to pass on cuts in official interest rates to mortgage holders
or free up credit to small businesses -- particularly after
several participated in a 37 billion pound government bailout
scheme.
"Despite having been pulled back from the brink, the banks
appear reluctant to launch their sizeable recapitalisation
lifeboat and start lending again to households and businesses,"
McFall said in a statement.
"It would seem that they are instead navel gazing and
looking warily at each other instead of concentrating on their
customers."
McFall said that if the banks fail to comply, there could be
a "nuclear option" of full-scale nationalisation.
However, the British Bankers Association (BBA) said tighter
lending conditions reflected a combination of banks having to be
more rigorous in assessing loans and businesses reining in their
investment plans and lowering their overdraft needs.
BBA chief Angela Knight said loans would not be going to all
firms because "not everyone has the right business model, not
everyone has customers who are coming through their door".
"It does make absolute sense that what a bank must do is
assess that the business that it is lending to is a viable
business," she told BBC radio. "Most of the banks are getting
proper arrangements in place to assist the small businesses
through a difficult time."
Knight conceded interest rates for business loans had risen,
but said this was because "the cost of money has gone up".
"It's a much, much harsher climate for money than it was,
say, three years ago," she said. "There is also a requirement to
do greater due diligence in some instances and there will be
times in which there are small businesses who are not getting
money which they believe they should be getting, but the reality
is from a lending perspective it doesn't look sound."
"We have found as well that there are some non-bank lenders
to small and medium-sized businesses who have come out of the
market and I think some of the issue (of low loan levels) may be
with them."
(Reporting by Frank Prenesti and Matt Falloon; Editing by
Stephen Nisbet)
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